Drove the 488 today.. thoughts, photos and videos

Now you start to kiss your car everyday. LOL.

 

I think that makes sense as by then the hybrid technology will have advanced sufficiently for use in their production cars. It has to be the logicall and ultimate goal.

 

May take a bit longer but you are on the right path. Turbo is a stopgap.

 

Seen THIS one ?

 

One more F 488GTB .... 341 Km/h over the German Autobahn ... how many is that in miles ?

 

V12 Turbo? Jeesh. Worse news than market crash.

One of the stories re why V12 would not be TT is that it would need to be QT -- Quad Turbo. May be just a story?

 

Never say never, but that is the sure way to kill it off. The Number 1 reason for getting an FF is the engine. The Number 2 reason is the V12. Then comes the back seat and the tail gate, AWD, etc.

 

211...DUH! lol

 

Ferrari to keep naturally aspirated V12 engines | Autocar

 

Cool. Thanks for posting. Without the NA V12, there is no Ferrari.

 

That is so so true. Certainly Luca would have seen it that way... But will Sergio (the numbers guy) see it that way??

 

I'm basically with you.

But it is also an open secret; with the FF successor Ferrari will take up the Bentley Continental concept, and they are very successful with their two burly turbo engines (W12/V8), permanent all wheel drive and the beautiful flowing hatchback lines.

 

Someone should tell BMW and Mercedes its hopeless.

 

I do trust you. I am convinced this is where they are heading.

 

Agreement.

But to NO's point- with Ferrari its about the engine. With Bentley its really not so much about the engine but the whole package. Ferrari will have to find a way to make the argument that the turbo V12 is better suited to the FF successor mission.

My personal take: going turbo hurts the sound. And, in turn, that loss of the Ferrari mechanical wail sound does diminish my enthusiasm for the experience. If anyone can do it, its Ferrari, but even they- clever as they are- cannot refute the laws of physics.

I think one of the other issues with hybrid is the weight of the batteries. They can just barely get away with it on the supercar because it features lightweight construction such as the carbon fiber tub/ frame etc. Can you imagine adding that weight to the 488? It would probably weigh 500 lbs more than it does today. That would be terrible for the vehicle. The reason the McLaren doesn't have such a tremendous weight advantage with their MP4 level street cars is the good deal of metal utilized- the front and rear crash structures principally.

Thus, going to hybrid will not only require a real leap forward in battery efficiency/ weight/ output... BUT ALSO it will require new construction techniques for the production cars like the 488 and F12. Given they are a business and not a charity, always looking for profit, and now about to be directly exposed to the crucible that is the financial markets, I don't think its likely we will see a LF type hybrid system on these cars in the foreseeable future.

One thing I wonder about is perhaps they could do a kind of electric powered twin turbo. One primary turbo is electric powered and is always going or ready to go at a moment's notice- that gets the party going and then as the RPMs build the traditional turbo comes on line.

Sorry for the diversion into automotive fantasy..... but I do think we're going to see all Ferrari production cars with turbo in the next few years.....

PS- I would be very happy to be proven incorrect on this point.

 

WOW incredible review, thoughts, driving impressions, and experience for you!
Good for you!!

 

You can sense that slowly but surely the "love" for the 488 is growing. Once they hit the showrooms here the frenzy will really take hold. Look at Chris Harris's review to appreciate what Ferrari has accomplished. This car will be an epic accomplishment.

 

Exciting to read, I share your thoughts.

In this thread it occurs to me that so often the present is compared with the past, the 488 is always compared with the 458.

The problem is that Ferrari can not afford to have this view. They have to design their new products for the future, they need to construct cars which must be competitive against competitors which do not exist yet. They have to work with indications, with trends, with assumptions and, of course, with new laws. And that they do not distort their product DNA seems to be out of question. I remember: the 488 GTB is superior to the 458 Italia in all measurable sportscar criteria.

If I look at the automobile universe Ferrari seems to make the absolutely right decisions.
I contend Ferrari knows the future much better than the eternal whiners here in this thread.

 

Exactly right.

Car manufacturers have to think about the future- and its not just tomorrow. Take the 488 for example. They probably began working on it back in 2012. Released in 2015 and has to stay current in terms of performance and style until ~2020? Thats a tall order.

We, the enthusiasts, as much as we would like to think we are forward thinking, we really look backwards. What captures our imaginations is what either came before or what is out now which means the manufacturers are already hard at work on the next generation.

Thats just the nature of things.

Anyway how I see it is the last time we had to cut emissions/ increase fuel economy- overall we got some really terrible cars. Now we're getting more power and even more advanced technology. Could be worse!

 

Speaking of my own history I bought the 360 because it was "beautiful" and was a bit reluctant to buy a 430 whose lines were sacrificed at the alter of technological advancement, and finally the 458, after visiting the factory, needed "time" to adjust, but eventually I liked it (and admittadly am a succer for new things). However, after seeing and hearing the 488, I have yet to feel anything resembling past motivations. Yep, the car is a state of the art technological masterpiece, but so is the Porsche Turbo S and I traded it for a Corvette C7/Z 06. Ferrari may just lose me along the way. Best

 

You can?

Just because something is newer and faster doesn't mean it will be more popular than the previous example it replaced.

I remember when we first got to look at the 458 that people on Fchat were crawling over themselves to get one, including me. I don't see that same level of urgency.

 

Has this forum turned into fiction?? Seriously... Chris Harris called it an "Interesting Machine." That's a British person's politically correct way of saying something neutral enough not to sound impolite. Now go watch Chris Harris' reviews of the F12 and Speciale! He went stark raving MAD over how incredibly AWESOME they were... And then he makes some weird face gestures while riding in the 488 and calls it an "Interesting Machine."

Here's a hint: When someone calls something "interesting," they are just being polite.

Trust me, if Chris were feeling the "love" for the 488, it would have been expressed very specifically as such!!

 

"Slowly but surely" has no place in the annals of Ferrari cars. I suspect the 488 would go down as one of the least love Ferraris of all time...

 

Yes. Because "interesting " can be taken as its interesting because its good or interesting because its "bad" or interesting because its "different". Without explanation interesting doesn't say much.

 

At the end of the day the "proof will be in the pudding" as they say. If the 488 GTB provides a visceral experience akin to the 458 I'll be all over it. Looking forward to more unbiased feedback of REAL owners, not arm chair experts. Until then I'll hold onto the 458.