Mine was a Ferrari 288 GTO.
Like every boy growing up obsessed with cars, there was one poster on my bedroom wall that took pride of place, and it was this piece of automotive exotica.
My best mate Rory had a Countach poster. It was an LP 500S, I think – arctic white with huge wheelarches and a rear wing that appeared to be plucked from a ‘70s Formula One car.
I told him his car was an exercise in vulgarity and that it appealed to rich men with egos even bigger than their wallets. “If you’re going to buy a supercar, you don’t mess around,” was his response. “You buy the most outrageous one available. Why would anyone choose yours? It’s just another red Ferrari. Besides, it’s the car Magnum, P.I. drove, isn’t it?”
He would say this just to wind me up. The 288 GTO might have been based on Thomas Magnum’s 308, but to those in the know it was another beast altogether. Built to compete in the soon-to-be-banned Group B race series, only 272 examples of the 288 GTO were constructed.
Powered by one of Ferrari’s first production turbocharged engines for road use – a 2,8-litre twin-turbo V8 – it was everything the Countach wasn’t. Understated, technologically advanced and rare. Today, of course, the Countach has its place in the pantheon of supercars, but the 288 GTO is regarded as one of the true greats and, together with Porsche’s 959, is viewed as the best of the ‘80s supercars.
Which brings me to the white Lamborghini Huracán we test in this issue. The debate it provoked among the CAR team reminded me of the good-natured ribbing Rory and I would give each other. On the one side, we had Team McLaren 650S (we tested the car in last month’s issue) and, on the other, Team Huracán. Clinical engineering and aero-above-all-else styling versus one of the loudest engines we’ve ever heard and styling to match. It was a very close call… turn to page 68 to find out how we voted.
