All Ferraris will be hybrid by 2019

https://www.google.com/amp/www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/amp31483/marchionne-ferrari-hybrid-2019/

So two thoughts:

1) Hybrid really means electrical supplemented naturally asipirated engines. What effect will this have on the values of the Speciales and Apertas since they will technically no longer be the last naturally aspirated engines Ferrari makes.?

2) The current 488 line will depreciate rapidly since everyone will want to get back into a car with the naturally aspirated sound and experience. The turbo charged engines of the 488 will be viewed as hugely undesirable. Will become a forgotten model in the long run.

Not such a great time to be a new Ferrari value collector.

 

I don't agree with that train of thought. hybrid is not NA. I agree on 488.

 

It is a naturally aspirated engine supplemented with an electric motor. You will get the naturally aspirated sound, with a better torque band. By all accounts it will be superior. Are you really going to say the experience and peformance of th Cala Ferrari is lacking? Because if I am right, then the Speciales will lose the exclusivity of being the last na engines Ferrari makes, which is not good for values

Disclaimer: I am a huge fan of the Speciales.

 

lest agree to disagree. hybrid is not NA. NA is pure and unassisted. the news you posted will have no impact on special prices. everyone has been expecting Ferrari to head in that direction. speciale prices will be set by many factors.

 

So for you N/A goes beyond the engine and into the drivetrain? Certainly novel approach. I view it as the engine itself. If you take a NA engine and attach an electric engine to the drivetrain, the engine is still NA. You will still get the NA sound. But with more torque, it will have more kick.

 

you are assuming hybrid will a success. Lets live with them for 20 yrs and see what happens. I believe the purity of NA will continue to stand the test of time. Buy what you love. The f40 had a turbo and its an icon. The 488 hasn't been embraced so far.

 

Tbf the f40 got panned pretty heavily. That said it is a limited edition HyperCar and is therefore very valuable. The 488 is a highly mass produced car, with many flaws for the contemporary period. All the pumper snow will be the first to get out of them and trash the line once they do.

 

Whether all Ferrari's will be hybrid remains to be seen. The top of line laFerrari certainly has gone in that direction. If exotic buyers will accept hybrids, for whatever the reasons, the mass market will determine its viability and never the one-off's like the laFerrari, 918, etc. NA engine will always have core followers. I wish I had kept my 1995 air-cooled 911 for that reason! The new NSX will give us some insight into the acceptance of a $200K hybrid sports car. If it sells like hot cakes, I'm sure it will excite others to follow. It's about money-making after all.

 

Well we do have Marchionne's own words...

 

And tbf, the nsx also has turbos. Epic fail. And the NSX doesn't offer good output for the money compared to the competition, so not sure how indicative it will be of the market trend.

 

Folks let's be clear on one thing, a hybridized car has nothing to do with the engine being naturally aspirated or not. It goes to the drivetrain having a separate electric motor attached to it. In broad strokes, you can have a hybrid that preserves much of what we all love about naturally aspirated engines, while going to the next technical level to provide more hp, and low band torque. NA vs hybrid doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the engine. The LA Ferrari gas engine IS naturally aspirated.

 

Another option might be that Ferrari will take the same route as the nsx and turbocharge their hybrid automobiles. In which case, the Speciale will continue to be a highly desired classic.

 

I think calling the speciale a classic is aggressive. they are only trading 100k more than a low mile CS. a speciale is a nice limited edition car.

 

I would consider it a classic in the sense that it will be long considered one of the best Ferraris ever made.

 

so then a 458 is a classic

 

actually hadn't realized how much speciales have come down. seems like low 3s for a low mile one. CS/speciale spread is way tighter than I thought.

 

I would say so. In the test of time, a collector will take a 458 over a 488. That said, I think the coupe will also fare better, because maintaining a convertible is just one more headache. Though, I am NOT saying that the regular 458 will maintain value. It will depreciate just like the rest, but it will be more desirable than a 488 years from now.

 

makes sense to me

I also prefer the 458 coupe to the spider

 

I think the challenge will be that Ferrari owners don't drive their cars much. From what I hear there's a lot of problems with the LaFerrari battery packs because owners don't charge them or do it improperly.

I'm still hoping for a electric supercharger instead of a traditional hybrid motor design. If it would work it would give the additional power when needed but with a smaller and lighter higher revving engine.

If you turn off the battery power than the car gets a econo box fuel and emissions numbers. Turn on the electric superchargers and boom!

And, to get better fuel economy it may be that future Ferrari's have to go on a diet, which isn't a bad thing.

So, the future may still be bright.

 

I think its still an open question as to how they do the hybrid setup. It probably won't be an exact replica from the LF. But their marketing will make it clear it was inspired by the LF.

To me, while a hybrid assisted motor isn't purely NA, its a lot better than a turbo motor. I think its also a question of where you draw the line. Carbs? Fuel injection? Variable Valve Timing? What about the never ending debate of stick vs automated? One thing is for sure, we are not going back to stick shift and carbs. We are moving forward, like it or not. In that scenario, I think I will take the hybrid setup.

While the battery pack in the LF seems to be a bit finicky, no one has complained about the sound or response. They just say its like driving an even more powerful NA motor. I will be very happy if thats how it works out.

As to what will hold value.. what if the 488 is the last turbo V8 Ferrari? Maybe that has some market appeal? I really don't know. I prefer the 458, for me its hands down more appealing (for all the usual reasons).

 

Agree. If the future of Ferrari are based on the La Ferrari platform, them the future is safe. If it is based on forced induction, then it will be dim indeed. And I don't see a mass produced turbo charged engine that has lost some of the bite of a N/A engine holding up. There is nothing particularly alluring about the 488 other than it being the current model. That will change.

 

Looks like the plan to save money by going turbo doesn't work very well. I think the 488's successor will say goodbye to turbo.

 

I don't think going turbo was to save money. I think think it was to keep competitive with McLaren on power and also hit certain emissions and efficiency targets. Obviously the hybrid tech isn't quite there yet for mass production. I see the turbo as a way to keep their options open while they figure out the hybrid stuff.

McLaren has stated they intend to go full electric. I think they can do it because sound is really not as tied to their brand. But sound is very much an integral part of the Ferrari experience. They almost have no choice but to go hybrid. They need to have the electric as that has now captured the imagination of the new generation, and they need to have combustion for the sound. So electric & combustion = hybrid.

 

McLaren is planning full electric? ��

Ferrari indicated that the reason for abandoning NA engines was not emissions (they are exempt from those requirements if they keep under 10k units per year). It was because they had reached the cost effective technical limits of the naturally aspirated engine. It simply wasn't worth it to them to further economize the naturally aspirated v-8 and increase power. Similarly they didn't want to make the engine larger for driving reasons. The turbo was meant to allow them to keep pace with mclaren, while economizing he engine. Hopefully the turbo goes away. I drove a 488 spider and it is a spectacular in isolation to be sure, but it doesn't feel like a proper Ferrari to me. Certainly not like a 458. While the sound is good, it has lost some of the soul of previous models. the gears are short and the acceleration too steep. Enjoying the acceleration was diminished in it.

 

Again, good news for NA V8 owners!!