The First Ferrari 288 GTO in Japan


 

Following its introduction in the early 1980s, the FIA Group B series had enjoyed huge popularity among European racing fans. Eager to contend, Ferrari had Pininfarina design the 288 GTO, calling for an intended production run of 200 cars to meet the homologation requirement. With carbon fibre and alloy coachwork, a 2.8-litre V8 engine with twin IHI turbochargers, delivering 400bhp, the 288 GTO could hit a top-speeds of 189mph, making it the fastest road car ever for the time, promising to become a strong contender at any races.

Unfortunately, Group B was cancelled shortly thereafter, leaving Ferrari with a fully developed and homologated supercar but without a series to compete in. When production stopped, only 272 examples had been built.

The 137th of the Ferrari 288 GTOs production run, chassis no 55237, boasts key extras such as air-conditioning, power windows, red seat inserts and an optional Ansa sport exhaust. On 10th April 1985 the car became the first of its kind to be imported into Japan and joined Yoshiho Matsuda’s renowned collection. Mr. Matsuda registered this car for the road and over the next 25 years used it regularly, putting 9,500 km on the odometer.

In 2015 the car was imported to the U.S., where it has become a staple in number of private collections.

Recently, with only 14,500 km from new, the car has once again become available through Copley Motorcars.