The father of the Ferrari F40 goes to auction and it's so rare that no one dares to put a price on it

Ferrari collectors   are  in  luck. One of the Prancing Horse brand's rarest models   is up for auction, although it won't be easy to get hold of as it can fetch a stratospheric price.

This is the  Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione , more precisely the fourth of five units manufactured in the transition period between the Ferrari 288 GTO and the Ferrari F40, an experiment designed for competition that promised to reach 370 km/h at the end of the 80's.

The link between two legends

Image: Kevin Van Campenhout, courtesy of RM Shoteby's

As a child, I had a fondness for two cars from my collection of 1:24 scale models: the  Ferrari F40  and the  Ferrari F50 . I knew they were two  more special  than normal Ferraris because they belonged to the most exclusive range of the Italian brand.

He also knew that the  Ferrari 288 GTO  was the first member of this illustrious family which later  continued with the Enzo  and the Ferrari LaFerrari.

At that time, I saw a relationship between the Ferrari F40 and the Ferrari F50; in a way, he considered the design of the second to be the natural evolution of the first. However, it was difficult for me to find the  relationship between the 288 GTO and the F40  because the second seemed to me much more wild and spectacular.

Ferrari 288 GTO

Fortunately, a book allowed me to understand everything: “The Great Ferrari Story” by Brian Laban. In its pages, the transition  from the Italian firm's first supercar to the  last prancing horse that Enzo Ferrari was born, is well explained, and part of that story has to do with the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione, a model that I I don't know so far.

Seeing it in photos, it all made sense. The Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione was the  missing link , but also the competition model that could have been and was not. And it is that the Ferrari 288 GTO was born as an evolution of the 308 GTB to reach Group B and the 288 GTO Evoluzione destined to go further.

Between 1984 and 1985 Ferrari managed to make 272 street units of the 288 GTO and the FIA ​​demanded 200, so it was given the green light to compete in  Group B , but the beast from Maranello never could. participate in this category of the World Cup. Rally Championship car gone forever after the 1986 season.

Ferrari F40. The first units had plastic windows, like the Evoluzione, later they were glass.

Something similar happened with the  Porsche 959 , although it took part in some Group B testing, while its circuit derivative, the Porsche 961, raced in the American IMSA GT and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ferrari considered following the same path and used the Ferrari 288 GTO to create a prototype that promised to be  faster  on asphalt.

Thus was born the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione. It had a more aerodynamic and lighter body designed by Pininfarina and Italian specialist  Michelotto  was responsible for modifying its twin-turbo V8 engine from the GTO's 400 hp to a total of 650 hp.

Ferrari built five units with  new solutions compared to the GTO , such as Kevlar reinforcements in the chassis, composite materials for the bodywork, a more aerodynamic design to improve stability at high speeds (it is assumed that the Evoluzione reached 370 km/h), the Plexiglas windows to save weight or the bucket seats to perfectly support the body of the driver and his companion.

Ferrari 288 GTO Evolution. Image: Kevin Van Campenhout, courtesy of RM Shoteby's

The objective was to manufacture 20 examples to obtain the necessary homologation by the FIA ​​to participate in the races where the Porsche 961 raced, but with the cancellation of Group B the project was also finished. Of course, Ferrari did not let go of the job and took the opportunity to develop its next supercar:  the replacement for the GTO .

It arrived in 1987, three years after the launch of the GTO, it was called the Ferrari F40 and its production was not so limited, since  1,315 copies  were made. The resemblance to the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione is obvious, from the louvered rear window to the width of its bodywork, including the Plexiglas side windows, the retractable headlights and the huge rear spoiler.

Inside, the common DNA  was also evident  through the signature Sabelt red seats or the design of the dashboard, although the F40 had a more polished look than the Evoluzione, both inside and out. the outside.

Image: Kevin Van Campenhout, courtesy of RM Shoteby's

And the same thing happened with the mechanics, a 90-degree V8 engine with two turbos that had been "civilized" for use on public roads. Instead of the 650 bhp of the Evoluzione block,  it settled for 478 bhp , although Michelotto also modified a few units and this engine  developed over 1,000 bhp  in some F40s.

Given their uniqueness, the Ferrari 288 GTO and Ferrari F40 keep increasing in price, but none of them are on the level of the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione, basically because only  five units  were made and that t is rare that one of them is put up for sale. In short, it's more exclusive and it pays off.

Today, a quarter of the five units that have been made have been auctioned off and the company responsible for selling it hasn't even set an estimated price. This is the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione with  chassis number 79888  and was originally sold by Ferrari to former Belgian driver Jean Blaton in 1988.

Image: Kevin Van Campenhout, courtesy of RM Shoteby's

Garage Francorchamps bought it in 1992 and kept it until 2006, when it passed into the hands of a private collector in the UK. The following year, it was bought by  Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll , current chairman of Aston Martin and owner of the Aston Martin Racing F1 team in which Fernando Alonso will race next year.

Stroll sold her in 2013 and her new owner was David Raisbeck, who kept her in the United States until she changed hands again in 2019.  After this long journey,  RM Shoteby's put her up for auction  and guarantees it in  exceptional condition .

Image: Kevin Van Campenhout, courtesy of RM Shoteby's

Moreover, it recently passed through Michelotto's facilities in Italy for a complete overhaul in which no expense was spared  (it cost 133,000 euros) . As a result, it is ready for use on the track, just as it was when it left Michelotto's workshop 34 years ago.

What is strange is that its new owner is ready to use it on the circuit because it is one of the most exclusive Ferraris in existence and it is to be expected that it will be paid  several million euros , but there are those who dare to squeeze an entire Ferrari 250 GTO onto the track, after all, that's what they're for. The auction closes on October 21 and we will know the value of one of the key pieces in the history of Ferrari.