Times are a-changing at Ferrari. Back in 2015, the Italian marque stirred a great deal of brouhaha when it revealed that its newest creation, the 488 GTB, would be the first Ferrari in a generation to come with a turbocharged engine – the horror!
The move raised many an eyebrow amongst the motoring press and customer base alike. In recent years, carmakers have been enthusiastically strapping turbos to anything that rolls out of their factories, from budget hatchbacks to full-blown (excuse the pun) supercars. Strapping a turbo to an engine results in huge power and torque increases, but often also introduces frustrating turbo lag and a muted, muffled engine note.
Ferrari was seen as the strongest opponent to this trend, clinging on desperately to naturally-aspirated, high-revving V8s and V12s.
No longer, it would appear.
The new Ferrari 488GTB will be anointed with a bulbous pair of turbochargers, meaning it produces 74kW more than the 458 Italia it replaces, despite having an engine 600cc smaller.
Ah yes, the Ferrari-faithful claim, but what about the turbo lag? Well, the boffins in Modena have nixed that issue, apparently. By using clever boost-mapping algorithms, Ferrari claim the 488GTB has &’no lag whatsoever’, and that the new engine behaves (and sounds) like the naturally-aspirated V8 it replaces.
Amazingly, they’re right. Motoring journalists across the world have been singing the praises of the new turbocharged engine, calling it a "perfect halfway-house between huge power and clean efficiency".
We’re very proud to announce that we have recently added a 488GTB to our fleet of supercars, and that it will be joining us on tour both in 2016 and in 2017. For your opportunity to drive the ’new age’ of turbocharged supercars, and to experience the adventure of a lifetime, reserve your place on one of our tours today.
Oh, and the engine note. Ferrari recently released the following (typically dramatic) teaser video to show off the aural abilities of the 488GTB. We’ll let you be the judge.
Share Article
