What was the cheapest 288 GTOs ever sold for?

Hello Shine Ken....lurker?? Sounds like a shady character to me. I would call myself if that is ok......a long time observer...and now a first time reporter for want of a better word. There has been many a time that I would have cast a critique on one thing or another but there has been really not a lot that has goaded me into voice. About the 288gto here in Australia.....a member of our club did purchase one of these but the whole affair was so secretive you wondrered if it did in fact exist. I did not get to see it but I understand that the owner ran foul of the authorities and the car was re exported. Perhaps the i's were not dotted and the t's were not crossed. I don't know and the bloke in question has since passed away.

 

Thank you for sharing. Perhaps ‘lurker’ means something a bit different in Australia, but it is an often used term to describe individuals who “observe,” but seldom interact on a forum. There’s even a thread for such individuals .

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/lurkers-come-out-and-play.47555/

 

According to the Macquarie Dictionary......an Australian icon: a lurker can be just what you say [ in computer land ] an observer who comes out to play infrequently. Lurker also has the meaning of a dodger, an unethical underhanded schemer.....and there's more. I put myself as an observer I reckon. If I am judged from the computer angle I deem that a compliment.....thank you ShineKen.

 

@marko.urbac dropping some gems here. Maybe he knows something .

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/sultan-of-bruneis-car-collection.85959/page-192

 

John use to work for me, he died 2 weeks ago of a heart attack, I put some miles on that 288 GTO then Marcel Massini bought it from him, John traded his F40 straight up for the 288 GTO btw

 

I remember they were around $600 -$700K for a very long time.

 

Wow, is this true?

 

Turbo cars had a really bad rep in the '80s obviously it got better with the F40 but back in the day a lot sat on the market for a long time under $125k

 

I had an interesting related experience in the fall of '89.. I was shopping for an Alfa GTV6 and my conversation with the salesman turned to our other favorite sportscars. I said the 288 GTO had to be the absolute top of the heap. He replied, "You think so? Wait here a sec.." and walked to the offices and came back with another gentleman telling him "You guys might enjoy talking, he says the 288 GTO is the absolute best sportscar available these days.." Turns out the new gentleman was a Ferrari enthusiast, and owned a 288 GTO he had bought new in '84 or '85.
The chat was pleasant and turned into a longer conversation. It was clear to my rookie self that his deal for the 288 was very different from your average dealership purchase. He described the qualification process to even put in an order, he had to provide a history of long-term Ferrari ownership. He had to show financials for his purchase. His order included a visit to Modena where he would be interview as part of the qualification process...

He did not mention the purchase price, but I had paid attention to the 288's and knew the few that were up for sale were commanding around $500k. This gentleman acknowledged the rise in value, but clarified any original owner selling their 288 so soon ran the risk of being disqualified by Ferrari for any further purchase of their exotic models.

If this gentleman's story was true and not just bragging, the purchase of a 288GTO back in the day was a lot more than just showing up with the money. So there is that aspect to consider.
- Art

 

Saw a 288GTO at the Essen Motor Show about 10 years after they came out.
Remember it was Euro 232k. Which was a very good price at the time.
Still had plastic on areas of the car.
Certainly tempted at the time.

 

WOW!