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1984 Ferrari 288GTO Evoluzione
Chassis number: ZFFPX16X0G0070167
・The first Evoluzione ever to roll out of the factory
・Powered by the only F114CR unit in existence
・The only street-legal example of the five
・Perfectly restored at Michelotto
“#70167 perfectly restored at its birthplace”
The Ferrari 288GTO Evoluzione introduced here is given the chassis number 70167 and powered by the only CR unit in existence. What this means is that #70167 was tested on public roads and is the only street-legal individual of the five 288GTO Evoluziones ever produced.
Aside from the #70887 car that was converted from the stock 288GTO (#50253), this #70167 was practically the first genuine Evoluzione constructed from scratch and has established its own spot in the history of legendary Ferraris. Except for #70250 exhibited at Ferrari Museum Maranello, it is very likely that the other three (#70887, #70888 and #70889) have been obtained by private hands. We are also told that #70887 is powered by the CR2 unit while #70250, #70888 and #70889 carry the F114B that is a standard 288 GTO power plant.
This example was sold by Pierre Bardinon collection, renowned worldwide for its array of monumental Ferraris, to Art Sports before a well-known Japanese enthusiast acquired it. After we made the acquisition, it was then sent back to Michelotto factory, where the car received a meticulous, nut-and-bolt restoration in order to get it back to new-car-like condition. It was a perfectly-carried-out restoration no one else could have given but Michelotto, who is still capable of providing almost every part of the special vehicles (F40 siblings, 333SP, etc.) that it took part in giving birth to.
“The prancing horse at the point of complete turnaround“
The Ferrari F40 still commands respect from Ferrari enthusiasts all over the world while the 288GTO remains one of the most sought-after model with its low volume of production at 272 and historic GTO signature. The 288GTO, targeted at Group B competition, ultimately evolved into the F40, but before the transformation, there was the 288GTO Evoluzione that played an important role as a link between the two.
The Evoluzione was a development vehicle that was based upon the 288GTO and paved the way for F40. Though there are a number of street-legal and competition Ferraris that are historically significant, the 288GTO Evoluzione will certainly be remembered as one that served a short-lived, but vital duty between the 288GTO and F40, two of the greatest Ferraris of all-time.
Right before the 288GTO was born, Michelotto gave birth to the 308GT/M, a prototype race car that totally changed the destiny of the company for good. It was a Group 4 racer based on the 308GTB which helped put the name “Michelotto” on the map as a racing Ferrari specialist. As Ferrari factory team lost interest in races outside the F1 circus, Michelotto started getting more deeply involved in race activities on their behalf.
In preparation of prototype racers for Group B category, Michelotto came up with the 308GT/M in 1984 with the longitudinally-mounted F105A unit that was originally designed for the 308GTB Quattro Valvole.
On the other hand, Ferrari in the early 80’s was in desperate need for a new high-performance model to replace the current lineup (including 308s and Berlinetta Boxers) that was falling behind the rivals in performance. The project led by Nicola Materazzi to develop a new hyper car would eventually result in the introduction of the 288GTO.
In 1984, the same year the Michelotto’s 308GT/M debuted, the Ferrari 288GTO was premiered worldwide. While Ferrari ended up with 272 examples in two years of production even though the GTO lost its opportunity to compete in the Group B category, Ferrari decided to develop the GTO Evoluzione after it found out the F114B unit had a lot of room left for improvement in order to create a more extreme sibling.
Since there still was a slim possibility left for the GTO to be able to compete in races at the time of development in 1986, the Evo. was going to be a joint project between Ferrari factory and Michelotto, who was getting recognized as a semi-factory Ferrari team.
Materazzi, who was in charge of developing the GTO, was again named the chief engineer by Enzo Ferrari for the creation of the Evo. and came up with two variations of prototype power plants by exploiting the performance envelope of the F114B. The mild of the two was the F114CR which produced “modest” 530ps and eventually powered the F40 in a few years. On the other hand, the F114CR2(CK) was more drastically upgraded to produce 650ps and found its place in the engine compartment of the F40 Competizione.
The significance of the 288GTO and F40 in Ferrari history will never be surpassed. The GTO is the final and complete form of “Fioravanti Ferrari” that concluded the era of old-fashioned supercars starting in the 70’s while the F40 kicked off the new age of super sports that still remains mainstream today. Widely recognized as the link between the two, this epoch-making 288GTO Evoluzione will certainly have its place in Ferrari history.
Ferrari ended up producing five examples of this highly sought-after prototype.