The original, immortal 250 GTO had been developed for the FIA GT Championship, duly taking the manufacturer's title for Ferrari in 1962, 1963 and 1964; clearly, any revival of the 'GTO' name could only be permitted for a very special car indeed. Enter the 288 GTO. Like its illustrious forebear, the 288 GTO (the initials stand for Gran Turismo Omologato) was conceived as a limited-edition model, just 200 units being planned to meet the then-existing Group B homologation requirements for international sports car racing. Styled by Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti, creator of the awe-inspiring Ferrari 365 GTB/4 'Daytona', the 288 GTO made its public debut at the Geneva Salon in February 1984. Fioravanti later recalled Enzo Ferrari's original design brief. 'There was no specific instruction, just to produce a car based on the 308 GTB that could be used for racing.'

The 288 GTO was radically different from contemporary Ferrari road cars, mounting its V8 engine longitudinally rather than transversely, a change that necessitated a new chassis with a wheelbase extension. This new frame was constructed of steel tubes in the traditional manner while incorporating the latest in Formula 1-derived composite technology in the form of a Kevlar and Nomex bulkhead between the driver and engine. The alteration in engine layout had been made to accommodate twin turbo-chargers and their associated inter-coolers and plumbing; the adoption of forced induction requiring that the quad-cam, 32-valve V8 be downsized from 2,927cc to 2,855cc to comply with the regulations. Ferrari's considerable experience gained from turbo-charging its Formula 1 engines was deployed in adapting the existing three litre unit, the latter in highly modified 288 GTO form producing 400bhp. Top speed was a staggering 189mph.

Its three rear-wing cooling slots deliberately recalling the earlier GTO, the 288 body likewise benefited from the adoption of F1 technology, being constructed of fibreglass and a mixture of the lightweight composite materials Kevlar and carbon fibre. Aerodynamically refined in the wind tunnel, the 288 GTO sported flared wheel arches, larger front and rear spoilers, taller door mirrors and four additional driving lights in the front grille, these subtly altered looks combining elegance with muscularity in equal measure. Given its race-bred, state-of-the-art technology and drop-dead gorgeous looks, it is not surprising that the 288 GTO appealed to Formula 1 drivers of the day, with Ferrari's Michele Alboretto and René Arnoux, and even McLaren's Nikki Lauda, numbered among its owners. In the event, the 288 GTO never contested the races for which it had been conceived as the FIA axed Group B, citing lack of manufacturer interest as the reason.

This example was originally sold to wealthy Canadian businessman and former Formula 1 team owner, Walter Wolf. The Austrian-naturalised Wolf had made a fortune from the North Sea oil business in the early 1970s, and in 1976 bought a controlling stake in Frank Williams' Formula 1 operation. At the same time, Wolf also acquired the assets of Hesketh Racing, and its first Formula 1 design - the Wolf-Williams FW05 - would be based on the Hesketh 308C. Following Williams' departure at the end of 1976, the team was re-structured as Wolf Racing and its new Harvey Postlethwaite-designed WR1 won on its first outing in Argentina with South African Jody Scheckter at the wheel. Scheckter won two more races and finished on the podium on six more occasions to finish 2nd in the 1977 World Championship behind Ferrari's Niki Lauda. That would turn out to be the zenith of Wolf's Formula 1 adventure, and at the end of the 1979 season he sold the team to Emerson Fittipaldi.

The Group B Ferrari