The Ferrari 288 GTO is one of those cars that simply define an era. If you think about it, the Maranello-based Italian manufacturer made quite a few of those over its many years of activity, though the closer we get to present times, the less it feels like the trend is going. However, future generations might feel differently about the LaFerrari, for instance, than we do now, especially if the electrification takeover is successful.
The 288 GTO comes from very different times, a period when using forced induction on a street-going car was still a budding dark art and the world of exterior styling was ruled by a few very famous names such as Giugiaro or Pininfarina. With its design signed by the latter and a longitudinally-mounted 2.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine resting behind the two seats, the GTO definitely took advantage of both trends.
It's hard to put your finger on what exactly raised this particular model to the iconic level it enjoys, and that's probably because it's not one, but rather several things. We've already mentioned the appearance and the performance (395 hp to be exact - though, as I'll get to in a minute that wasn't the end of it), but there's also the fact that the 288 GTO was supposed to be Ferrari's entry into the infamous Group B rally competition.
For that, the 288 GTO's specs were pushed even further, and a new name was given to the model: Evoluzione. If the 288 GTO had a de-bored 2.9-liter V8 (bringing it to 2.8 liters), the Evoluzione kept the full displacement of the original engine and, thanks to several upgrades and more powerful turbochargers, produced 650 hp.
The hunt for performance, however, took a toll on its appearance. The 288 GTO stroke a perfect balance between classy and sporty, but the Evoluzione version pushed the slider all the way toward the latter. A bunch of aerodynamic elements ran havoc on its otherwise beautiful lines though we're pretty sure the insane amount of power meant nobody could even get a good look at it as it would have bombed down the rally stage at full blast. Sadly, the Group B had met its demise before the 288 GTO Evoluzione could make its debut.
The admittedly brave modernization of the classic you can see in the picture gallery (and in the video below for a step-by-step demonstration), even though not looking anything alike, is somewhat similar in spirit to what the Evoluzione version did to the 288 GTO's looks.
To me, the redesign looks like something the people back in the '80s would have come up with if asked to draw something "futuristic." Since we all look back and laugh at how people from that era thought the year 2000 would look like, I don't need to tell you what I just said should hardly be taken as a compliment.
It takes all character away and doesn't replace it with anything. It's like watching one of those husks from a sci-fi movie that used to be human but are nothing more than an empty shell loosely resembling their older self. Yes, it's the closest you can get to a prancing horse zombie without having to involve an actual dead animal. Full marks to the designer for having the courage to attempt it, though.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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