May 28

May 28 VIN: the Ron Stratton, Hew Dundas & Sultan of Brunei Ferrari 288 GTO chassis 55671

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History of chassis 55671

Chassis 55671 was the 150th Ferrari 288 GTO produced.

It was originally configured in Rosso Corsa with a Nero leather interior and electric windows.

The first owner was Ferrari main dealer, Ron Stratton. Stratton’s showroom was based on Water Lane in Wilmslow, Cheshire, from where he also represented Rolls Royce, Lotus and AMG.

55671 was Stratton’s personal car. He collected it from the factory on April 24th 1985 and was accompanied back to the UK by Car magazine journalist, Gavin Green. For its journey, the GTO was registered on the temporary export plate, EE 031 AK.

The trip was documented in the July 1985 edition of Car magazine where 55671 starred on the cover.

The story was title ‘Picking Up a Legend’. Green wrote:

“Below 3000rpm, the power is not exceptional. The car accelerates, sure enough, and has excellent tractability right down to 1000rpm, even if you’re in fifth gear. But there’s not the low-down, torque-laden kick in the small of the back which the Ferrari Boxer and the Testarossa can deliver in copious quantities. At around 2000rpm, when accelerating, the little turbo gauge – black, with orange markings like the rest of the instruments – moves off its stopper, and there’s a noticeable helping hand from the twin puffers, already whistling quite audibly. Strong momentum is being gained, but there’s still no power explosion. Wait until around 3000rpm for that. Sure enough, as the thick orange needle continues its swift sweep of the rev counter and passes the 3000 mark, the turbo gauge jumps to 0.8 bar – maximum boost – and the previous distant whistle of the blowers and grumble of the engine is replaced by a blood-curdling howl. The helping hand turns into a full-blooded right jab, and the GTO bolts forward with more ferocity and fire than any road-going supercar in my experience. The effect as the blowers come in, can most accurately be likened to that of a Porsche 911 Turbo when the boost becomes strong. But the power jump is more savage. It’s as though you’re in a glider, in tow behind an innocent prop plane, and the tow rope suddenly becomes intercepted by a low-flying F-111.”

The story also appeared in the August 12th 1985 edition of AutoWeek for which 55671 was again on the cover.

Stratton’s Ferrari was subsequently UK registered B288 GTO.

In April 1986, Stratton put chassis 55671 up for sale. It was purchased by serial supercar owner, lawyer and amateur racing driver, Hew Dundas of London.

Dundas was a regular competitor in the Maranello Ferrari Challenge in the UK. Like Stratton, he also loaned 55671 to Car magazine. On this occasion, it went up against Rowan Atkinson’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato for a track test at Castle Combe. The head-to-head featured in the September 1987 edition of Car magazine, for which 55671 starred on its third cover.

In 1990, the GTO was for sale at Loxwood Motor Company priced at £1m. It was purchased by the Brunei Royal Family and shipped to Pininfarina where it was converted to right-hand drive. Other work undertaken included a colour change to Dark Slate with a Red stripe.