Ferrari 488 GTB has been officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show after its online reveal last month. The 488 GTB is the third production model by Ferrari in the company’s history to use forced induction and the second mid-engined car to adorn turbocharging.
The 488 GTB retains the basic structure of the 458 Italia, however, the styling overhaul is more than a minor facelift. The front bumper, headlights, bonnet, doors, wing mirrors, and the large air-dams behind the doors to feed the chargers and alloy wheels are all-new. At the back, the muscular rear fenders and the engine cover is new, there is a small regret though, the stylish triple exhaust layout gets replaced by twin-exhausts. The tail light is new so is the rear-bumper and the reworked diffuser all lend the car a more aggressive look.
We know this is what everyone wants to know about : the engine. The new V8 motor displaces 3,902cc and employs twin-turbochargers to churn out 660bhp and 740Nm of torque. A 7-speed dual-clutch Getrag gearbox does the duty of transmitting all the power to the rear wheels. Ferrari claims that despite turbocharging, the crisp throttle responses that cars from the prancing horse stable are known for, will be intact.
There are some mouth-watering numbers like the sprint from 0-200 kmph comes up in 8.3 seconds and from there on the 488 GTB will hit a claimed top speed of 329kmph. Despite the stellar performance figures, the car would still return 8.77 kmpl (ECE+EUDC combined cycle) to a litre of petrol.
On the scale, the 488 GTB measures 4,568mm in length, 1,952mm in width, 1,213mm in height and tips the scales at 1,370 kgs making it 10 kg lighter than the 458 Italia. The weight bias is 46.5 per cent front and 53.5 per cent at the rear which is pretty close to ideal balance and will be a hoot to drive.
Ferrari has indicated that the 488 GTB will go on sale soon and will be joined by a Spyder version in the second half of this year. There are no indications on its pricing yet, but expect it to be dearer than the 458 Italia. Indians who aspire to buy one might be excited at the prospects of a 660bhp RWD Ferrari right? Well, before you sign that cheque make sure to stack up a few barells of 98 RON fuel.
