Ferrari lovers take note: Ferrari 288 GTO to be auctioned in Monterey

11 August, 2016

One of the best Ferrari sports cars ever produced — the Ferrari GTO — was a 2.8-litre twin-turbo V8 400hp gem, based on a steel tube-frame chassis dripping in carbon-fibre panels. Desirable yes, and now for sale. Mecum Auctions in Monterey have an 11,000km example for sale during their August 18–20 auction period, with optioned air conditioning, stereo, and power windows! Sound like the car for you? Of course it does, who wouldn’t want one — however, you’ll need up to US$3 million.

It seems pricey, but if you’ve got the money it would be a fantastic investment. Just five years ago, a similar example sold for US$650K. This example features certification from Ferrari’s in-house certifier and restorer, known as the Ferrari Classiche, to prove its authenticity.

Now, all I have to do is check in between my couch cushions for the required moolah to purchase this ’80s bad boy!

Images: Mecum Auctions

Polishing to perfection

26 February, 2026

The secret to a show-stopping finish is colour sanding, no matter which paint system you use. Even a good painter, no matter how experienced or talented — like my mate Bruce Haye, CEO at Ace Panel and Paint in Whitianga — can’t shoot to a perfect mirror finish. To get that level of perfection, you need to colour sand.
It used to be called ‘rubbing out’ or ‘cutting’, and it was done with pastes that came in cans. They worked — sort of — but the compounds really just rounded off imperfections instead of eliminating them, and they removed a lot of paint in the process. But now your new finish can be made flawless, thanks to microfine sandpapers that come in 1000, 1500, 2000, and even 2500 grit ranges, and Farecla G3 polish — available from automotive paint suppliers.

NZ Classic Car magazine, March/April 2026 issue 404, on sale now

22 February, 2026

BMW’s flagship techno showcase
The supermodel 1995 BMW 840Ci is simply elegant and perfectly engineered.
BMW’s 840 Ci flagship Coupe provides superb comfort and equipment packaged in a stylish body, with grand-touring performance and surprisingly competent handling for its size.
It’s the kind of machine that stands apart from the start. When BMW first unveiled its flagship Grand Tourer at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, the automotive world blinked twice. Sleek, low, and impossibly modern for its era, it combined drama with a sort of purposeful understatement. This silhouette still looks striking today, long after its peers have faded into obscurity.
Initially offered with a range of engines, the model you’re reading about is the V8 iteration, featuring a 4.0-litre eight-cylinder heart under its long bonnet and a smooth five-speed automatic at the back. It wasn’t about blistering sprint times so much as effortless velocity. There was power on tap, sure, but the way it delivered thrust felt unhurried and measured – the automotive equivalent of a deep exhale on a long drive.
Poster 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, C2

Ferrari lovers take note: Ferrari 288 GTO to be auctioned in Monterey

Contact us

Sign up to New Zealand Classic Car's newseltter