288 GTO unique factory builds?

The ONLY options were ac and pw besides the red seat inserts.
Nothing else.

Marcel Massini

 

The orange started out as red. They faded badly. Even as new cars just from sitting outside many had already faded.

 

Again and again and again (search function is on top right of page):
Correct, nothing was done uniquely to any single car.
35 years ago, back in 1984/85, no tailor made system existed yet.
And yes, 272 production cars were built. Plus six prototypes plus 50253 and 50255 (the two Geneva show car). Making a total of 280 cars.

Marcel Massini

 

If you’d like something unique, you’re talking about one of the prototypes.

 

I heard of one car with leather seats and the inserts in red leather , a uk car form a well know collector . I remember thinking it looked bad at the time .

Did some (a lot) searching on line and found this car sold by Hartley , I think it’s the car I remember reading about .
Was sold by Hartley , he will know more

http://www.tomhartleyjnr.com/used/1985/classic/ferrari/1985-classic-ferrari-moira-swadlincote-for-sale-b362mdp

 

I know of 2 production cars (this one included) and a prototype with the seat inserts in red leather, there may be more.

 

56759 is the ONLY one. Instead of Nero VM 8500 the color code for the seats is 364000000.
First owner, Colin Briggs, the Ferrari dealer of Forfar, Scotland, on June 21, 1985, picked it up directly at the factory on Italian export plates “EE 091 AK”.

Marcel Massini

 

That’s the name , it’s kept me up all night . Briggs , Colin Briggs
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The red insert option should have been leather only IMO.

 

What is the situation with a few 288s having a dual megaphone type exhasut system instead of the usual 4-port exhaust?

 

I have learned the hard way that whenever you use the word 'only', unless you have personally checked each and every one of the 272 plus prototype cars in the series, there is a chance you may be incorrect. This can happen because the factory records contain omissions or errors, which we all know happened in that era. Because I haven't checked all the cars personally, I always prefer to say there may be more, just in case there are discoveries or newly-received wisdom, as often happens.

I don't think 56759 is the only 288 GTO with the seat inserts in red leather as made by Ferrari SpA.

Over a year before 56759 was built, in March of 1984, per his date-documented color slide archives, automotive journalist & professional photographer Martyn Godard took these images below at Ferrari SpA.

He gave them to me personally for my book.

As you can clearly see, this as-new 288 GTO with just 222 kms (137 miles) has the seat inserts in red leather.

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

More images of the same car during Goddard's Spring 1984 visit to the factory, I believe this GTO has neither electric windows or radio.

To recap, I know of this 1984 GTO and the Briggs 1985 GTO with red leather seat inserts, and yet another here in the USA, although, I must concede that I do not believe the USA car's red leather seat inserts were done by the factory

Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

During that March 1984 factory visit, Goddard also took this interesting image

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

56781 was privately modified with a new interior with seat inserts in red leather.

Marcel Massini

 

If this photo was really taken in March 1984 it can only be 50253 or 50255 (the two Geneva show cars), as no other 288 GTO was completed by that time (except the six prototypes).

Marcel Massini

 

Just curious, is the size of the steering wheel the same as for the 308 QV? As it looks a bit different. Thanks.

 

Coming from Scotland the most surprising part of this is that there was ever a Ferrari dealer in Forfar of all places. I remember an article in, I think, Car magazine where the owner mentioned that the leather was specially commissioned to be Scottish ‘Bridge of Weir” leather. A tailor made GTO after all....

 

I found 2 more 288 GTO's with red seat inserts and would love to know if the were original or done after the cars left the factory?

The first one is S/N 57485 that was a part of the Mecum auction and Marcel has done a report on it- https://www.mecum.com/lots/CA0816-261992/1985-ferrari-288-gto/
Image Unavailable, Please Login

and the other one is Niki Lauda's 288 GTO (the last one ever made) which also has the red inserts (I can't seem to find the S/N so if that is the one that was mentioned originally above than my apologies)
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Good to know.

This was also done on a USA car with the red leather seat inserts which I have seen with my own eyes, Armen G’s 56783, in this case the replacement of the red/orange fabric seat inserts with red leather was done in the USA, not at the factory - confirmed.

I always accept that anything is possible, Goddard has the images dated March 1984, but it is it possible he made a mistake with the dating, unlikely though as I found that his archives are well-organized. Also, his images from that 1984 visit were used in some 1984 publications including the September 1984 issue (naturally it can take 4-5 months for submitted work to actually get published) of Car & Driver magazine showing one of his images of a pre-production GTO without fender badges on the cover as seen below.

Goddard did not write down any chassis numbers at all, but as you say, it could be 50253 or 50255, as the images Goddard took were of GTOs with pre-production features such as fenders without badges etc. Perhaps this explains why there was already 222 km showing on the clock, as standard new production cars were surely delivered with less.

As such, if we consider 50253 & 50255 to be factory pre-production GTOs, then perhaps we can conclude that the Briggs GTO 56759 was the only production GTO with red leather seat inserts, and I’m happy to go with your assertion that there is only 1 production GTO with this application as you have records that suggest this.

Perhaps Briggs, being a Ferrari dealer, saw 50253 or 50255 on display with this application and wanted it for his own car, this makes sense.

These are the normal red/orange fabric seat inserts which many GTOs have

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Lauda 288:
Again and again and again, this is 58329 but it is NOT the last one produced/built.
There were eight 288 GTO's built AFTER 58329.

Marcel Massini

 

Oh ok, I didn't realize that it was just the red leather inserts that are very rare.

Sorry about the misconception, unfortunately that's what many articles claim....

 

In this era of copy and paste, constantly repeating fake news doesn't make them true.

Marcel Massini

 

True, unfortunately for people that don't know better are vulnerable to those incorrect information.