It's all about that. There is no way the Italians would continue to live with being out dragged in every YouTube video where their car is squared up against the English upstart. And, although they've not mentioned McLaren by name, they've said as much in a quote posted here on FChat recently. It's a stupid arms race and Ferrari are happy to play along.
For the record, I'm with you on a personal level, but I think it would be a dangerous strategy for Ferrari to allow McLaren to pull away in lap times or power levels. Porche is about to test your theory though with their new GTx which will apparently focus on what you care about and lose out in lap times to competitors. If it outsells everything, then we'll see how the market adjusts. Many people want to know their car has the most horsepower or is the fastest even when they don't use it. That represents a big part of the market, so that drives product decisions. Audi also makes a ton of "green" vehicles, particularly in Europe. So they are able to balance out the emissions of the v10 with the ultra high mpg of various other cars. An example would be the 3 cylinder tdi.
keep your CS, Scuderia and Speciale !! don' t sell it ! ... it will take lots of time to see other special car like these!
I don't see how you can say it is all about that. Ferrari is about to be an independent company via IPO. They have to meet emissions standards also. The turbo allows them to do that without producing cars that would diminish the brand. See the Aston Martin Cygnet for one such monstrosity.
Want to be emission efficient - get a hybrid. I agree with Leopoldo - stripped out V8s will be a rare thing of the past. Sound and soul are very important for a Ferrari. Turbos are just blowers. Yes - faster, but then so is a Boing 747 - where is the fun?
ROAD AND TRACK The result is 660 hp at 8000 rpm, up from the California T's 552 hp and the 562 hp produced by the outgoing 458 Italia. Impressive, but look at the torque: The Italia phoned it in below 6000 rpm, where its 398-lb-ft peak was achieved. The 488 makes 41 percent more twist at half the crank speed. And it transforms the way this 488 drives. Where once you needed second gear for switchbacks, now third or even fourth will do. Instead of dropping two cogs to wake the motor for that impromptu overtake, you can do it with one. Or none. And all that despite the engine's full 561 lb-ft of torque being available only in seventh gear. As on the California T, Ferrari has tailored boost curves for each gear. So in seventh, you get a torque curve as tall and wide as possible for freeway passing. In the lower ratios, boost is artificially restricted at low revs to avoid the dull blare so many blown engines emit and to mimic the character of a naturally aspirated engine, encouraging you to chase the redline.
That makes no mention of a lower redline in any gears. Just limiting boost and torque. BMW does the same thing on the s55 m3/m4 engine.
If Ferrari wants to race in the hp numbers, there are some companies can give your Nissan GTR up to 1,000 hp for just under $50,000. And if you are willing to spend a little bit more, your Nissan GTR can even run faster than Bugatti Veyron in straight race. For me, I get Ferrari for the passion more than the speed, let alone the numbers on paper. Ferrari should learn from the failure of McLaren, even 650S is not doing well against the 458, let alone the Speciale. It's more about the less passion of owning a McLaren. Thank race-god that Ferrari's V12 is still NA, or else I would consider Rolls Royce as my next toy.
attached is an image of the 488 tach, showing 8k redline vs 9k on the 458. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Mclaren's don't sell because they don't have the name recognition or cache that Ferrari has. A coach bag may be just as good as a Louis Vuitton but my wife doesn't want one. I grew up wanting a Ferrari I don't know anyone in my circle of friends that grew up wanting a Mclaren. If Mac didn't take on ferrari directly and came in for a little lower price maybe they wouldn't have flopped so badly in the re-sale market which in turn hurt their new car sales. Just my opinion of course. As far as the 488 I to prefer NA motors but not at the expense of losing a 100 horsepower so bring it on.
My local rental company keeps calling me to take it for a day as they like the car. I haven't had a chance to drive it yet but I will. Have you driven it?
Any guesses how much over sticker the first few hundred 488 GTBs will sell for on the (technically) used market? Does anyone remember how much over sticker the 458 Italia sold for shortly after it came out? Thanks for any information.
I watched the 2004 Top Gear episode the other night. They were driving the new supercars at the time which was the Enzo and Porsche GT. Clarkson also drove the F40 as a compare to the Enzo. The comments they made were eerily the same of what we heard when reviewers covered the LaFerrari. Talking about state of the art. How could they ever do any better than this. On and on. You could have taken today's 918/P1/Laferrari reviews and swapped those from 2004 in and the comments were pretty much the same. I found that funny. So one interesting thing was that Clarkson said the Enzo was fantastic but he would much rather have the F40 which is a Turbo. That was some old turbo technology back then 11 years ago too. He said the F40 was more engaging. Something to think about for the turbo skeptics out there. It was a good episode and if you can find it online or on demand worth watching to look back a decade and compare to today
So right, I keep telling everyone, it's not just about going fast - there are alternatives. The driving experience is valuable - but to each their own. Some value soul more, others sound, others looks. There is fortunately something for everyone!
I had the possibility to drive this car. Let me say; if you look at this car impartially I'm sure you will have a lot of fun with it. btw, I really like this article about the Cali T. Forbes Life "Even in its previous less intriguing iteration, California was a market success, the best selling of Ferraris models. California T should prove the same, only more so, as this car is both a visceral and engaging performance car that can also serve as a sybarites beach cruiser. As an expansion of the Ferrari corporate mission, California T is a brilliant piece of work." Sorry for OT!
Thats interesting but I dont think one can really draw a comparison. The F40 and Enzo were completely different platforms with more than a decade of technology separating the two. I would imagine that the F40 would be more engaging largely because its an older and more raw car compared to the Enzo. The 458/488 are much much closer in terms of chassis, electronics, etc.
The new added performance is not about maxing the car out on public roads and highways. The fun in driving it is about going through the first two gears coming from a red light. Or merging on the highway. Or even a quick downshift on the highway with nobody around for a few gears. With an extra 100hp, the few times you can push the car without driving completely irresponsibly, it's more fun with an extra 100hp under your foot and boost hitting you from behind like a hammer to the back of your seat. The driving experience has just been stepped up levels from the previous 458. Sound excluded lol. Again, all of this falls on preference in my opinion. Some people just prefer naturally aspirated motors and a nice high pitched sound from the exhaust. There are also many people like myself and a lot of my friends who have many different types of cars that are really excited for this new set up from Ferrari because coming from the F430 with 200hp less and now a turbocharged 488, it's a whole new ballgame of power and performance that many are eagerly awaiting for!
Awesome event. From the article: A welcoming event organized last week introduced the successor of the Ferrari 458 Italia with open arms. Ferrari invested quite a lot into the development of this twin-turbo supercar. Very little is shared with the Ferrari 458, while the 100 horsepower increase was achieved despite the use of a smaller displacement engine. Photo Gallery and and full article . Image Unavailable, Please Login
I know I am 'old school' but the more I look at this car, the more I reflect on my Cali T drive, and the more I dream about the F12 'GTO'. The demise of n/a engines won't matter to those new to the brand, but to those who have primarily only know n/a engines in Ferraris, it is a very difficult transition. Maybe it needs the 488 successor to really make the leap as this car is really a 458 with tweaks, ugly inlets, and some lovely detailing. And a turbo engine.
Not under debate. People were saying that it is below 8k in certain gears. Other than one video review which was unconfirmed, no one has produced evidence of this.
While I agree that short bursts of acceleration can be fun at times, I still think that those kind of thrills can be had for much much cheaper in other high hp turbo cars (GTR, 911 turbo, etc). For me at least, ferraris are best experienced in twisty open roads with a screaming engine behind you. In the 458 I have never felt the desire for more hp, even after driving faster cars. Even if I did want more power, don't think I'd want to sacrifice the sound to achieve it.
