Ferrari is one of the Italian automaker names known worldwide for their fast and furious high end sports cars that make a huge statement on any road. Usually that statement is simply, “my car can kick your car’s butt” and it’s often absolutely the truth unless the competing car is a higher end Ferrari or another Italian sports car that was built to outperform the Ferrari in your garage. The 488 GTB is one of those models which have been built to put everything it runs against to shame quickly and easily.
The 488 GTB is actually a mid model change that was needed with the arrival of the McLaren 650S and Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 which could both outperform the current 458 Italia model. This all new 488 GTB is the news of the mid-engine Ferraris and offers a huge benefit over the outgoing 458 and gives the McLaren and Lamborghini models something to really think about.
To give a brief lesson, the GTB badge stands for Gran Turismo Berlinetta which has been used on the 599 GTB and the 308 GTB. The 308 was actually launched forty years ago and was only preceded in a very controversial fashion by the 304 GT4 which started its life in 1973 with Dino badges and did not gain the Ferrari badges until 1976. Regardless of the history, the GTB badge has not been used excessively by Ferrari and a car that earns this title has really got to be something special, which the 488 GTB is.
The 488 GTB will have a brand new 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine to power this mean beast and rocket it past the competitors. The power for this monster shows up at 660 horsepower and 560 lb.-ft. of torque. The larger engine of the outgoing 458 produced 597 horsepower and 398 lb.-ft. of toque, giving the new 488 a huge improvement in power with a smaller displacement.
This massively strong power plant will allow the car to reach 60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds and have a top speed of 205 mph. With two running side by side at the Fiorano test track the 488 actually beat the 458 by a full half second which is amazingly fast considering the size of this test track.
To add to the great new features the chassis has been redone along with the gearbox being a seven-speed dual-clutch version Ferrari also added the Variable Torque Management System ensuring the torque levels are delivered evenly and smoothly to give the absolute best performance possible at any rev range. The downforce was also improved from the 458 to the new 488 giving as much as more than fifty percent more helping to keep the car fully planted on the road.
This wouldn’t be a complete makeover without some excellent driving aids to help give drivers more control over the drive and add a huge amount of stability. Finally, the interior has been updated with classic elements continuing to be in place to marry up nicely with upgraded interior needs making it easy for any driver to feel as if they are the racer they have always dreamed of being.
With a dry curb weight of only 3,020 pounds and a massive amount of power underneath, this Ferrari is made to blow the doors off everything else on the road. For anyone looking forward to the Geneva Motor Show this spring, the new Ferrari 488 GTB will be on display and make its debut for all to enjoy, marvel at and simply wonder when they will get to show what this beauty with a beast underneath can do.
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