Grabbing the opportunity to snatch on a Ferrari 488 GTB
Prices for the Ferrari 488 GTB start at 17,101,000 rubles – Porsche doesn’t have that many special stages to match the 911 Turbo S to such a budget. I drove a $ 22.5 million vehicle.
Sorry, it’s time to get the train. Take a ride and return the car to the salon – at the same time, you will meet the Ferrari brand manager. I never expected to be alone with the beauty – Berlinetta 488 GTB – at best, to drive for an hour with a friend. He’s also a favorite Ferrari customer with a special version 458 Speciale in the garage (I hope we’ll tell you more about it), this is his test drive, I’m not even in the power of attorney.
There are cars that will not be forgotten. No matter how much time has passed, you remember the feeling from the steering wheel, you remember the sounds, the inimitable quality of speed. Taste. This certainly includes the Ferrari 458 Italia. Five years passed, as if yesterday. One of the most vibrant and sensual supercars in the world. There are cars faster, there are more expensive – but such a combination of passion and obedience is still sought after.
The 488 GTB is the heir to Italy. We can say Italia itself, only more mature. But not for five years, for eternity. So similar in appearance, as if the 488 is the result of a lazy restyling. However, they belong to different eras. The Italia was the last with a naturally aspirated V8. Under the hood, the GTB is a Biturbo-eight, for the first time in 20 years on a mid-engined Ferrari.
Interior metal elements – magnesium castings! Check out the Technique sidebar for the Italian test. The central tunnel has been redesigned: the transmission control unit is located on the bridge, under it is a niche for small things. Ferrari offers three seat sizes: S, M, and L.
Little has changed inside. The interior has been updated with strokes: here the console is different, there are buttons. There is more space for small things. The key can be left in your pocket, the puffy starter button is on the steering wheel. Here, in general, everything is on the steering wheel. If not for that – Ferrari would be the epitome of ergonomics among supercars.
I listen to see if the partition separating the passenger compartment from the engine compartment is bursting with tension – in the new V8 3.9 engine there is a hundred “horses” more! You see, the car did not get heavy, it was 570 hp, but now it is 670. Therefore, if five years ago the declared acceleration time to 100 km / h was “less than 3.4 s”, now it is simply “3.0”. And a little over eight seconds to two hundred. It’s a pity, I only have suburban roads …
The engine comes alive with a specially raised voice. He burst out, indicated himself, and switched to rumbling. The G8 moans evenly, and I see the demons stirring in the Italian soul: the onboard computer immediately gives some kind of error, hides it in order to suggest another later. This is fine. Such things are scary in the Audi R8 (the German supercar broke down during our test, we are waiting for repairs to continue), but not here.
While driving a Ferrari, one should be afraid of some global problems. For example, brake failure – this is how the test Italia ended its life. I try to slow down: the first stick is missing, the pedal requires increased effort. The mechanisms are carbon-ceramic, but they also exploit them, you see, mercilessly. On the odometer – 6800 client and journalistic kilometers. I’ll be careful.
The wheelbase of the 488 GTB, R8, and Huracan is the same – 2650 mm. But the V8 engine is shorter than “dozens” of competitors, which allows you to place luggage in Ferrari behind the seats. The trunk is larger by an insignificant four liters.
I knew, but I didn’t believe it. Doesn’t sing. Italia conquered the range. She had access to almost the entire car score: from the rough, almost cargo grunt on the lows, to the cub motorcycle tenor at 9000 pm. The “flat” crankshaft of the “turbo eight” does not gain more than eight thousand, it sounds smoother and more muffled. Having fully opened the throttle, I shudder: the roar of the engine overlaps the whistle of the superchargers, reminiscent of the squeak of a dental ultrasonic scaler. The camera does not hear him, and the ear is very even. Do not perform at the conservatory with such data. But it’s easy to catch up. Let’s imagine that instead of exhaust pipes – flamethrower nozzles.
The downforce is higher than the track version of the 458 Speciale. For example, the air ducts near the lanterns have turned into diffusers, through a slot in the center of the stern, the flow comes out from under the spoiler. On the factory ring at Fiorano, the 488 GTB is two-lap seconds faster than the 458.
The boost pressure gauge momentarily reads 1.2 bar at a stated peak of 1.1. The acceleration is powerful, but I do not activate the launch control, so there are no shock loads, no acceleration bursts. Closely chopped gears replace each other without interrupting the power flow, preventing the tachometer needle from retreating beyond the 7000 rpm mark. It turns out an even, rapid set of speed.