The Ferrari 458 Italia is one of my favorite cars of this decade, it is a beautifully sculpted car and I absolutely love the sound of its naturally aspirated V8 engine. The replacement, or mid-model update, for the 458 Italia might not sound as nice unfortunately.
The new (improved) 458 is now called the Ferrari 488 GTB, paying a bit on an homage to the 308 GTB from 40 years ago, it will be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. The 488 GTB is powered by a 3.9 liter turbocharged V8 engine producing 661 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 560 pound-feet (760 Nm) of torque. That is a heck of a lot of power, but will it sound as good as a naturally aspirated engine? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Power is sent to the rear wheels via a dual-clutch 7-speed transmission with Variable Torque Management. The 488 GTB does the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 3.0 seconds and reaches 200 km/h in 8.3 seconds, and topping out at 330 km/h (205 mph).
The Ferrari 488 GTB is not really a replacement for the 458 Italia, it’s more of a mid-model makeover in my opinion. But it is a pretty extensive makeover. The overall shape is still the same but every part of the body has been massaged. At the front, there is an all-new bumper and a new hood with a pair of large air vents. The sides feature large indents in the doors, feeding air to the newly placed air scoops by the wheels instead of at the back. The rear end is also new with a large diffuser, new placement for the exhaust tips (now two instead of three), and newly designed LED taillights.
With all the changes on the body, the 488 GTB’s body produces 50 percent more downforce than the 458 Italia. The underboby of the car was also extensively worked to aid with the added downforce.
Overall, the new Ferrari 488 GTB looks pretty good to me, I’ll have to see it next to a 458 Italia in person to see if I like it more or less than that car.
Ferrari 488 GTB Photo Gallery
Love it!!!!