Why was there no VS/Versione Speciale for the F8?

The F8 was a stop gap filler between the 488 and 296. There was no VS version and it did not follow the typical production run. You can go back and look at some of the announcement articles and it was clear that it was not a normal release.

 

Because the F8 was simply a bridge car between the 488 and the 296/SF90.

The 488 had the Pista.

Then Mclaren came out with the 765LT, which made the Pista look like the Fiat that all Ferrari haters want it to be.

So the boys at Maranello made the F8 so the Tifosi would not be totally embarrassed by the boys at Woking. It sort of worked, but the 765LT by all accounts was still faster (straight line, and around curves and circles than the F8, although the data is at least debatable).

Now we have the 296, which basically spanks the 765LT by all quantifiable metrics.

So, now, it's Mclaren's turn. Not having their hybrid tech worked out just yet (see Rory's review of the Artura on Autotrader), they made the 750, as a stop gap. Just like with the F8, the 750 is at least competitive with the 296, but in real terms, not really.

 

… because it IS special. It’s the Final 8. It’s a tribute to all the mid engine V8’s. It’s the last and most powerful mid engine V8 ICE. An end all be all (well, until everyone goes back to ICE again [emoji23]) I thought this was common knowledge. You can’t do a special version of a special version.


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Everything I’ve read is what I said… I couldn’t care less.. but to me a VS wouldn’t make any sense based on what the car is.

And as for available cars for sale having anything to do with production numbers, that also makes no sense. Neither have anything to do with one another. There are easily more than twice as many 488’s of all variants produced than F8’s. Mostly due to 2020 virus thingy and 2023 spider only. F8 really only got 2021 and 2022 close to normal production numbers.


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The F8 was originally suppose to be a 2 year run. They extended it for about 3.5 years. The 488 had production years of 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. The F8 only had production years of 2020, 2021, 2022 and very few in 2023.

While we are at it, 458 had production years of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The F430 had 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. So yes, the F8 was not a typical production run for Ferrari.

 

Again the F8 was a stop gap and just to fill in the space between the 488 and 296. The hybrid was delayed so they needed something fresh to sell. They took the Pista engine, which was their VS and put it in a refreshed skinned 488 and called it the F8. It kept sales moving and when the hybrid was ready they launched them.

 

It wasn’t a ‘stop gap’- it was an intentional, well thought out and planned tribute to mid engine V8 Ferraris. Therefore, it’s the overall special version of the mid V8.

Stop gap is a term people put on it because they were confused by the low production run


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It wasn’t just to ‘fill in the space’ between ICE and hybrid. It was the opposite of that. It was and is their FINAL TRIBUTE- that’s why they used their most powerful engine and the highest tech and engineering in suspension and steering and traction controls and side slip etc etc— you make it sound like an afterthought and throw it together model when it was their intention for years


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It’s not even a remote indicator, never mind science lol… there are 23 F430s for sale and 118 458’s— does that mean they made less of them, more of them? Has NOTHING to do with production figures. Like literally NOTHING. Not even a factor.

Hell, there are more Pistas for sale than F430’s. You think they made more Pistas than 5 years of full F430 production?

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Todd, that is an excellent point! Btw, did you drive by one of the pickle ball courts? Need you to explain to me what it is and why the fascination. lol

 

That's Ferrari marketing reverse engineering at it's best.

It was only "intentional" and "well though out" because Ferrari needed something between the end of the Pista production and the beginning of the 296 run (or ~2020 to 2021).

And just coincidentally the 765LT was introduced to the world on March 2020, and then immediately began spanking everything that started with a "Pista".

So, yes, you are right. Ferrari intended to introduce the F8 because after much well considered thought it could not stand seeing its special edition car (the Pista) get spanked left and right by something the Brits were producing in a factory half the size of the one in Maranello.

 

to me...the F8 is a tribute car that has parts of the other VS cars in it's DNA...it is special in it's own as the last mid-engine non- hybrid Ferrari.

 

Hahah, no I didn’t. I forgot immediately about them after we spoke. Like I said, I LIKE being oblivious to stuff everyone else knows. I kinda get mad when someone tells me what pickleball is, or house music or who the president is or what god is or or or….


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Except weight….

 

And number of cylinders.

 

296 is heavyweight while the 765 is middleweight - so the 296 has the upper hand

 

and looks

 

nope, literally a stop gap parts bin special. nothing more. nothing was developed except body panels. this is not an opinion, its a fact

 

Initially the F8 was a compliance car, later it served 2 purposes, first, Pista production could only be extended if it was "end of life" (there are various EU regulations per country regarding exceptions allowed for end-of-life production), as it did not meet required EU regulations that required the introduction of GPF on GDI engines and sound("noise") regulation changes. The F8 allowed Ferrari to squeeze out maximum Pista production that otherwise would of had to ceased about a year earlier than it did. Second, the 296 was a lot slower to develop than Ferrari expected, so the F8 remained in production far longer than initially expected until the 296 was ready, however, the F8 could do that as it was a compliance car and satisfied then-current EU regulations.