56 may 2019 whichcar.com.au/motor
OR FERRARI, THE enemy isn’t so much at the gates as crashing
through them with sheer weight of numbers. It’s quite clear
that fortress Maranello is under siege.
From McLaren, an endless stream of exceptional sports
cars, with two of the best – the outrageously talented 720S and
ferocious 600LT – aimed squarely at Maranello’s mid-engined
V8, until now the 488 GTB. From Lamborghini, an uprated
Huracan with something of the Ferrari’s wondrous balance –
and a naturally aspirated V10. And then there’s Aston Martin’s
new Vanquish, an unapologetically aggressive move before
you consider that it’s being engineered by a couple of brilliant
ex-Ferrari minds...
What’s more, Ferrari has quite a bit on. Mercedes will once
again require keeping honest in Formula One, and on the
road-car side, Ferrari’s new CEO, Louis Camilleri, is furiously
cranking the new product handle like a man possessed.
Chief technical officer Michael Leiters has everything from
a new supercar through to a V6 hybrid powertrain and the
Purosangue SUV on his enormous drawing board.
“Ferrari is having a very important year – we are doing so
many projects,” confirms Leiters with a wry smile. “We have
never done so many, and with so many innovations on those
projects. It’s very exciting. And for Ferrari it was important to
do a big step with this car.”
That car is the new F8 Tributo. It replaces the 488 GTB
as Ferrari’s frontline mid-engined sports car, and has been
created with the sole purpose of re-establishing Ferrari’s
dominance in a space it created. For many, the mid-engined