Twin Turbo | Classic Italian Cars For Sale

In the heady days of the 1980s, the FIA developed a new formula to dictate production-based race cars in both rally and sports car racing. It was the time of turbocharging in Formula 1, and that turbo technology had spilled over to the World Rally Championship in the form of the revolutionary Audi Quattro. Soon, it became evident that turbocharging would be the way forward, and it seemed that each few months a new iteration of a race car was being launched with even more power. The formula created was known as "Group B" - like its prototype "Group C" brothers, it would standardize a series across various manufacturers. What the rules produced were race cars that seemed unbounded by rules; indeed, you only needed to produce 200 examples of a loosely related road going car. As a result, we saw some unreal creations - most are associated with Rally, like the 13" shortened Audi Sport Quattro and mid-engined supercharged and turbocharged Lancia Delta S4; but few remember that the rules also dictated sports car racing. As a result, notable manufacturers Porsche and Ferrari jumped at the opportunity. From Porsche, we saw the development of the legendary 959, with its twin-turbo charged, watercooled flat six, all-wheel drive, active suspension and 6-speed transmission. It was technical, complicated and totally German. Ferrari decided to go another route; back to its routes, Ferrari produced a lightweight version of the 308 GTB with a new twin-turbocharged version of the V8. Dubbed the 288, it reintroduced the world to the legendary title "GTO" - Gran Turismo Omologato. It was little more than a race car for the road:

Year: 1984
Model: 288 GTO
Engine: 2.9 liter twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 13,000 mi
Price: $1,895,000

CLICK FOR DETAILS:1984 Ferrari 288 GTO

Description:

1984 Ferrari 288GTO, Ferrari factory Classiche certified with books, tools and service records. Car now in Yokohama, Japan, ex Switzerland and France. Swiss taxes paid. Superb example, extremely well cared for from day one. Power windows and working air conditioning. Accident-free example looks almost new with show quality repaint by Zanasi. Easily accessible to inspect. HISTORY: 2/1985, New to Crepaldi, authorized Ferrari dealer in Milano, Italy. 9/2001. To second owner in France and registered in France. 2012 Offered by Garage Zenith SA in Swiss. Classiche certified 9/2012, Sold and shipped to Japan. Prior to delivery, comprehensive maintenance performed with invoice 20,000+CF, plus new set of Michelin tires mounted. 10/2013. Registered road legal in Japan with the transportation authority. Car driven 2,000 km since major service. A superb example to show and enjoy, as it is one of the truly great driver's Ferraris.

Price: $1,895,000 obo

The E30 M3 crowd loves to pat themselves on the back with the incredible gain in value over the past year many have experienced. Frankly, they're small potatoes compared to these hot Ferraris. In the past year and a half, top value on 288 GTOs has more than doubled - from around $700,000 for a pristine example to around $1.7 million. That curve has flattened out slight in the past few months, but is still generally headed upwards. Although the GTO was ultimately eclipsed by the F40 in enthusiasts' minds, it's an important part of Ferrari history that is now recognized in value. This particular example is ahead of the curve, but not by much - and these 288s don't grow on trees. For most of us, we'll be lucky to see one in our lifetime, but the rest of the time we can dream about the awesome days of Group B and the wicked cars it spawned.

-Carter

I'm guessing everyone who has seen the Ferrari F40 in person (and many that haven't) have their own personal F40 story; so, here's mine. When I was a younger lad, our local luxury dealership struck a deal with a patron to purchase two Ferrari F40s. If it sounds outrageous, it was even more outrageous how much the contract was for - at the time, several million dollars. You may remember that Ferrari lost their proverbial shirt on the 288 GTO; speculators bought up the limited production run, turned around and sold many of them at an outrageous profit - in some cases, up to 10 times the original purchase price. Determined not to have that happen again, Ferrari priced the F40 at a then outrageous $500,000 give or take, but many dealers demanded premiums up to a few million dollars. Presuming that - like the stock market - the supercar market would continue to rise to the heavens, many speculators signed up. It was a sure bet, afterall! Then the crash of 1989 occurred, and shortly thereafter the supercar market tanked. It killed many of the late 1980s and early 1990s cars entirely, and some supercar makers folded up entirely. That didn't happen to Ferrari, obviously, though it sure helped that Fiat held the checkbook at the time. In any event, the market on these cars came way back to reality, and this particular speculator - who had agreed to pay millions for the delivery of the second F40 - suddenly found said car to be worth only a fraction of his outstanding contract. He refused delivery, the dealership sued - and won. They retained the car and several million dollars, which they utilized to build a new addition to the dealership for some crazy upstart from Japan called "Lexus" - but who would be crazy enough to pay a premium for re-badged Toyotas?

Anyway, my part in the story. My father had a friend at said dealership who called him up to come see this F40. If they're not exactly commonplace now, they certainly weren't in 1989, either, yet here I was, confronted with one and being told I could sit in it. Of course, I had studied the F40 extensively, and knew the car like the back of my hand. In person, it was even more impressive than the magazines had related; it was like confronting a hurricane, tornado and tidal wave of force all wrapped in one pretty red package. The slats and vents reminded me of the 250 GTO, and like that car it was a thinly veiled race car that you could put number plates on. Glue leaked out of seams, it smelled like burnt plastic inside, the finish was horrible in places - it felt sort of cheap compared to the immaculately finished Porsches they also had at the dealer. There were no frills, and the carbon fiber doors were so wispy-thin that I got out and unintentionally slammed the door closed. Both my father and his friend gasped; the sticker price on the car, after all, was about 4 times what my father's house was worth at the time. Fast forward to today, and like the real estate market it turns out it would have been pretty smart to buy at the time, because today it's ask is about 3 times what it was when new once again - we've come full circle:

Year: 1990
Model: F40
Engine: 2.9 liter twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 5,287 mi
Price: $1,300,000

CLICK FOR DETAILS:1990 Ferrari F40

1990 FERRARI F40

--Red with Red, 5,000 miles from new, 5-speed transmission, Tubi sport exhaust system.

This F40 is absolutely superb, fully serviced throughout and come complete with Ferrari Classiche Certification.

This F40 is immaculate in all respects, it is complete with all books, tools and records as originally delivered from the factory.

Not much more needs to be said in the description; you're not likely to be able to afford one, but they sure are pretty to look at and amazing in person. Thanks to the internet, we've gotten to see more exposure on the F40 than ever over the past few years and if anything, the legend is even bigger than when it was new. The last great car produced under the leadership of Enzo, this car was and is a monster - both in performance and design. While the price may seem outrageous now and is certainly above market value - Hagerty puts a top F40 just over 1,000,000 - I'd guess that in a few decades we'll again look back and see it wasn't so outrageous, afterall - this car will undoubtedly stand alongside such greats as the 250GTO and Daytona as one of the best Ferraris ever made.

-Carter