Gaetano Derosa – Författare

A must, an "exaggerated" Ferrari, a remarkably impressive car still today, more than 30 years on from its launch. The Ferrari F40 caused a sensation when it first saw the light of day in 1987 thanks to its uncompromising lines and a formidable mechanical specification, most of which left in plain sight and promising unrivalled performance. The car emanated immense appeal from every side. The last of the Prancing Horse's GT cars "approved" by Enzo Ferrari is the protagonist of this book by Gaetano Derosa, a book that starts from a long way out, analysing the "forebears" of the F40: from the 250 LM of 1963 to the 308 "Millechiodi" of 1978, to the 288 GTO of 1984 and the GTO Evoluzione of 1986. The technical and stylistic evolution of the F40 is also recounted by the figures responsible for this thoroughbred Ferrari: from Leonardo Fioravanti, in his dual role as designer and at the time vice-chairman of the Maranello firm to Nicola Materazzi who defined the monstrous eight-cylinder engine that powered the car and through to Piero Ferrari himself one of the great supporters of the F40 Le Mans project. It is no coincidence that the book concludes with an exhaustive chapter dedicated to the F40 in racing, from the GT and single-marque championships to the return to the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The Testarossa, one of the most “provocative” Ferraris of all time, caused a sensation from its “preview” at the Paris Lido in 1984. It boasted extreme styling, with a rear track significantly wider than the front and conspicuous air intake strakes on the flanks, while mechanically it sported a mighty V12 engine displacing almost five. The Supercars series could hardly fail to include a title devoted to this sensational car and recounting its technical and stylistic genesis. The book covers both the Testarossa's “ancestors” – the 365 GTB/4 'Daytona' and the 512 BB – and its “descendants” – the 512 TR and the F512 M, not to forget the Spider version commissioned by Avvocato Gianni Agnelli and the sensational Mythos, the prototype designed by Pininfarina in 1989 and based on the rolling chassis of this car. The book is completed by the road tests that featured the car in the magazine Quattroruote.

While 1984 was not an easy year for Ferrari in Formula 1, the same cannot be said for the production cars, with the dramatic return of two of the most iconic and evocative names in the history of the Prancing Horse: Testarossa – already featured in a monograph in this series – and GTO, the new Ferrari grand tourer, the latest in the long and glorious line of eight-cylinder cars which was launched at that year’s Geneva motor show.The 288 GTO was derived directly from the 308 GTB Speciale prototype prepared by Pininfarina in 1977, in effect a “pumped up” 308 with even more aggressive bodywork and powered by a muscular 2.8-litre V8 capable of delivering around 400 hp, good for a top speed of a little over 300 kph.Following the F40 and the Testarossa books in this series, this monograph on 288 GTO retraces the technical and stylistic genesis of the supercar, with contributions from several of the artificers of the model. All this accompanied by invaluable materials, many of which previously unpublished, drawn from the archives of the magazine Quattroruote.