Ferrari 288 GTO

‘I fired it along a favourite Welsh road and I was blown away’

When I was a kid growing up in the ’70s, the most beautiful car in the world was the Ferrari 308 GTB. I owned one. Still do: a 1:25-scale Polistil model, and I admired it from all angles. And then, in the mid-80s, along came the 288 GTO and blew my mind. There were identifiable 308 donor parts but delicacy was wrapped in muscularity. It was still achingly beautiful, and there was a nod to the 250 GTO too, in the three slashes in the rear wheelarches.

My favourite shot appeared in Motor and was taken from directly above on a sunlit balcony, showing to full effect those fattened ’arches and the longer wheelbase that was necessary because Dr Harvey Postlethwaite had turned the transverse V8 through 90º to make space in which to hang twin IHI turbos off it and boost it to 400bhp.

The 250 GTO was made with motor sport in mind and the 288 GTO was built to Group B regulations, including the requisite 200-off production run, but it’s unclear whether there was ever any intention to race or rally it. A total of 272 were eventually built, and they were all purely road cars. Very fine road cars, too.

When I finally got to meet and drive this hero car of mine, I knew there was a chance it would prove to have feet of clay. I got comfy in the 308-like interior, fired it along a favourite Welsh road, and I was blown away. The delicacy and connection of its unassisted steering, the gigantic shove from the boosted 2.8-litre V8, and – especially – the exceptionally well-controlled ride were utterly beguiling and convincing. An F40, an F50 and an Enzo were there that day too, and the 288 felt as fast as the F40, sailed over surfaces that ground bits of carbon from the underside of the Enzo, and made the F50 look pug ugly. It was the one I wanted to take home.