The Ferrari GTO is a work protected by copyright.
The Bologna Court, in its specialized corporate division, recently extended copyright protection to what is perhaps the most famous and beloved Ferrari model of all time: the 250 GTO.
The number 250 refers to the displacement of each cylinder in cubic centimeters in the 3.0-liter V12 engine. GTO stands for "Gran Turismo Omologata." This acronym would not be used again for several years, until the introduction of the Ferrari 288 GTO in 1984.
According to the Court, which was asked by Ferrari to defend the model against an attempt by a Modena-based company to reproduce it, “the unique design and aesthetic elements have made the Ferrari 250GTO one of a kind, a true automotive icon.” “Its artistic value,” the ruling continues, “has found objective and widespread recognition in numerous awards and official certifications,” in “numerous publications,” and in “artistic” reproductions on coins and in the form of “sculptures,” periodically exhibited in museums.
The court therefore issued an order prohibiting the tuning company from reproducing the design of the 250GTO in renderings and car models.
The company was in fact ready to launch about ten replicas of the 250 GTO, priced at around 1 million euros each, which were updated versions of the legendary 1960s model.