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Car and Driver
6 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
View Photos of the 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO
read the full review Although it could be mistaken for the comparatively humble 308, the 288GTO is the first in the line of modern Ferrari supercars.
Car and Driver
6 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
1985 Ferrari 288GTO Archive Road Test
From the September 1985 issue of Car and Driver. One rule in the hot-car business that must be trusted like a mother's promise is that lightning never strikes the same spot twice. With this in mind, we said yes first and asked questions later when a stranger called from Italy to offer Car and Driver the opportunity to test a Ferrari GTO. The man delivering this stroke of luck introduced himself as Jere Clark, the 47-year-old president of a Phoenix, Arizona, development and construction company. He was vacationing in Europe, visiting the Ferrari factory to take delivery of a new GTO, and hoping he might be able to pique some stateside editorial interest in his great fortune. Pique, indeed. Less than three weeks after our telephone conversation clicked off, Mr. Clark found himself shaking hands with an eager C/D test team. His rosso corsa runner had yet to turn a legal mile on American soil, yet here it was in Southern California: freshly air-freighted from Italy, trucked to a predawn rendezvous, fueled to the brim with Daeco racing gasoline, and primed to defend its honor on our secret high-desert test strip. Jere Clark is no stranger to speed, having raced both a 427SC Cobra and a Shelby GT350, but our fast footwork amazed him. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver For those of you who think a GTO is a Pontiac with a tiger in its tank, perhaps some backtracking is in order. Ferrari originally selected the three letters to adorn a series of 1962–64 GT racers and then resurrected the name a year ago to celebrate the birth of a new limited-edition, ultra-high-performance coupe that one day might also see duty on the world's racetracks and rally courses. Today's GTO is like a Ferrari 308 Quattrovalvole in some respects but vastly different in others. Both cars share a family resemblance (styled by Pininfarina) and a general mid-engined V-8, two-seater layout, but there the similarity ends. Essentially, the GTO is a 308 that benefits from the lessons learned in the ten years since that entry-level Ferrari was introduced. The fruits of this knowledge are a twin-turbocharged-and-intercooled induction system, electronic engine management, lightweight body materials, advanced aerodynamics, stickier tires, and larger brakes. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver Loading all this technology into one automobile is an expensive proposition, particularly in limited production, and some Ferrari executives worried that the world didn't contain enough well-heeled customers to pay for and drive away the 200 GTOs that would be necessary for Group B homologation. As it turned out, this fear was groundless: unsolicited deposits for the car started pouring in long before any official announcement of its existence was made. In fact, when Jere Clark first contacted a friend at Classic Ferrari in Richardson, Texas, no one there had knowledge of the GTO. The factory did, however, respond to his inquiry, and a deposit of fourteen million lira (roughly $7000) was accepted in exchange for a spot on the waiting list. About a year thereafter, the factory contacted Clark to arrange delivery. The price, including optional air conditioning and power windows, was $125,000, payable two weeks before the keys were handed over in Maranello. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver A few million lira over the dam later, all parties were poised and ready for test day on Mrs. Orcutt's hallowed 200-mph driveway. Jere Clark brought Nomex and a helmet in case our driving didn't measure up to his high standards, as well as his wife, Sandra, his cousin Chris Hayes, and two capable mechanics, Rodney Drew and Bert Wehr of Francorchamps of America, a Newport Beach outfit that specializes in Ferrari tuning and repair. We brought our test gear, ace lensman Aaron Kiley, and more than enough photographic equipment to document the Second Coming. As the full crew milled around a brilliantly red object in the hot sun, we must have looked like some bizarre form of pagan worship to the traffic passing by on the nearby Interstate, but the four police cruisers and one patrol plane that spotted us were kind enough to let us go about our business. But little did the CHP know that once the photographic preliminaries were finished, the business at hand was speed. Color in the can, we fired up the GTO, attached our fifth wheel, and dropped the green flag on our test procedures. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver All the standard Ferrari furniture is in place in the GTO's cockpit—the pleated-leather seats, the spindly shifter in a chromed gate, the orange-over-black instruments, the high, flat steering wheel—but special care has obviously been invested in the way things are arranged. The buckets' high side bolsters lock you in place laterally. A perfectly situated dead pedal braces your left leg when it's off duty, and the clutch and brake pedals each have one corner clipped off to clear the way for footwork. The Momo steering wheel is strictly-business black, and it offers you carefully molded, leather-covered spokes at the classic three, six, and nine o'clock positions, where God ordained that they should be. A classy black material covers the dash with a napped, glare-free surface, and all adornments are very discreet: three chromed GTO letters for the lucky passenger to ponder, a black stallion on a yellow field in the horn button, and a shiny ignition key that sparkles sunlight in your eye to say, "Let's go!" View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver The start-up and the prattle that follow are nothing at all like the 1962 Sounds of Sebring. A twist of the ignition key produces total silence; it takes this plus a poke at a nearby rubber-covered button to engage the fast-spinning starter motor. Two or three whoops later and the eight small but force-fed cylinders begin pumping pressure waves up and down the long runs of intake and exhaust tubing. The sound is hardly Ferrari-like in the classic twelve-cylinder, half-muffled, half-crazed-war-whelp sense. There are no clanking cam chains, the pistons that pump up and down in tight-fitting aluminum bores are modestly sized and few in number, the valve timing is calm and collected, and only the barest minimum of exhaust energy is squandered as atmospheric racket. Tickle the throttle and the small V-8 answers back with a forceful whisper. There is no braggadocio exhaust blat; instead, you hear filtered deep breathing on the intake side. The speak-softly voice seems sworn to keep the big stick a secret. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver The throttle response is linear and eager off the boost (far better than that of a GTO we drove briefly at Fiorano) but no more exciting than a Toyota's. This little Ferrari feels as if it would be perfectly comfortable delivering kids to school or picking up the shirts at the laundry, at least until you drop your right boot. Then a 747 rolls up from the rear and leans against the bumper with four engines' worth of takeoff thrust. The boost gauge rests peacefully at first, but as the tach touches 3500 rpm, the turbines reach full whine and both intake plenums are pressurized and ready. By limiting wheelspin, we catapulted the Ferrari GTO to 60 mph in five seconds flat and through the quarter in another 8.1 seconds. First gear is off the H, so a careful hand is necessary to hurry the shifter through its chromed maze. As in most Ferraris, the redline in first occurs a few mph before you reach 60, so the test-track figures are less impressive than the jet thrust in the small of your back whenever the boost is up. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver In top-gear testing, there's almost no boost to work with, and the GTO feels inhibited. A 30-to-50 sprint takes over ten seconds; 50 to 70 goes more quickly, but this is clearly a car that will depend heavily on its gearbox for fast moves. Fortunately, the shifter is a pleasure to use. The chromed gate and the heavy efforts are initially intimidating, but once you've ticked off a dozen or so shifts, the big ZF gears in back and the solid linkage between them and your hand start to feel about right. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver A firm grasp is the tip for shifting, but braking demands a lighter touch. With a huge vented disc and a muscular four-piston caliper providing the pinch at each corner, it's easy to slide all four tires with an imprudent foot on the pedal, even at very high velocities. We kept the Goodyear gatorbacks as close as possible to their skid point and registered 175-foot 70-to-0 stopping distances. This positions the GTO well ahead of the Testarossa in one important category and fender to fender with the best brakes in the production-car world. Top-speed runs were next on the agenda. We encouraged all personnel to clear the area, but the opportunity to see a ground-bound Halley's comet comes along so seldom that everyone stood at the verge in rapt attention. Jere Clark took his turn at the wheel while C/D's tester monitored the engine's life signs and operated the timing equipment from the right seat. The view from the cockpit was placid, with little more than light road turbulence (undulating pavement) and wind noise to contend with. As we rolled to a stop, though, every face looked as if we'd just broken the sound barrier. The small crowd was amazed by the eerie Indy-car shriek as we passed and shocked by the news that our maximum speed was "only" 175 mph. Faces lengthened when further trials failed to duplicate the factory's claimed 190-mph top speed, but after pondering the wall of air that was robbing us of 15 mph, a couple of plausible excuses came to mind. First of all, we saw 0.6 kgm/cm2 on the boost gauge, which equates to 8.5 psi, well below the factory's original rating of 11.6 psi. Second, the height-adjustable suspension was set in the higher of the two available positions, whereas the factory no doubt used the lower setting to reduce frontal area for its peak-speed measurements at Nardo, Italy. Finally, this particular factory's claims are almost always optimistic. For example, Ferrari statistics register the GTO's curb weight at 2550 pounds, contradicting the 2880 pounds we measured for Jere Clark's car. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver As if it were trying to make up for its inability to break through the three-miles-per-minute barrier, Jere Clark's red rocket saved its trump card for the last event. Factory drivers had previously demonstrated the GTO's ravenous hunger for power oversteer at Fiorano, but this in no way prepared us for limit cornering with our own hands on the wheel. Testing on our standard 300-foot asphalt skidpad, we found that the GTO's handling is delightfully near neutral. A twitch of either the wheel or the throttle can overcook one end or the other briefly, but when left to its own devices, this car will centrifuge its driver all day long at 0.88 g. The four fat tires hang on for dear life, the wheel effort is light, and the steering ratio is speedy enough to keep up with the predictable chassis. If there is such a thing as handling perfection, it comes as standard equipment with the GTO. Like all great days, this one eventually came to an end. The Clarks flew home to Phoenix smug in the knowledge that they own a true automotive treasure, one feisty Ferrari was loaded onto the transporter for the trip back to safe harbor, and we turned to the typewriter to log a memorable chapter in the performance record book. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver Statistics worshipers in the audience may be disappointed by this first U.S.-soil report card, but our more circumspect view is that the GTO experiment is an unqualified success. Although it didn't meet all of the factory's heady claims, it has accomplished a more important mission: pointing the way to a very plausible future for this firm. Thanks to the GTO, Ferrari's past and present will never be as tantalizing as what's ahead. Specifications Specifications 1985 Ferrari 288GTO Vehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door sedan coupe PRICE As Tested: $125,000 ENGINE twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection Displacement: 174 in3, 2855 cm3 Power: 394 hp @ 7000 rpm Torque: 366 lb-ft @ 3800 rpm TRANSMISSION 5-speed automatic CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: control arms/control arms Brakes, F/R: 12.2-in vented disc/12.2-in vented disc Tires: Goodyear Eagle VR50 F: 225/50VR-16 R: 255/50VR-16 DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 96.5 in Length: 168.9 in Width: 75.2 in Height: 44.1 in Curb Weight: 2880 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 5.0 sec 100 mph: 11.0 sec 1/4-Mile: 13.1 sec @ 112 mph 130 mph: 19.9 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 10.6 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 8.6 sec Top Speed (mfr's claim): 175 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 175 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.88 g C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Christian Horner could make shock return to F1 with Red Bull's rivals after brutal sacking and have very frosty reunion
CHRISTIAN HORNER is jobless for the first time since 2004 after his brutal Red Bull sacking last week. The 51-year-old is now twidling his thumbs on gardening leave for the rest of the year. 6 Christian Horner could be back in F1 next year after his Red Bull gardening leave Credit: AFP 6 Horner has had huge success with Red Bull but was brutally sacked last week Credit: Getty And Horner and will be weighing up his options from January 2026 onwards. Rumours have been swirling around over the Brit's potential destinations - including a shock move to Ferrari. Reports in Italian and German media begun claiming in May that Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur's position is under threat. Vasseur hit out at the reports and said they were "disrespectful" and "very harsh". But German outlet BILD has added fuel to the fire, claiming that Ferrari had made "informal" contact with Horner. Horner dismissed the report - but speculation will continue to grow as the weeks go by with him sitting on the sidelines. Come the Belgian Grand Prix later this month, Horner will be missing from the F1 paddock for the first time in nearly 21 years. And Horner, who won six constructors' championships and eight drivers' titles with Red Bull, will no doubt be getting itchy feet soon. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS If Horner did pen an unlikely move at Ferrari it would see him form a wild pairing with his old rival, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton has a Ferrari contract until at least the end of 2026 and is already a huge voice within the Italian team. Christian Horner SACKED by Red Bull F1! Shock Departure After 20 Years It is likely he would not be impressed if Horner replaced Vasseur, given he is a big fan of the Frenchman and has thrown his support behind him in public. When Vasseur's future was under speculation, Hamilton said: "I love working with Fred – Fred's the main reason I'm in this team and got the opportunity to be here, for which I'm forever grateful for, and we're in this together. 'We're working hard in the background, things aren't perfect but, for me, I'm here to work with the team but also with Fred. "I want Fred here. I do believe Fred is the person to take us to the top, so that's that. So it's all nonsense." Bad blood Hamilton took a strong take on Horner's alleged 'inappropriate behaviour' with a female colleague last year. The ex-Red Bull boss was twice cleared from it by an independent investigation but Hamilton said it was "hanging over the sport" and said the outcome was "important for the future of F1". He also hit out at Horner in 2023 for "stirring" when he claimed Hamilton tried to join his team after leaving Mercedes. At the time Horner said that a member of Hamilton's team had been in touch over a possible switch to Red Bull earlier in the year. Hamilton rebuffed it and said Horner had actually been the one to text him and try set up a meeting. Obviously there was bad blood going back between the two during Hamilton and Max Verstappen's fierce and controversial title fight in 2021 which reached its crescendo in the contentious season finale in Abu Dhabi. 6 There is speculation Horner could replace under-fire Fred Vasseur at Ferrari Credit: Getty 6 Horner could find himself in a frosty partnership with Lewis Hamilton Credit: Getty 6 There is still some bad blood after Max Verstappen's controversial world title win over Hamilton in 2021 Credit: AP Hamilton changed his tune Recently, with Horner still at Red bull, Hamilton admitted he regretted referring to Red Bull as a "drinks company" in 2011. His comments suggested that he is previous beef with Horner was water under the bridge. At Silverstone he said: "Many, many years ago, I remember saying something about Red Bull being only a drinks company. 'I always regretted it because I was just saying that Mercedes at the time were great. "I was really just trying to gee up my team. But the truth is, Red Bull have been an incredible team. There are so many people there that are exceptional and they've dominated for years.' Horner makes his feelings on Hamilton known It feels like Horner would have no qualms working with the British 40-year-old, who he has praised in public this season. Speaking earlier in the year, Horner said of Hamilton's Ferrari move: "I've seen some pictures, I think it [Ferrari red] suits him. "It's great for Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari – that really is box office. "I think it's just another dynamic for this year that could be super exciting." Back in 2023, Horner was asked whether he would sign Hamilton for Red Bull. He replied: "What Lewis has achieved in F1 is second to none, but we're very happy with the drivers that we have – they're committed as a pair for not only this season but the next season as well. "I can't see where we would be able to accommodate Lewis, but I'm sure they're [Mercedes] going to sort their issues out and we're certainly not writing him off yet."
The Sun
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
Christian Horner could make shock return to F1 with Red Bull's rivals after brutal sacking and have very frosty reunion
Isabelle Barker, Sport Reporter Published: Invalid Date, CHRISTIAN HORNER is jobless for the first time since 2004 after his brutal Red Bull sacking last week. The 51-year-old is now twidling his thumbs on gardening leave for the rest of the year. 6 6 And Horner and will be weighing up his options from January 2026 onwards. Rumours have been swirling around over the Brit's potential destinations - including a shock move to Ferrari. Reports in Italian and German media begun claiming in May that Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur's position is under threat. Vasseur hit out at the reports and said they were "disrespectful" and "very harsh". But German outlet BILD has added fuel to the fire, claiming that Ferrari had made "informal" contact with Horner. Horner dismissed the report - but speculation will continue to grow as the weeks go by with him sitting on the sidelines. Come the Belgian Grand Prix later this month, Horner will be missing from the F1 paddock for the first time in nearly 21 years. And Horner, who won six constructors' championships and eight drivers' titles with Red Bull, will no doubt be getting itchy feet soon. If Horner did pen an unlikely move at Ferrari it would see him form a wild pairing with his old rival, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton has a Ferrari contract until at least the end of 2026 and is already a huge voice within the Italian team. It is likely he would not be impressed if Horner replaced Vasseur, given he is a big fan of the Frenchman and has thrown his support behind him in public. When Vasseur's future was under speculation, Hamilton said: "I love working with Fred – Fred's the main reason I'm in this team and got the opportunity to be here, for which I'm forever grateful for, and we're in this together. 'We're working hard in the background, things aren't perfect but, for me, I'm here to work with the team but also with Fred. "I want Fred here. I do believe Fred is the person to take us to the top, so that's that. So it's all nonsense." Bad blood Hamilton took a strong take on Horner's alleged 'inappropriate behaviour' with a female colleague last year. The ex-Red Bull boss was twice cleared from it by an independent investigation but Hamilton said it was "hanging over the sport" and said the outcome was "important for the future of F1". He also hit out at Horner in 2023 for "stirring" when he claimed Hamilton tried to join his team after leaving Mercedes. At the time Horner said that a member of Hamilton's team had been in touch over a possible switch to Red Bull earlier in the year. Hamilton rebuffed it and said Horner had actually been the one to text him and try set up a meeting. Obviously there was bad blood going back between the two during Hamilton and Max Verstappen's fierce and controversial title fight in 2021 which reached its crescendo in the contentious season finale in Abu Dhabi. 6 6 6 Hamilton changed his tune Recently, with Horner still at Red bull, Hamilton admitted he regretted referring to Red Bull as a "drinks company" in 2011. His comments suggested that he is previous beef with Horner was water under the bridge. At Silverstone he said: "Many, many years ago, I remember saying something about Red Bull being only a drinks company. 'I always regretted it because I was just saying that Mercedes at the time were great. "I was really just trying to gee up my team. But the truth is, Red Bull have been an incredible team. There are so many people there that are exceptional and they've dominated for years.' Horner makes his feelings on Hamilton known It feels like Horner would have no qualms working with the British 40-year-old, who he has praised in public this season. Speaking earlier in the year, Horner said of Hamilton's Ferrari move: "I've seen some pictures, I think it [Ferrari red] suits him. "It's great for Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari – that really is box office. "I think it's just another dynamic for this year that could be super exciting." Back in 2023, Horner was asked whether he would sign Hamilton for Red Bull. He replied: "What Lewis has achieved in F1 is second to none, but we're very happy with the drivers that we have – they're committed as a pair for not only this season but the next season as well. "I can't see where we would be able to accommodate Lewis, but I'm sure they're [Mercedes] going to sort their issues out and we're certainly not writing him off yet." 6
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Christian Horner could make shock return to F1 with Red Bull's rivals after brutal sacking and have very frosty reunion
CHRISTIAN HORNER is jobless for the first time since 2004 after his brutal Red Bull sacking last week. The 51-year-old is now twidling his thumbs on gardening leave for the rest of the year. 6 Christian Horner could be back in F1 next year after his Red Bull gardening leave Credit: AFP 6 Horner has had huge success with Red Bull but was brutally sacked last week Credit: Getty And Horner and will be weighing up his options from January 2026 onwards. Rumours have been swirling around over the Brit's potential destinations - including a shock move to Ferrari. Reports in Italian and German media begun claiming in May that Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur's position is under threat. Vasseur hit out at the reports and said they were "disrespectful" and "very harsh". But German outlet BILD has added fuel to the fire, claiming that Ferrari had made "informal" contact with Horner. Horner dismissed the report - but speculation will continue to grow as the weeks go by with him sitting on the sidelines. Come the Belgian Grand Prix later this month, Horner will be missing from the F1 paddock for the first time in nearly 21 years. And Horner, who won six constructors' championships and eight drivers' titles with Red Bull, will no doubt be getting itchy feet soon. Most read in Motorsport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS If Horner did pen an unlikely move at Ferrari it would see him form a wild pairing with his old rival, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton has a Ferrari contract until at least the end of 2026 and is already a huge voice within the Italian team. Christian Horner SACKED by Red Bull F1! Shock Departure After 20 Years It is likely he would not be impressed if Horner replaced Vasseur, given he is a big fan of the Frenchman and has thrown his support behind him in public. When Vasseur's future was under speculation, Hamilton said: "I love working with Fred – Fred's the main reason I'm in this team and got the opportunity to be here, for which I'm forever grateful for, and we're in this together. 'We're working hard in the background, things aren't perfect but, for me, I'm here to work with the team but also with Fred. "I want Fred here. I do believe Fred is the person to take us to the top, so that's that. So it's all nonsense." Bad blood Hamilton took a strong take on Horner's alleged 'inappropriate behaviour' with a female colleague last year. The ex-Red Bull boss was twice cleared from it by an independent investigation but Hamilton said it was "hanging over the sport" and said the outcome was "important for the future of F1". He also hit out at Horner in 2023 for "stirring" when he claimed Hamilton tried to join his team after leaving Mercedes. At the time Horner said that a member of Hamilton's team had been in touch over a possible switch to Red Bull earlier in the year. Hamilton rebuffed it and said Horner had actually been the one to text him and try set up a meeting. Obviously there was bad blood going back between the two during 6 There is speculation Horner could replace under-fire Fred Vasseur at Ferrari Credit: Getty 6 Horner could find himself in a frosty partnership with Lewis Hamilton Credit: Getty 6 There is still some bad blood after Max Verstappen's controversial world title win over Hamilton in 2021 Credit: AP Hamilton changed his tune Recently, with Horner still at Red bull, Hamilton admitted he regretted referring to Red Bull as a "drinks company" in 2011. His comments suggested that he is previous beef with Horner was water under the bridge. At Silverstone he said: "Many, many years ago, I remember saying something about Red Bull being only a drinks company. 'I always regretted it because I was just saying that Mercedes at the time were great. "I was really just trying to gee up my team. But the truth is, Red Bull have been an incredible team. There are so many people there that are exceptional and they've dominated for years.' Horner makes his feelings on Hamilton known It feels like Horner would have no qualms working with the British 40-year-old, who he has praised in public this season. Speaking earlier in the year, Horner said of Hamilton's Ferrari move: "I've seen some pictures, I think it [Ferrari red] suits him. "It's great for Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari – that really is box office. "I think it's just another dynamic for this year that could be super exciting." Back in 2023, Horner was asked whether he would sign Hamilton for Red Bull. Read more on the Irish Sun He replied: "What Lewis has achieved in F1 is second to none, but we're very happy with the drivers that we have – they're committed as a pair for not only this season but the next season as well. "I can't see where we would be able to accommodate Lewis, but I'm sure they're [Mercedes] going to sort their issues out and we're certainly not writing him off yet." 6
