Ferrari 288 GTO

The Ferrari 288 GTO was conceived to homologate a Ferrari for Group B, the wide-open category FISA created for both rallying and circuit racing. Though it borrowed the silhouette of the 308 GTB, it was heavily reengineered underneath: the V8 was turned to sit longitudinally rather than across the car, the wheelbase was lengthened, and much of the bodywork was remade in composite panels to save weight.

Beneath the rear deck sat a twin-turbocharged V8, a notable departure for a marque whose road cars had long relied on larger, naturally aspirated engines. The modest capacity was deliberate: FISA's equivalency formula inflated a turbocharged engine's displacement on paper, so Ferrari sized the unit to fall just under the class ceiling. Fed by two IHI turbochargers and intercoolers, it produced 400 PS, making the 288 GTO one of the quickest road cars of its day.

Ferrari built 272 examples, more than the number needed for homologation, as demand ran past the original allocation. At roughly 1,160 kilograms, the composite-bodied car paired a deliberately light structure with its forced-induction V8. Because Group B was abandoned before the GTO could compete, almost every example was delivered for the road, and the model is remembered as a turbocharged homologation special that never got its chance to race.