FERRARI 288 GTO

WOW! Scuderia Magnifico

 

Stunning view!! Congrats and thanks for posting the photos

 

2 great cars!!!

 

Tom,

That's great to hear you're tracking the GTO. I'll be driving my GTO out to the FCA Int'l Meet at Watkins Glen and will be tracking it there.

If you haven't figured it out already, depending on the track, the weak link for a GTO is the brakes (next is tires). I still leave mine stock except I use Raybestos ST41/43 brake pads and Motul 600 brake fluid. At most tracks, that is fine. At tracks like Laguna Seca, which is hard on the brakes, braking a bit lighter and earlier will do the trick. Otherwise, you can add brake ducting to the rotors and/or add water injection. That will keep the rotors cool.

I've found that Hoosiers work best for dry track work, shaved Toyo RA1s next. I use unshaved Toyo RA1s as my street tire. Full slicks on a GTO will overload an unmodified suspension. And, if you really care to, you can easily lower the car by an inch. It's already pre-drilled to do this and easy to do. I, being lazy, have left the car alone for track use except for the brake fluid and brake pad modifications mentioned above.

Steve

 

Good to see your car at Automezzi! I knew I should have gone last weekend down to the track That is impressive to see a 959 in colorado considering I only thought there was a sliver one. Are you going to be at ACC this weekend?

 

I was at Pueblo the Tues/Wed before the weekend race. A friend had rented the track, there were about 10 cars there, including 4 (rented) spec Miata's that were a hoot! The 959 was from Boulder. Sorry I will miss the show this weekend...

 

Those are some great cars in your collection and thank you for the write-ups. Did you have any good pictures of your Cali spyder?

-Tom

 

That is awesome about your friend renting out the track! You will definitely be missed at the show.

 

Tom,

It sounds like your GTO has not received the bell housing update (or, it was done incorrectly). You should not have to bleed the clutch. (I've never had to.) My clutch never went soft even before the update, but I drove it all the time and, therefore, probably did more frequent fluid changes. I always change the brake fluid after every track event.

As you know, GTOs run the brake/clutch fluid through the magnesium bell housing. The fluid reacts with the magnesium and creates a gas. It's those wonderful gas bubbles that cause the clutch to go soft.

If you perform the bell housing update, this problem will go away.

Yes, I have pictures of the CA Spyder. There's some floating around various FerrariChat threads I've noticed. I did put one up when the car was loaded on a pallet in Germany waiting to get loaded on the plane for the flight over to the USA.

Check your PM.

Steve

 

Great pics, that car looks in excellent condition

 

I loved mine but the car is ugly IMHO compared to 275 GTB
and many other models but it still put a grin on my face
when it lit up the tires!

 

I am just doing the bell housing update now. I shipped my bell housings to the factory for the treatment. No big deal.

 

Megaquote.
GREAT post!

 

I sent my bell housing to the factory for the update as well. Back then, that was the only way to do it. These days, there are firms locally that can do it.

Ferrari charged my all of $90 for the bell housing the update. The shipping, of course, was another matter.....

And, to answer a question earlier, I will be driving across the country in the GTO alone, with some luggage, but the track day related stuff will be shipped out.

At least, that is the current plan.

Steve

 

Steve,
First off, hello my friend. I hope all is well. On the bell housing issue, I had mine done 2-3years ago. Could it be that they go bad again. I'm having a "soft" clutch feeling again escpecially when I first start after a long sitting (weeks to a month). I do admit the car does sit... ALOT! It gets soft, then while i'm driving it'll stiffin up right. then it might get mushy again then stiffin up again.

 

That doesn't sound right. The only reason that the clutch goes soft is air bubbles which are caused by the reaction of the clutch fluid to the magnessium bell housing case. As long as properly coated, there will be no more reaction. Maybe shill has more experience but to me it is a fairly black and white matter. Once there are bubbles in the fluid, you cannot get rid of them unless you bleed the system - a messy pain in the a_s - and a process which requires 2 people to do

 

Armen,

Nice to hear from you. Sounds like someone may not have done the bell housing update correctly. Just to be sure, good mechanics will make sure the bell housing is dipped three times, not once. Once done correctly, you are set to go.

The other thing that can happen is if you get lazy and don't bleed the system as required by maintenance. Once a year is about right for most brake fluids. However, if you are using Motul 600, a great fluid for the track, the recommended time interval is only three months between changes for street use (after every track event for track use). So, if it has been a couple of years or more, and you're using something like Motul 600, that will cause mushy brakes.

In general, I use MBZ brake fluid for my street cars and Motul 600 for track work. I use MBZ fluid ever since the Ferrari factory quitely recommended it to solve the F40 brake fluid boiling problems. You know it must have killed Ferrari to tell people to use the MBZ fluid. It sure cured my F40's brake problems. I use it in everything from disc brake CA Spyders on up.

Steve

 

shill, sounds like you have a nice garage, bt honestly I cold care less abot hte other cars as 288 gto is my favorite supercar and favorite ferrari.

Very glad to see you daily driving and tracking such a beautiful car.
I hope one day that I can see one of these beautiful cars, and maybe oneday experience the sound and thrill of one.

I'm building up my turbo rx-7 to as similar of power/weight ratio of the 288 as I can. Seems like a good goal

 

Cool

 

Interesting post, but the car's specs hardly make it a supercar by today's standards.

Ferrari 288 GTO Specifications

Price: $83,000
Performance
0-60: 5 seconds
0-100: 11 seconds
0-1/4 mile: 14.1 @108 MPH
Top Speed: 190 MPH
Engine
V8
Horsepower:400
Torque: 365.8 ft lbs @ 3800 RPM
Dimensions
Length: 168.9 in.
Width: 75.2 in.
Height: 44.1 in.
Weight: 2557 lbs.

A Corvette Z06 would hardly need a "supercharger" to beat a 288 in any venue. Great, old Ferraris are great, old Ferraris. The Spitfire was a beautiful plane and stood out in its era. But wouldn't last long in a dogfight with a Raptor. Too bad the legend rarely equates to the reality.

 

In my opinion more goes into a car being a supercar than just speed. When the 288 GTO was introduced it was one of the fastest production cars ever made. There were so few made as well. It still can hang with a lot of the more modern cars currently available today. I think your 0-60 time is on the conversative side. You give me a 400hp and a car that weighs under 2600 pounds today and I would be thrilled. I would also define that as a Supercar in todays standards. I have never had a chance to drive or ride in a 288 GTO before but everyone that has owned one or been in one can confirm it is a special car. One more thing the GTO cost $83,000 when it came out. Now it costs at least 3 times that to buy one. That tells me again it is a special car.

 

IMVHO you are completely missing the point. Nothing can meet today's standards except today's cars. And soon enough today's cars will be yesterday's cars. And nothing is sadder than an aged supercar - e.g. Jag 220. So when does an aged supercar become something special? When you figure that out you will stop mentioning lame cars like Corvettes!!! The 288 GTO is the business. It has nothing whatsoever to do with benchmarking numbers against today's cars. I can tell you that the reality is exponentially greater than the legend. i would have taken my GTO anyday over my CGT when it was new. I would have taken my GTO over my 599 anyday when it was new

 

I think you are rather out of touch with the GTO market. Check out the RM Auction results. You will be shocked

 

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