Beskrivning
A four-year meticulous build of the ultimate 288 GTO interpretation by renowned Ferrari specialists.
Lot number: 326 - guide price: 'No Reserve' (+ buyers premium of 12. 5% plus VAT (15% incl VAT) on the first £300, 000 of the hammer and 10% plus VAT (12% incl VAT) thereafter)
To be offered by Silverstone Auctions as part of 'The Seasons Opener Sale' from 10:30am BST on Saturday 5th March 2022.
Please see the Silverstone Auctions website for full details of how to register and how to bid.
For viewing of this car and the rest of the catalogue, you can attend our venue of RAF Hendon Museum (use NW9 5QW for satnav) on Thursday 3rd (pm) or Friday 4th (all day). Please contact Consignor Joe Watts via our website or telephone number listed here for more information.
- Built in-house by renowned Ferrari specialists ‘QV of London’
- The donor car was a USA-sourced, completely straight, 308 QV GTS, and the body was produced from moulds taken from a genuine 288 GTO
- This is a properly built, highly credible Ferrari replica, using Ferrari-manufactured or sourced parts throughout; the materials for every panel (whether they be steel, or fibreglass) are exactly as original 288 GTO
- All hinges, mirrors, louvres and badges are correct to the original 288 spec and are new
- Powered by a Ferrari 348 normally-aspirated engine and gearbox
- All mechanical parts have either been renewed or overhauled/ re-built; wheels and tyres are brand new
- The only work done out-of-house was the re-paint, re-upholstering of the seats in black leather and the re-trimming of the dash and door cards in Alcantara (as per original GTO).
- The car is MOT'd and mechanically new-build fresh
The Ferrari GTO (often referred to as Ferrari ‘288 GTO’) is an exotic homologation of the Ferrari 308 GTB produced from 1984 through 1986, designated ‘GT’ for Gran Turismo and ‘O’ for Omologato (homologation in Italian). It was built to compete in the new 'Group B' race series and a minimum of 200 cars were required for homologation. However, as only Ferrari and Porsche, with their 959, entered, the series was soon abandoned leaving just the 'Group B' Rally championship. The Porsche 959 (as the Porsche 961) only raced three times in Group B, but the 288 GTO never raced, and all road cars built remained purely road cars – this intriguing back-story just add to the 288’s magical status.
Some of the 288 GTO's styling features were first displayed on a 308 GTB design exercise by Pininfarina shown at the 1977 Geneva Salon. This included the deep front spoiler, wheel arches and wings, rear lip spoiler, front lid radiator cooling louvers and quadruple driving lights. Figures for the total production run vary, but the consensus seems to be a total of just 273 road-cars made (including a single official pre-production prototype). Unsurprisingly, when it was officially presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1984, the 288 GTO was the most powerful and fastest road car Ferrari had ever built.
The Ferrari 288 GTO is a must-have for any serious Ferrari collector, it's the epitome of the 1980s and its design is still one of the most impressive and masculine that Ferrari has ever introduced. The issue that effects anyone other than multi-millionaire collectors, is the value of a 288 GTO today – they are now £2, 500, 000-plus, a 3000% increase in 35 years! However, there may just be a way to get a flavour of the real thing.
This simply stunning car was commissioned by our vendor and built in-house by renowned Ferrari specialists ‘QV of London,’ who employ ex-Maranello engineers, and is the culmination of a 4-year project that was overseen by the very experienced engineer, Mick Lester. With thousands of build hours and a great deal of money spent, this is an incredibly special machine. QV were meticulous in their sourcing of the donor car, a 308QV GTS, which was eventually found in a US dry-state, and upon inspection was found to be completely straight. The car was imported and prepared for its transformation. QV were able to obtain GRP bodywork produced from moulds taken from a genuine 288 GTO - quite an achievement and gives this example a starting-point in terms of its inherent quality.
Make no mistake, this is a properly built, highly credible Ferrari reproduction, using Ferrari-manufactured or sourced parts throughout; the materials for every panel (whether they be steel or fibreglass) are exactly as original 288 GTO. All hinges, mirrors, louvres, and badges are correct to the original 288 spec and are new. The only departure from original specification is the use of a Ferrari 348 normally aspirated engine and gearbox. Again, both sourced by the best-in-business, the healthy and fully prepared longitudinally mounted engine has had its ECU remapped giving a much straighter power curve than the 'on-off' turbo original. The attention to detail to make this car perform and drive has been equally as high as its level of styling. All mechanical parts have either been renewed, overhauled, or re-built, with all new wheels and tyres fitted.
The only work out-sourced was the high-quality re-paint, the meticulous re-upholstering of the seats in black leather and the re-trimming of the dash and door cards in Alcantara (as per an original GTO).
During the transformation, simply no corners were cut, the car features so many mechanical and visual details to pull off one of the best interpretations we have ever seen. It has been properly set-up and methodically ‘shaken-down’ with road trials and performs as well as it presents. It is freshly MOT'd and serviced and ready to win hearts and turn heads – an absolute given!
