To be honest, we were kind of disappointed with the new McLaren 540C. They may have made one price cut too many in their chase for new customers. No such problems with the Ferrari 488 GTB, as the latest Prancing Horse is better in every way than its predecessor.
Photo: Catalin Garmacea
Supercars aren't supposed to be affordable or easy to live with. They are designed to appeal to your senses, and the 488 GTB does that perfectly. Auto Shanghai 2015 marks the Asian market debut of the car. Even though we've seen it already in Geneva, we were only too glad to take another quick look.
The list of things we liked starts with the engine, which from the top looks like a set of human lungs. As for the heart, well that's been reduced in displacement and turbocharged, so even though the 488 has only 3.9 liters of capacity, the output is comparable to the best Lamborghini Murcielago V12. The 670 PS of the 488 GTB also eclipses its likely biggest rival, the McLaren 650S.
With a tower of boost at its disposal, this successor to the 458 Italia says it can get to 100 km/h (62 mph) in only 3 seconds. Most cars run out of breath when they reach 200 km/h (124 mph), but the 488 GTB can get there in only 8.3 seconds and keeps going.
The 458 Italia was a nice looking machine, but it was beginning to show its true age. For the 488, Ferrari didn't ask Pininfarina for help and made their own breathtaking design. From the front, it looks like a more practical version of the LaFerrari. We particularly liked the gaping lower grille and the way the lines flow into each other.
The air intakes behind the driver are massive, as well they should be, considering this is the most powerful V8 Ferrari has ever made. It's a lesser known fact that form has followed function throughout the development of this Ferrari. A seemingly impossible feat has been achieved by spending countless hours in the wind tunnel: downforce has increased 50% while the drag has gone down. The 488 GTB is the slipperiest car they've ever made for the road, by the way.
From the design to the engine, everything is cutting-edge in this car. Too bad it's going to cost a small fortune to buy one in China.
The list of things we liked starts with the engine, which from the top looks like a set of human lungs. As for the heart, well that's been reduced in displacement and turbocharged, so even though the 488 has only 3.9 liters of capacity, the output is comparable to the best Lamborghini Murcielago V12. The 670 PS of the 488 GTB also eclipses its likely biggest rival, the McLaren 650S.
With a tower of boost at its disposal, this successor to the 458 Italia says it can get to 100 km/h (62 mph) in only 3 seconds. Most cars run out of breath when they reach 200 km/h (124 mph), but the 488 GTB can get there in only 8.3 seconds and keeps going.
And did we mention it's drop-dead gorgeous?
The 458 Italia was a nice looking machine, but it was beginning to show its true age. For the 488, Ferrari didn't ask Pininfarina for help and made their own breathtaking design. From the front, it looks like a more practical version of the LaFerrari. We particularly liked the gaping lower grille and the way the lines flow into each other.
The air intakes behind the driver are massive, as well they should be, considering this is the most powerful V8 Ferrari has ever made. It's a lesser known fact that form has followed function throughout the development of this Ferrari. A seemingly impossible feat has been achieved by spending countless hours in the wind tunnel: downforce has increased 50% while the drag has gone down. The 488 GTB is the slipperiest car they've ever made for the road, by the way.
From the design to the engine, everything is cutting-edge in this car. Too bad it's going to cost a small fortune to buy one in China.
Google News