Footnotes

• The original, immortal 250GTO had been developed for the FIA GT Championship, duly taking the manufacturer's title for Ferrari in 1962, 1963 and 1964; clearly, any revival of the 'GTO' name could only be permitted for a very special car indeed. Enter the 288GTO. Like its illustrious forebear, the 288GTO (the initials stand for Gran Turismo Omologato) was conceived as a limited edition model, just 200 units being planned to meet the then-existing Group B homologation requirements. Styled by Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti, creator of the awe inspiring Ferrari 365GTB/4 'Daytona', the 288GTO was based on the 308GTB and made its public debut at the Geneva Salon in February 1984.
  Although superficially similar to the contemporary 308GTB Quattrovalvole, the 288GTO was radically different beneath the skin, mounting its V8 engine longitudinally rather than transversely, a change that necessitated a new chassis with a wheelbase extended from 234cm to 245.1cm. The alteration in engine layout had been made to accommodate twin IHI turbo-chargers and their associated Behr inter-coolers and plumbing; the adoption of forced induction requiring that the quad-cam, 32-valve V8 be downsized from 2,927cc to 2,855cc to comply with the regulations. Ferrari's considerable experience gained from turbo-charging its F1 engines was deployed in adapting the 308 unit, the latter in 288GTO form producing 400bhp at 7,000 rpm and a mighty 366lb/ft of torque at just 3,800 revs. Top speed was a staggering 189mph.
  Its three rear-wing cooling slots recalling the earlier GTO, the 288 body likewise benefited from the adoption of F1 technology, being constructed of glassfibre and a mixture of the lightweight composite materials Kevlar and carbon fibre. Aerodynamically refined in the wind tunnel, the 288GTO sported flared wheelarches, larger front and rear spoilers, taller door mirrors and four additional driving lights in the front grille, these subtly altered looks combining elegance with muscularity in equal measure.
  In total, 278 cars are believed to have been built, every one of which was sold prior to the start of production in July 1984. Just a few years after production ceased early in 1986, the $84,000 launch price had more than trebled, assuming you could find a 288GTO for sale. Today this worthy successor to the 250GTO remains one of the most desirable and sought-after Ferraris of recent times.
  Fitted from new with air conditioning and power windows, chassis number '53793' was imported to West Germany by Autexpo and delivered to Autohaus Schuster in Ansbach, who sold it to the first owner, Gerhard Schoenleber, resident in Fuerth (Bavaria), Germany. The Ferrari was delivered on 15th February 1985 and registered for road use in Germany on 5th February 1986 with license plates 'FU CM 308'. Subsequently the car suffered fire damage and in 1990 was sent by its German owner to the celebrated Ferrari competition specialists Michelotto of Padova for a full restoration. Just as Schnitzer is the officially sanctioned competition arm of BMW and AMG fulfils the same role for Mercedes-Benz, so Michelotto has long enjoyed close links with Ferrari, overseeing the Maranello factory's GT and sports prototype racing programmes as well as assisting with the development of road cars such as the 288GTO and F40.
  Michelotto's rebuild took one year to complete, all parts used being supplied directly from Ferrari, as is the case with all their restorations. The rebuild included a new chassis, stamped with the car's original number by the factory, while the interior re-trim was entrusted to renowned specialists, Luppi. It is believed that the original engine and gearbox were reused. The odometer was zeroed (from total unknown) and the GTO delivered back to the German client with only delivery/testing miles recorded.
  The Ferrari was first registered in the UK on 1st June 2005, its first owner in this country being a Mr Stavros Neocleous of Halifax, West Yorkshire. Since its arrival the car has been serviced annually, by Graypaul in Nottingham (five occasions) and Joe Macari in London (one visit), the odometer reading being recorded as rising from 187 kilometres in January 2006 to 198 kilometres in July 2010. The cam belts were last changed by Joe Macari in June 2008. MoT'd to 21st July 2011, '53793' comes with Ferrari Service Record and Swansea V5C document.
  The 288GTO is one of the rarest of modern Ferrari road cars and examples are only infrequently offered for sale on the open market.
  

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Category: Motoring / Motor Cars

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