6 FERRARI 288 GTO

ADMIT IT, you thought an evo Perfect 10 of the best cars we’ve ever driven would include the F40. But not a single judge put one in their Perfect 10 garage. Jethro would have an F50, Harry a 250 Short Wheelbase, with more modern Ferraris finding homes with the rest of our panel.

There’s an argument to be had for including the GTO on looks alone. One of the prettiest modernera Ferraris, it blends classic curves with the first signs of modern-day performance requirements, such as its swollen arches and aggressive slashes to aid cooling. It’s a design Barker says he will never tire of looking at, ranking it fifth on his list not only for how it looks but for how it manages to blend near-f40 levels of performance with those timelessly seductive lines.

Meaden ranked it higher still, second in fact, selecting the car for similar reasons to JB. Both agreed its blend of fearsome performance matched to a driving experience that remains as sweet as that of more classical Ferraris was an irresistible combination. It’s a Ferrari that bridges the period from Enzo’s last days to the new beginnings that the company embarked on after his passing.

It could easily have finished in the top five here. Harry had it 11th on his list as the one that got away, and if it hadn’t been for the small inconvenient fact that I haven’t actually driven one, it would have found a place in my Perfect 10, too.