Ferrari twin turbo V8 vs the competition

McLaren have never been engine builders, it’s actually a Ricardo engine. Ricardo are a bit like Cosworth and have been around for a while. That’s a good engine and quite reliable but it’s architecture dates back to the 90’s so it suffers from turbo lag and poor sound compared to its rivals. It’s like a good looking woman with no personality if that makes any sense.

in any case, the innovation that has set the Ferrari TTV8 is the variable torque management some how they have managed to make the car behave like a NA engine. My friend has a Pista and the engine is mighty, instant response and they’ve basically eliminated lag, engineering witchcraft. I would say the AMG V8 is also magnificent and probably sounds the most characterful. It doesn’t feel like a race inspired engine though which is what Ferrari do so well. The AMG errs more to those thunderous American V8’s

 

I would say drive it if you haven't already, and you'll understand why. Especially if you have any sort of familiarity with other turbo cars like McLaren, Porsche TTS, etc

On sound and performance (linearity, instant throttle response, power from down low) it's brilliant and unique compared to anything else turbo that I've experienced (avoiding the NA vs turbo rabbit hole). YMMV

 

I’m sorry but I disagree. The Ferrari TT V8 is very powerful and excellent, but it doesn’t behave like any NA engine I have ever driven, for better or worse. Drive a TT V8 Ferrari against its NA immediate predecessor and there is a gulf of difference, whether 458 vs 488 or Cali 30 vs Cali T.

The TT Ferrari V8 has much more in common, objectively, with the TT AMG V8 than it does with any NA Ferrari V8.

Note I’m not making any qualitative judgement here. The Ferrari TT V8 is a great engine. The Pista application is wonderful. So was the Speciale. But I am saying the Ferrari TT V8 is far less differentiated to other TT V8s than the NA Ferrari V8 was to other NA V8s. To use the example: both my 430 and my C63 AMG 6.2 have great NA V8s. As do the 488 and the whatever AMG V8 TT. But the latter are closer in character, by a multiple, than the former.

My favourite application of the Ferrari TT V8 to date is in the Lusso T, which (RWD) is really a sophisticated muscle car, loved it.

Conclusion, I think the OPs question was a good one and it just isn’t so much better than the competition. The cars may be though.

 

Ferrari typically "lags" the competition when it comes to revolutionary engineering.
McLaren, Lambo and even lowly Alfa all have mass production Carbon fibre tubs.
Consumer deaths in outrageously horsepowerd aluminum tub chassis in the hands of idiots can be handled in court.
Much cheaper than re-engineering an outdated product line.

 

Going back even further. Disc brakes, fuel injection, 4 valve heads, etc.

 

My 458 Spider has the most responsive engine l have ever driven. This is my third Fcar. Had na Porsches, BMWs, supercharged Audi and a tt Audi.

 

Good point. I think they sound similar too though you can disguise that through exhausts. But a 458 engine could never feel or sound like any other engine, while the turbo V8 engines just lack that difference. To your original point, I have always wondered what makes the Ferrari TT V8 any better than the AMG one, say. Whatever it is, it has to be quite marginal.

 

The 458's V8 is a better sounding and more fun car to rev out vs the 488's TT motor - I feel the 488 lacks that same emotion as the NA though it sort of is in the spirit of the F40 (understanding they are totally different cars).

There is definitely a "lag" but that is I think more from the torque management software than from actual turbo lag since it holds back torque at low revs in low gears.