With the recent introduction of the 599 GTO, I felt the time was right to shine the spotlight on this celebrated nameplate.
The first Ferrari GTO (shown above) came about in the early '60s when the company decided to get serious about winning the International GT Manufacturers Championship. Though they had campaigned the 250 GT Short Wheelbase in other racing events (indeed capturing a victory in the Tourist Trophy), they knew they had to kick it up a few notches to be competitive in the Championship.
Normally, the FIA (the race governing body) required a car maker to produce a certain number of the given car for street use, which is known as homologation. In this case, that meant at least 100 road cars. However Ferrari was given a break when it argued that the 250 GTO (the "O" stood for "Omologato", Italian for homologation) was simply a variation of a car already in production, the V12-powered, 250 GT. With handsome styling by Scaglietti, the 250 GTO was produced from 1962-1964, with only 39 examples ever made.
Two decades later, history repeated itself. Ferrari wanted to compete in a new race series ("Group B") and as such needed a car. This time, the race car was based on the 308 GTB but featured a 2.8-liter, twin-turbo V8 (hence the 288 designation). With the resulting 400 hp, the 288 GTO (shown above) could sprint to 60 mph in under 5 seconds and hit a top speed of 189 mph. The latter feat made the 288 GTO the first street legal car to crack the magic 300 kph mark. A minimum of 200 examples had to be built; Ferrari made 272 288 GTOs between 1984 and 1985 but never raced a single one. The race series was cancelled due to lack of interest -- Porsche was the only other car maker to field an entry with its 959.
Now here we are a quarter century later and once again there is a Ferrari GTO. This time, it's a special version of the 599 GTB Fiorano. More accurately, it's actually based on the 599XX which is a race-only version of the 599 that can be rented for track days by wealthy Ferrari clients. This time, the goal wasn't race dominance but rather to create the fastest road-going Ferrari ever built. With 670 horsepower from its naturally-aspirated V12, the 2011 599 GTO (shown above) can leap to 60 in 3.2 seconds and hit a top speed approaching 210 mph. It also set a new lap record at the company's Fiorano test track. Production of the 599 GTO will be limited to, what else, 599 units. If you're hungry for some driving impressions, this Inside Line First Drive has you covered.
By up51art
on July 22, 2010
09:41 PM
The 250 GTO, registration 463 GTO, Drove right in front of me outside my local train station last Saturday. Couldn't believe my ears/eyes! I have a couple of pics, and can give you more info.
Contact me if you're interested.
Cheers
UP51ART