Ferocious

Six hundred and sixty brake horse power. Do you think that's enough?

That's how many prancing stallions the 6 litre V12 from within the Enzo spat out, 12 years ago. 10 more had grown form basically the same V12, cramped this time under the 599 GTO's bonnet, 5 years ago. So I'll let you guess how much horsepower the car in the picture has.

But until you do the math, I'll deviate slightly from topic to discuss the 458 Italia and the Speciale.

I'm not a purist and I don't believe that „some things should remain sacred”, especially if you are constrained by circumstances, because otherwise you wouldn't appreciate the true masterpieces.

How could you appreciate Botticelli's work if you weren't surrounded by modern art? How could you appreciate an aspirated V8, with a 9000 rpm redline, if you weren't surrounded by turbos? And how could you appreciate the beauty of a Pininfarina body, unless you saw the likes of Honda and Toyota.

Even so, despite all these unwilling... helpers, there are  many individuals who would generously pay 90 million dollars on a Mark Rothko painting, there are many “gearheads” who would get excited only after hearing the sound of BOV, and there are many people who actually believe that the new NSX is more beautiful than the 458 Italia.

For that reason alone, I'm not really interested in others opinion, often superficial, that only scrape the tip of the iceberg, leaving untouched many aspects of car culture. The kind of views that think 570 horsepower produced by two turbos and three electric motors can be compared with the same amount produced from an aspirated v8. 

In fact, that's one of the reasons why I made this site. To try to understand car culture, to develop it, and to write whatever the hell I want. To write, for example, "fucked" instead of "screwed", or to boldly declare that the 458 Italia was the most beautiful Ferrari since the 550 Barchetta. Although, I wouldn't bet my life on the Barchetta...

Furthermore, I think the 458 is the most properly beautiful mid-engine Ferrari since de 246 Dino. Anyway, despite all this, I would gladly own a Berlinetta Boxer, F50, F40, Enzo, F360 Challenge Stradale, 512TR, F550 or an F40, if I had the cash. These are great cars, very cool too, but I wouldn't classify them as beautiful.

What I’m trying to say is that the 458 was a masterpiece. It was a showcase which exposed Ferrari's best. A greatest hits compilation of both manufacturing know how and style. More impressive was the fact that this car was outstanding even though it didn't belong to the limited series hypercar niche.

Ferrari gave us the body, gave us the soul, the engine and the sound and then...

And then they took it all away.

So, did you do the math? Did you figure out the number of rabid stallions the red car, that isn't a 458 Speciale, has?? Yep, 660(+1). It’s called the 488 GTB and it’s the reason why the 458 Italia is already confined to the history books. Although I just cried like a little bitch because Ferrari took away too soon the 458, you need to understand that the new model is superior in every way.

It may be built on the same platform as the 458 and it may share some design cues, but believe me, it’s much more than a simple facelift. In fact, the modifications are so significant, Ferrari felt the need to rename the car. Even the dimension are different, the new model being shorter, wider and longer.

Of course, the coup de grâce will be its ability to crush everything in its path, and here's why:

The 4.5 litre V8 powerplant is one of the reasons the 458 will become a collector classic. This engine truly is a marvel of technology and engineering, but sadly there are very slim chances to encounter such a beast in the near future. A future reserved for forced induction. A future reserved for turbos.

The redline starts at the stratospheric 9000 rpm mark and as you glue the tachometer to this figure, every single one of the 32 valves opens and closes at a rate of 75 times per second, while the pistons hit an average speed of 90 kph. Oh, and the Speciale version has a power output of 133bhp/litre. - Record values for a naturally aspirated unit with a pretty big displacement.

However, powerful it may be, it doesn't stand a chance against the V8 within the womb of the new 488 GTB, because this out-of-the-box asphalt devouring beast produces 661 brake horsepower and 760 newton meters of torque. A surge in performance that would normally make me very happy, but I'm afraid to say...  it doesn't.

It doesn't because Ferrari followed reason and logic. Just to keep up with emissions, economy, competition and other nonsense, the Italians followed the path of turbocharging and that left us with a mid-engine v8 with a pair of turbos attached to it. The first of its kind since the almighty one in the F40.

In fact, this isn't the first time Ferrari betrayed its principles and tradition in the pursuit of speed, but I think it’s the first time they actually made a bad deal. I mean the F40 had a turbocharged engine strictly to enhance performance, while the brand spanking new 488 GTB has one for the same reason the 208 had a turbocharged 2 litre unit: Because Ferrari was forced by circumstances to do it.

Of course, anyone who thinks that turbochargers won't make this car terribly fast is a moron, but we'll talk about the engine a bit later.

They traded the body style for aerodynamics. They took that gorgeous Pininfarina design at Ferrari Centro Style and ruined it with "crap" learned in Formula 1. Do they only have clients that actually imagine themselves as racing drivers?

I mean look at it; With all those holes, vents and aerodynamic stuff made to bypass all the air it could over the car and into the engine bay, it looks kind of ugly. Ok, I have to admit that it manages to feed the hungry turbocharged V8 with that most needed air and it improves the overall downforce up to 50%. But at what cost!? 

The improved aerodynamics spoil the looks of the good ol' 458, but in all fairness, it does make the new model stick like glue to the road. Even so, I really don't think the Italia had many problems here because, let’s be honest, downforce increases with speed and at 200 kph the car generated 145 kilos of downforce, while at 325 kph, it generated 364 kilograms of downforce. Figures that obviously did not satisfy average Ferrari buyers.   

Air doesn't flow over the car's hips, giving it that '60's curvaceous sexy look anymore. Now it goes directly into those huge side vents. 

The thing is, if you decide to build a car with a low drag coefficient, you won't have enough downforce and vice versa. So the brainiacs at Ferrari, who I'll bet are more qualified than me, have managed to improve both values with ingenious design, magic, chemical x and active flaps. 

The car's "blown spoiler", as Ferrari calls it" is an example of such witchcraft. Do you see it? You can't, because it’s hidden.

The air that passes over the car, goes in the small opening at the base of the plexiglass engine cover, and gets expelled out back, above the number plate, through that huge hole you probably thought it’s just a design cue.

The wheels are obscenely wide and between them you'll find a diffuser which works in combination with the car’s front end and spoiler. In fact, the diffuser has such an aggressive angle that Ferrari had to move the exhaust pipes a little higher in to the bumper design for proper clearance. Enough to abandon the three F40 like mufflers idea and opt for something that looks taken straight from the 458 Speciale.

The car also has vortex generators that sound extremely cool, but do a very scientific job, which I won’t explain because the article is already extremely boring and I think many of you have given up reading the moment I started talking about valves. At this point you're only looking at the pictures. Do you like the pretty red car? Wave to the red car. Very good!

See the side vents? They're a throwback to the 308 GTB. In fact, the GTB name - Gran Turismo Berlinetta - is an homage to the 308, the first series production V8 Ferrari, which turns 40 this year. 

But the similarities with the 308 end here. If you look closely at the car's front end, you'll realize there's a Formula 1 styled "nose" hidden there.

I think the "nose" is very representative, unlike any other series production Ferrari. It’s more pronounced than the F50's or even the Enzo's. The bottom portion of it, which acts as a double bumper, took over the job of the 458's "whiskers". We can see the same principle at LaFerrari, but slightly more diluted.

There's not much saying about the design, because it’s too influenced by aerodynamics. Besides the fact that it has many elements taken from the Speciale, I would highlight the small vents alongside the brake lights which take you back to the series version of Pininfarina's Sergio. As in the 458's case, those vents are used to cool the gearbox oil and the differential. 

Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines. Hmmm... Where did I heard that before?

As i was saying, in addition to the aiding hand of aerodynamics, the 488 also gets more help from a pair of turbochargers which work alongside a 3902cc V8. I know what you're thinking: That's the same 3.9 found in the California T. Well, it’s not! (except the block, and maybe the valves… and the valve cover).

Although it’s called the 488, it hides a 3.9 litre under that sneak-a-peak cover. That's because each of the eight cylinders has a capacity of 487 point something cubic centimeters. Here's how the Italians did the math: They took the overall engine capacity of 3.9, and divided it by how many pistons it has. 

So, has the mechanical howling V8 era has passed at Ferrari? Not quite, because the 488 promises a peak power output at 8000 rpm and an equally glorious sound accompanied now by a perverted hissing from its turbochargers. 

Ferrari was dragged, against its will, in to the turbo era of modern production cars, so it had to adapt.

Let’s not despair (especially me), because the Italians have had the turbo experience throughout history and know a thing or two about them. The 288 GTO and the F40 get along just fine with turbochargers and, as you can see, the 488GTB is an animal.

However, Ferrari tried as much as possible to stay away from turbos, because they dilute the essence of the brand. For instance, if there is a turbo, then there is turbo lag, and to top it off, engine sound will only be present in your imagination. But just look at the picture with the engine. See that long exhaust manifold? Well, compared with the one in the California turbo, it looks like an elephant's trunk. That also means the engine sound and the exhaust note will be pretty awesome.

But the enlargement and lengthening of the exhaust manifold on a turbocharged engine will give rise to several major drawbacks, such as turbo lag and loss of energy needed to spin the turbocharger. Fortunately, we live in the future now, the place where you can find solutions to almost any problem. So, the Italians didn't waste much time and came up with a system called Variable Torque Management.

Besides its macaroni magic, this system limits engine torque in lower gears so that the torque curve becomes more progressive as the car accelerates, thus giving it an almost instant throttle response, like an aspirated engine. So, does the system work? Let’s not forget that failure is not an option at Ferrari.

As always, the manufacturer claims that its newest creation is faster around Fiorano than its predecessors, which includes a "who's who list" of desirable automobiles like the Scuderia 16m, F50, F40, 599 GTO, Speciale, Italia, MC12 and Enzo. In fact, the 488 GTB is two seconds faster around the track than the Enzo. What does that mean?

Well, it means the launch of the 488 made the 458 and Speciale two completely useless cars. It also means it took only 10 years for a V8 Ferrari to exceed the performance of a hypercar and what was once called "the best Ferrari ever made".

The fact of the matter is that the power and the huge torque developed by the new model, transforms it in to a cheetah, the 0 to 100kph sprint being performed in just 3 seconds flat. Without any surprises, the only cars faster than the 488 on Fiorano, are the ones which are slightly more expensive: F12berlinetta and LaFerrari.

Here's a Guerilla Auto top tip: The 458 Speciale is as fast to 100 kph as the new 488 and its only half a second slower on Ferrari's private test track. That's all. That's the tip. Yeah, I know, it’s terrible.

In conclusion, you must understand that a turbocharger doesn't make or break the car. That's something the actual car dictates. If it’s not what you expected, it isn't the turbocharger's fault. I, for one, reside on the naturally aspirated side of the battlefront, but would have liked to see Ferrari build a turbocharged high performance car for the sake of drama, art and maybe performance, not because they were required to, but because they wanted to. Others may have different opinions...

There are those who urge us not to live in the past and wake up to smell the reality. - As long as it’s new, has lots of power and goes fast, the job is done. Who care about naturally aspirated or turbo as long as it hits 330 kph? Survival of the fittest is real, not only a catchphrase. 3 seconds to 100? What a slowpoke, the GTR does that in 2.4. I need as much technology you can get from Formula 1 on my daily driver!

Then are the purists, those who admire the essence of the automobile. - Ferrari wouldn't turbocharged their cars if they weren't forced by circumstances to do it. The car's styling is too drilled, I liked the more pure, softer body look. I miss the '60's. First fuel injection systems and now turbos!? Are carburetors no good? Where are the true car enthusiasts? Ooh, look, a Morgan; Wood is lighter than carbon fiber. The engine in the F360 is no longer based on that of the Dino from 100 years ago. This is rubbish!