The GTO Legacy

The O, of course, stands for Omologata, but if ever a car was greater than the sum of its parts – or its original purpose – it’s the 250 GTO. Ferrari’s domination in world sports car racing, in an era when it rivalled Formula One for popularity and prestige, means that the GTO’s motorsport success has secured its provenance. But it’s the way it looks that has captured the wider imagination.

Above: the Ferrari 250 GTO – an easy car to drive fast, and a fast car that looked sublime

This first GTO was powered by Gioachino Colombo’s V12, a battle-hardened veteran by the early ‘60s, boasting 3.0 litres in capacity, a twin overhead camshaft and a power output of 300cv. The 250 GTO also marked the start of Ferrari’s experiments with aerodynamics, measures that sought to reduce lift at the front and improve downforce at the rear. Most GTOs had two cooling air intakes in the front wings but some had three, though none of the 36 Series One cars were identical. And like all racing Ferraris they were constantly being fettled and upgraded in pursuit of a faster lap time.

The GTO racked up more than 500 competitive appearances, including two overall wins in the Tour de France, as well as class wins in the Targa Florio, Sebring, and at Le Mans (where GTOs finished second and third overall in 1962). One of the best-known was a right-hand drive car, painted a memorable pale green, and campaigned by the UDT-Laystall team, which was run by Stirling Moss’s father Alfred and his manager Ken Gregory. Those who know it well reckon it was “peak” Ferrari: an easy car to drive fast, and a fast car that looked sublime.

Above: while it took much of its inspiration from the fearsome ‘80s Group B racing cars, the 1984 GTO had friendly, confidence-inspiring manners out on the road

The competition element is the connective tissue with the GTO (also known as the 288 GTO), which debuted in 1984. Partly inspired by but ultimately denied the opportunity to compete in the early ‘80s Group B category, the GTO benefitted from the input of Ferrari’s Formula One experts. Its chassis was a high tensile steel space-frame, with Kevlar, glassfibre and aluminium elsewhere. At its heart sat a 2.8-litre 32V V8 mounted longitudinally in the middle of the car, which allowed the ancillaries, gearbox and twin IHI turbochargers to be more efficiently packaged. There was no ABS, traction control, or four-wheel drive.

It remains a joy to drive all these years later. It idles with a slightly shrill note, as so many flat-plane crank Ferrari V8s do, and buzzes and vibrates. It’s surprisingly easy to drive quickly, and although it’s a twin turbo (like the F40 that succeeded it), it doesn’t fast forward towards the horizon with the same eye-widening hysteria. It’s also beautifully damped, with a suppleness that gives it an unexpectedly GT-like character. Where you might imagine this GTO to be highly strung, it’s actually very tractable and confidence-inspiring.

Above, exteriors and interiors, from left: the 1962 250 GTO, the 1984 GTO, and the 2010 599 GTO. Very different cars, but all designed to push the boundaries of performance

Not something you’d say about 2010’s 599 GTO, as dynamically extreme a car as Ferrari has ever made, and consequently one of the most exciting. It’s not a competition car but it does channel a lot of the track-only 599XX, with extensive aero modifications, a heavily revised suspension set up, and phenomenal braking system. But it’s the software electronics that mark this out as a true GTO. It sits on wider wheels and bigger tyres – bespoke Michelins – so the level of mechanical grip and agility is off-the-scale. As on the latest fighter jets, which use hi-tech avionics to rein in the aircraft’s extremes, Ferrari’s engineers tuned the traction and stability control to make the car as accessible as possible at the limit.

Above: while it was a technological tour-de-force, and one of the most extreme Prancing Horses ever produced, the 599 GTO could also be used as a daily driver

Which means that while it’s perfectly useable as a daily driver, the 599 GTO is thrillingly alive the faster you go, with a steering feel and sharpness at the front end that’s almost unreal. Especially since that’s where its 6.0-litre V12 sits, all 670cv of it. The 599 GTO, like its two forebears, is a car of extraordinary character, but this one is also a science lesson.

That makes it a worthy vehicle – in every sense – for those three almost mythological letters in the ongoing Ferrari narrative. Pushing the boundaries is part of the company’s remit. And this illustrious trio of Ferrari sports cars could never be accused of doing anything less.