Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione '85
In keeping with its type name, the Ferrari 288 GTO (Gran Tourismo Omologato) was created to homologate the model for the popular Group B rallying class. The regulations also stated that once the required 200 examples were built, a further 20 'evolution' models could be constructed with more aggressive aerodynamics and an even more potent drivetrain. It was this 'Evoluzione' developed together with specialists Michelotto that Ferrari had earmarked to actually compete in Group B.
The road going 288 GTO was itself a development of the 308 GT/M competition car also developed by Michelotto. This was the first of the eight-cylinder production Ferraris with the V8 mounted longitudinally in the chassis. Much more suitable for racing, this configuration was retained for the 288 GTO. The chassis itself followed familiar Ferrari lines and consisted of a steel tubular spaceframe with double wishbone suspension and ventilated disc brakes on all four corners. The suspension geometry was further optimised to suit the car's competition needs.
What really set the 288 GTO apart from its predecessors was its V8; the first Ferrari production engine equipped with turbochargers. It displaced 2,855 cc to ensure it could run in the four-litre class when taking the 1.4x equivalency factor for forced induction engines in consideration. In standard trim, the four-cam, four-valve per cylinder V8 produced 400 hp. Thanks to larger turbochargers and further engine tuning, this was increased to a startling 650 hp in Evoluzione trim. The twin-turbo V8 was mated to a manual, non-synchromesh five-speed gearbox.
Ferrari's longtime partners Pininfarina were called in to equip the Group B racer with an altogether more aerodynamic body. The curvaceous lines were a development of the design penned for the earlier 512 BB LM and 308 GT/M. Only the roof line and the doors were still clearly derived from the 288 GTO road car. The body was crafted in lightweight materials like Kevlar and fibreglass while the prominent rear wing was made from carbon-fibre composite. As a result the completed 288 GTO Evoluzione had a dry weight of just 940 kg.
When the first 288 GTO Evoluzione was being readied, in 1985, the Group B cars were under ever closer scrutiny for being too quick to be safely used in rallies and even received the ominous nickname 'Killer Bees'. The final straw that broke the proverbial camel's back was the fatal accident of Henri Toivonen at the 1986 Tour de Corse in a mid-engined Lancia Delta. The sports governing body had no choice but to ban Group B and from 1987 the World Championship was run for the altogether more docile Group A cars.
Ferrari had intended the 288 GTO Evoluzione to be run predominantly in tarmac events of the World Championship by privateers. With Group B cancelled, the Evoluzione effectively lost its purpose and development of the competition car was halted. By that time six examples were built.
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