THE 'WHAT IF' VERSIONS

Though the F40 and F50 were resolutely developed as road cars, there were also racing plans

- Matthew Hayward

THOUGH FERRARI'S halo models might feel like road-legal racing cars, the motorsport links have not always been the most tangible. The lineage here starts with the 288 GTO, designed from the outset for Group B homologation, but the series that would have seen it go head-to-head with Porsche's 959 on track never materialised, sadly.

A single 288 Evoluzione was constructed before the official cancellation of the series, with a further four built by Ferrari racing partner Michelotto. And in effect, those four cars acted as a testbed for the use of lightweight materials in the upcoming F40.