Ferrari 488 2015 review
The climate was right for Ferrari to build a faster and more environmentally friendly supercar.
Here is the positive side of global warming. Without increasingly stringent European emission laws, the world would not have one of the fastest Ferraris ever built.
Sure, it can't be compared to the Toyota Prius, but the 488 GTB is Ferrari's idea of saving the planet.
Ferrari has been forced to join the rest of the world's automakers in downsizing engines in the interest of fuel economy.
Similarly, the next Holden Commodore will likely have a four-cylinder instead of a V6, the latest Ferrari V8 is smaller than the one it replaces.
It also has two colossal bolt-on turbochargers. It's safe to assume that Greenpeace and other environmentalists didn't expect fuel-saving efforts to create even faster supercars — neither did automakers initially.
“First we were motivated by fuel economy, and then when we started developing the technology, it became an opportunity,” says Ferrari engine expert Corrado Iotti.
Turbochargers have come a long way since Ferrari last dabbled in them over a quarter of a century ago for the iconic F40 supercar, but the philosophy has remained the same.
They use the exhaust gases to pump more air back through the engine so it can rev up even faster and more easily. That's why turbochargers are great for economy cars.
The technology went out of fashion due to the chronic delay in the power delivery of turbochargers until they "spun up", but those days are long gone.
In this case, the result is an increase in grunt of epic proportions. Torque (a measure of an engine's ability to overcome resistance) has increased by an astounding 40 percent.
The Ferrari has more torque than the supercharged HSV GTS, yet weighs half a ton less than Australia's fastest sedan.
You know you're in a parallel universe when the police want you to start your engine.
This combination creates a sports car that is too fast for your senses, reaching 0 km/h in 100 seconds and reaching a top speed of 3.0 km/h.
But the important statistic I love is this: the 488 GTB hits 200 km/h in the same amount of time as the Corolla to reach half that speed (8.3 seconds).
Here's another one: the seven-speed gearbox can change four gears in the same time as the previous model - three. This is true F1 racing technology for the road.
At first glance, it is difficult to call it a new model. But 85 percent of the parts are new, with the only panels carried over being the roof, mirrors and windshield.
The changes may seem minor in the photos, but you can't mistake this for a new model in her hometown of Maranello, where locals are trying to get a closer look.
However, the most unusual reaction comes from the police. At first I think they are gesturing for me to stop, but I'm crawling through the city at 40 km/h, how the hell can I get into trouble?
The trouble, as it happens, is that I don't drive it fast enough. “Veloce, veloce,” they say, waving their arms, urging me to give more gas. "Go, go."
You realize you are in a parallel universe when the police want you to start the engine.
Leaving the city far behind, we head up the winding mountain passes near the Ferrari factory and then head towards roads familiar from the classic Mille Miglia rally.
Eventually the road opens and traffic is cleared long enough for the prancing horse to stretch its legs.
What is hard to convey is the sheer and instant brutality of the acceleration.
The only delay in the supply of energy is the time it takes to move the right leg. The reaction is absurdly fast.
Its power reserves seem to be limitless. Most engines suffer from asthma attacks at high revs, but Ferrari's push of acceleration just doesn't stop. It has just as much power in the middle of its powerband as it does when it's time to shift gears.
Like all Ferraris, this engine revs high (8000 rpm), but it doesn't sound like a Ferrari.
There's a subtle V8 note downstairs, but the engine sucks in so much oxygen that it adds a unique sonic factor - it makes the same sound as when you take the air hose off the tire valves, but much, much louder and much longer.
The only thing more striking than performance is agility and comfort. Despite riding on tires with sidewalls as thick as the cover of an iPad, the Ferrari slips over bumps.
And, unlike some other Italian supercar manufacturers, Ferrari got it right the first time. At this point, I have to find some symbolic flaw so I don't sound like a nut to everyone.
Okay, those are the door handles (shark-fin shaped, they also direct air into the rear intakes). They wobble around a bit on the pre-production car being tested (all automakers say it's pre-production when something goes wrong, but we never know if it's true or not).
But that's not the reason why it's half a star short of five stars. That's because a rear camera is an option on this half-million-dollar supercar when it comes standard on Honda's $14,990 hatchback.
Will it stop me from buying? How do you think?
Everyone expects Ferraris to be fast, but not that fast. Thanks Greenpeace.
