2016 Ferrari 488GTB Photos and Info News Car and Driver s speed.Power and SpeedThe new engine is smaller than its predecessor, and its displacement of 488 cubic centimeters per cylinder gives the car its name: 488GTB. Multiplied by eight, that works out to 3902 cc for the new 90-degree V-8, which is mated to, as was the 458’s V-8, a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Despite the 0.6-liter reduction in displacement, the new engine makes more power:
661 horsepower at 8000 rpm, versus 597 horsepower at 9000 rpm for the 458 Speciale. Torque, predictably, is greater as well, reaching 561 lb-ft at a low 3000 rpm, far eclipsing the 458 Speciale’s 398 lb-ft.Having our full attention provided Ferrari the chance to tell us plenty about the new 488 Spider and its turbocharged engine. The presentation covered pretty much everything, being detailed enough to include a slide entitled “How the Ediff3 with SSC and F-trac deals with the demands of power-on torque distribution.” If we tried to summarize the whole thing, we would probably bust our monthly allocation of pixels. But we don’t really need to, as pretty much everything bar the Spider’s roof is identical to the 488GTB we drove back in June.
Ferrari credits the engine’s extreme performance to a range of efficiency improvements over the 458’s V-8. For instance, an ion-sensing system helps control ignition timing and is a more exact method of detecting knock. High-tumble intake ports help air rush onto the scene of combustion crime, where fuel is directly injected at a pressure of 2900 psi. The oil pump pushes lubrication at varying levels on demand. Decreased friction in the valvetrain absorbs 10 percent less power. It was fascinating nonetheless, especially when the talk turned to the strange business of marketing open-topped Ferraris. Maranello is on first-name terms with pretty much its entire customer base, and officials told us, with commendable exactness, that we can expect just over half of U.S.-bound 488s to be Spiders (the number for the 458 was 53 percent). While you’ll be unsurprised to learn that 60 percent of buyers have already owned at least one Ferrari, the revelation is that 90 percent of them will be what Ferrari terms “Spider-only” customers, unwilling to even consider a supercar with a fixed roof. There are, it transpires, two very different tribes of 488 owners. GTB buyers want to drive their car solo and are far more likely to take them on track, while Spider purchasers usually drive with the roof down and a partner in the passenger seat.
Ferrari credits the engine’s extreme performance to a range of efficiency improvements over the 458’s V-8. For instance, an ion-sensing system helps control ignition timing and is a more exact method of detecting knock. High-tumble intake ports help air rush onto the scene of combustion crime, where fuel is directly injected at a pressure of 2900 psi. The oil pump pushes lubrication at varying levels on demand. Decreased friction in the valvetrain absorbs 10 percent less power. It was fascinating nonetheless, especially when the talk turned to the strange business of marketing open-topped Ferraris. Maranello is on first-name terms with pretty much its entire customer base, and officials told us, with commendable exactness, that we can expect just over half of U.S.-bound 488s to be Spiders (the number for the 458 was 53 percent). While you’ll be unsurprised to learn that 60 percent of buyers have already owned at least one Ferrari, the revelation is that 90 percent of them will be what Ferrari terms “Spider-only” customers, unwilling to even consider a supercar with a fixed roof. There are, it transpires, two very different tribes of 488 owners. GTB buyers want to drive their car solo and are far more likely to take them on track, while Spider purchasers usually drive with the roof down and a partner in the passenger seat.