Ferrari 288 GTO

Why it matters

Revealed at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show, the GTO—now commonly known as the 288 GTO—was created to satisfy FIA Group B homologation requirements. Its 2,855 cc V8 was mounted longitudinally and fed by twin IHI turbochargers and twin Behr intercoolers, producing 400 hp at 7,000 rpm through a five-speed manual transaxle. The displacement was chosen so that the FIA's 1.4 equivalency factor placed the turbocharged engine just below the four-liter class limit. Beneath Leonardo Fioravanti's dramatically widened Pininfarina body sat a tubular chassis clothed in lightweight composite materials, with a longer wheelbase, flared arches and deep-dish Speedline wheels distinguishing it from the 308. Group B was cancelled before the GTO could compete, but its engineering led directly to the GTO Evoluzione and Ferrari F40. Ferrari built only 272 road cars, making it the first of the marque's modern limited-production halo cars and one of the most consequential Ferraris ever created.