FERRARI · 1984–1985
The Ferrari 288 GTO was a homologation special built to compete in the FIA Group B racing category — a class so extreme it was cancelled before the car ever raced. The result was one of the most significant and coveted Ferraris ever built.
CURRENT MARKET VALUE
€2.5M – €4.0M
PRODUCTION
272 units
SIGNIFICANCE
Group B homologation special
In the early 1980s, Ferrari's race engineers designed the 288 GTO around one goal: homologation for FIA Group B, which required manufacturers to produce at least 200 road-legal examples. Ferrari exceeded this, building 272.
To qualify as a Group B car, the 288 GTO had to use a production-based engine displacement below 3.0 litres. Ferrari's solution was to take the Dino 308's V8, bore it out to 2,855 cc, and fit twin IHI turbochargers — producing 400 hp in road form and a reported 650+ hp in full race tune.
The car features a 2,400 mm wheelbase (100 mm longer than the 308 GTB), a composite and kevlar body designed by Pininfarina, and a longitudinally mounted engine — the first mid-engine Ferrari with this layout.
Group B was cancelled in 1986 following a series of fatal accidents in rallying, and the 288 GTO never competed. This paradoxically enhanced its mystique and collectibility. Ferrari engineers immediately redirected their work into the F40.
Today, the 288 GTO is considered one of the most important Ferraris ever built — a car that changed the direction of both Ferrari's road car programme and its approach to performance engineering.
WORLD REGISTRY
Browse every documented 288 GTO chassis, or submit a car to help complete the record.