In the first of its new ‘Morning Coffee’ miniseries, Petrolicious asks whether a coffee or a pristine Ferrari 288 GTO will get you out of bed quicker first thing in the morning.
“It’s a tactile, exhilarating experience but not as daunting and difficult as expected. I fervently hope that fate brings us together again.”
A quote from our man Phill – known briefly throughout the crankandpiston oval office as ‘that bastard’ – following his spin in a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO (the full story of which you can read HERE). Combine stunning but slightly menacing looks and a V8 soundtrack to die for, and the 288 GTO tops most petrolhead bucket lists, including ours.
Clearly Petrolicious felt the same way (sorry Phill), since the GTO stars in the inaugural video of the team’s new miniseries, ‘Morning Coffee’. Anyone familiar with Petrolicious videos – an we’ve covered most of them, so that should be all of you – will find the above a step change from the team’s usual work. For starters, there’s no interview or owner history. Instead, there’s a couple of glamour shots, some inspiring music, and enough driving shots to plough you right in the feels unless your heartstrings are in fact encased in stone.
Brief history of the 288 GTO though before you dive in. Produced between 1984 and 1987, the 288 was designed with a new Group B circuit racing series in-mind. Only 272 examples were built by Ferrari, but each packed a 2.8-litre V8 – after which the model was named – and a longitudinally-mounted twin-turbochargers to boost power from 237bhp in the 308 GTB it replaced to 400bhp. A lightweight chassis beneath the Pininfarina styled body meant the 288 tipped the scales at just 1160kg. Lightweight and packing panel-quivering power for its day, 0-100kph was dusted in four seconds flat, and the Ferrari 288 GTO was roundly celebrated as the fastest supercar on the planet.
So, with that in mind, Petrolicious asks just one question: a Ferrari 288 GTO, or an espresso shot first thing in the morning? Your call chaps…
