Showing posts with label GTB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GTB. Show all posts
Friday, 18 September 2015
Sunday, 18 January 2015
Thursday, 1 January 2015
Friday, 22 April 2011
Too Dangerous To Race - Ferrari GTO
The Ferrari (288) GTO was designed to meet the 4 litre Group B regulations for rallying and racing sports cars which came into effect in 1982 .
To be homologated, granted approval, to compete in the liberal loose Group B classes of rallys and races 200 identical examples of a model had to be manufactured.
From 1984 - 1986 272 examples of the Ferrari 288 GTO were manufactured with a view to competing against the similar, albeit fitted with 4 wheel drive, Porsche 959/961.
The 288 GTO was loosely based on the Ferrari 308 GTB though the rear bodywork was extended to incorporate the engine which was now longitudinally mounted rather than transversely mounted as in the 308 GTB.
Pininfarina designed body panels for the 288 GTO were manufactured from a combination of fibreglass, aluminium and F1 technology Kevlar however in the interests of safety the door panels were made of steel.
With four hundred horsepower available, in road trim, from the twin turbo charged 2855 cc / 174 cui V8 it is regrettable that the 288 GTO never saw any competitive action as a result of the Group B regulations being deemed to dangerous for competition after a number of fatalities in Group B rally events during 1986. By 1987 the Group B regulations and even more lax Group S regulations had been suspended in the interests of safety.
This 1985 model, known officially as a Ferrari GTO but often called 288 GTO to distinguish it from other Ferrari GTO models, is seen at the recent Italian Auto Moto Festival in Bristol.
Hope you have enjoyed today's homologation edition of 'Gettin' a lil psycho on tyres' and that you will join me again tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !
To be homologated, granted approval, to compete in the liberal loose Group B classes of rallys and races 200 identical examples of a model had to be manufactured.
From 1984 - 1986 272 examples of the Ferrari 288 GTO were manufactured with a view to competing against the similar, albeit fitted with 4 wheel drive, Porsche 959/961.
The 288 GTO was loosely based on the Ferrari 308 GTB though the rear bodywork was extended to incorporate the engine which was now longitudinally mounted rather than transversely mounted as in the 308 GTB.
Pininfarina designed body panels for the 288 GTO were manufactured from a combination of fibreglass, aluminium and F1 technology Kevlar however in the interests of safety the door panels were made of steel.
With four hundred horsepower available, in road trim, from the twin turbo charged 2855 cc / 174 cui V8 it is regrettable that the 288 GTO never saw any competitive action as a result of the Group B regulations being deemed to dangerous for competition after a number of fatalities in Group B rally events during 1986. By 1987 the Group B regulations and even more lax Group S regulations had been suspended in the interests of safety.
This 1985 model, known officially as a Ferrari GTO but often called 288 GTO to distinguish it from other Ferrari GTO models, is seen at the recent Italian Auto Moto Festival in Bristol.
Hope you have enjoyed today's homologation edition of 'Gettin' a lil psycho on tyres' and that you will join me again tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !
Friday, 8 April 2011
Body Kit Special - Ferrari 599tc GTB Fiorano
The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano was introduced in 2006 as the brands two seat flagship.
It was Styled by Pininfarina under the direction of Frank Stephenson who lists the new MINI, BMW X5 and McLaren MP4 -12C in his portfolio.
The 599 GTB is powered by a 612 hp 5999 cc / 366 cui V12 making it the most powerful road car to leave the Ferrari factory.
However for some that is not enough, so far as I can work out, from the silver body kit this example may have had some tuning by the Dutch Novitec Russo company who offer an 800 hp twin supercharger upgrade.
The standard 612 hp car will get from rest to 62 mph in 3.7 secs, reach 100 mph in 7.4 seconds
and 160 mph in 19 seconds.
Top speed for the standard car is 205 mph.
Presumably the 'tc' designation on the side of this car indicates this particular vehicle will represent an opportunity to improve on the standard performance figures.
Looking back, from my seat in the peanut gallery, it is hard to believe anybody would want such a car in any colour except Ferrari Russo, but I guess it takes all sorts.
Hope you have enjoyed today's body kit special edition of 'Gettin' a lil' psycho on tyres' and that you will join me again tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !
Friday, 19 November 2010
Did Magnumpi pass on this ? - Ferrari 328 GTS
It must say something about the power of television that all though I have rarely watched it as an adult, I still know things about some of the folks who inhabit that world. Back in the 80's there was a private eye show, the mother of a friend of mine used to refer affectionately to as 'Magnumpi', a private eye who lived in some completely improbable paradise and blagged pretty much everything he needed, including a Ferrari 308 GTS, from some benevolent fellow with a clipped English accent called Higgins.
Even though I never saw an entire episode I do know, but don't ask me how, that Magnumpi decided to trade in his bachelor life style for a family and a regular (?) job in the Navy when the show came to an end. Today's car the 328 GTS is probably the vehicle Magnumpi would have upgraded to if he had not been so rash.
The 328 GTS (GTS meaning Gran Turismo Spider - Targa top as opposed to its sibling the hard top GTB - Gran Turismo Berlinetta) out sold the GTB 5 to 1 between 1985 to 1989. It was powered by a 270 hp, 4 valve per cylinder, 3185 cc / 194 cui V8 good for taking the car to 60 mph in less than six seconds and on to over 160 mph.
328's are considered by Ferrari aficionados to be the most reliable Ferrari's ever built, because the engine does not need to be removed from the vehicle for routine maintenance. Just the kind of convenience a family man might be looking for, shame the 328 only has two seats !
Slightly Off Topic postscript to yesterdays blog I'd like to welcome everyone who has popped in from the Ferrari Chat Forum, and thank Julio Batista whose Dad raced 500 TRC #0698 against Armando Garcia Cifuentes, Julio kindly posted a photograph of 500 TRC #0690, the subject of yesterdays blog, which shows the extent of the damage sustained after its horrendous accident in Havana.
Thanks for popping by, I hope you'll join me for an amazing life is stranger than fiction story about a small but hugely storied car from the United States tomorrow, don't forget to come back now !
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