Tuesday 12th December 2017

Ferrari 488 'GTO' spied testing

The successor to the Speciale? Or something more special yet?

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Here we have some spy shots for you to peruse, and peruse them you'll have to to spot any differences. They are, of course, of a partially disguised Ferrari 488, one with mildly breathed on front and side intakes.

Aside from that, there really appears to be very little difference between this and the standard car. So what is it? Well, several outlets are branding it as a new GTO, although that seems like quite a leap to us. It's more likely to be a replacement for the 458 Speciale and as such - following on from the Challenge Stradale and 430 Scuderia before it - could use a different name all together.

It would certainly seem like an appropriate time for Ferrari to remind the automotive world who's boss, what the Porsche's GT2 RS and Lamborghini's Huracan Performante currently making a lot of noise in the segment that the 458 Speciale once held dominion over.

To that end we should expect this car to receive a power bump of around 35hp, taking its total output to just shy of 700hp, while its kerb weight will obviously be reduced too - thanks to the removal of non-essential creature comforts and the installation of lightweight parts such as thinner glass, ceramic brakes and forged wheels - to less than 1400kg. Performance-wise that should leave it hitting 62mph in under 3 seconds and outrunning just about any other production car on road tyres.

As for when we can expect it, the 458 was unveiled in 2009 with the Speciale not appearing until 2013. So with the 488 having been revealed in 2015, a Geneva or Paris launch seems likely for the go-faster variant, depending on how far along in its development it is. Certainly one to keep an eye on as we head into the new year...

[Photos: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien]

[saxy]

Tbh, the normal 488 is already all the performance any supercar needs. The only thing it lacks was the NA engine from the previous gen. Any more performance is negligible for road use.

[saxy]

TwinExit said:

saxy said:

Tbh, the normal 488 is already all the performance any supercar needs. The only thing it lacks was the NA engine from the previous gen. Any more performance is negligible for road use.

700 HP is the minimum you can get away with and be branded a supercar in today's standards.

And it's a 'GTO', the more power it has, the more it makes sense...

I’d gladly buy a 458, or a GT3 over it. Many 488 owners have elected to sell their cars and go for a used 458. What’s the point of a car being only exciting at illegal speeds? The 2 I mentioned are exciting at any speeds, and excitement is what I expect from a supercar.

And if speed is what you’re after, the 488 was slower than the Tesla family sedan in a full 1/4 mile race. The 488 GTO (that is if it’s called that) would be completely blown away by the Tesla roadster and many electric cars to come.

You argue that the GTO will be a collectors car. How so? There will be faster and more powerful turbo cars in the future, let alone electric ones too. In no way will it be remembered as the great Ferrari to go to in the future.

Edited by saxy on Thursday 14th December 09:57

Edited by saxy on Thursday 14th December 09:59