Why The Ferrari 288 GTO Is The Best Looking Car Ever

Alex reckons the Audi Sport Quattro is the hottest looker on four wheels, and its butch rally-pedigree body and short stance definitely gives it some claim on the title. Great looking motors can be based on mundane stuff – I reckon the mk1 Ford Focus RS and E46 BMW M3 are two of the best lookers ever.

But really, the best looking car in the world, (like, EVAR), has to be a supercar – outlandish, outrageous, and expressive. Its older 250 GTO brother may be more classic, the younger F40 more revered, but nothing beats the Ferrari 288 GTO as a poster car.

That profile is perfect. The way the front splitter lip matches the angle of the rear spoiler. The simple, single triangular air intakes, so much neater than the F40’s holey body. And then there’s the neat three rear vents, and the way the car flashes the rear of the gearbox casing. No rear diffusers here, just massive tyres, tiny exhausts, and a big hunk of metal kissing the ground.

Other details like the centrelock wheels, vented bonnet and quad taillights are gorgeous too, but it’s the way the thing works as a whole, in the way a Countach just doesn’t quite. It’s even  more amazing when you remember the 288 wasn’t designed just to be beautiful. It was meant to go racing, and squeeze twin turbos into a 308-related chassis. It’s functional, like an Enzo or Gumpert, and yet it still looks hawt.

Course, nothing’s perfect. The boxy little wingmirrors look out of place, and that little black bumper up front is slightly too proud of the main frontage, to protect that expensive nose. But overall, it’s gorgeous, right? And with 400bhp, and a top speed of 189mph, it can walk the walk too. Want the first ever car capable of 300kph? Here’s your ride.

Hit up the comments if you think I’m barking up the wrong Italian tree...