“THIS IS COST-INTENSIVE
TECH, BUT WE WANTED
THE BEST FOR THIS CAR”
d motorofficial f motor_mag^57V8isFerrari;exotic,race-bred,intoxicating.It mustremainthe
definitivemoderntwo-seatsportscar.
Toensurethatitdoes,Leitersandhisteamhaveturnedto
theirsecretweapon,the 488 Pista,anddrawnfromitallthe
technicalinnovationsandextremeperformancethinkingthat
makethatcarspecial.
“TheF8isa significantstepforward,”saysLeiters.“Theheart
of the car is the new 530kW engine, the same as the 488 Pista’s.
This is definitely the most important part of the Tributo.”
He’s not kidding. Let’s ponder for a moment the wonder of a
series-production sports car with a racecar’s heart and conrods
in a metal so light and expensive it normally rules itself out the
second anyone pulls out a calculator. On a special edition, yes,
but on a series-production V8? Too expensive, surely?
“This is definitely cost-intensive technology, but for this
car we wanted the best engine of the last 20 years [an award
bestowed upon the Pista’s twin-turbo V8 by the International
Engine of the Year jury],” says Leiters. “That’s why we decided
to put the economic effort into this engine.”
Together with the 38kW/10Nm increases, the Pista-derived
V8 brings with it an 18kg weight saving (the F8’s overall weight
is down 40kg versus the 488, to 1330kg dry); Inconel exhaust
manifolds cut 9.7kg, the conrods 1.7kg and the lightened
flywheel and crankshaft 2.7kg.
Peak torque is 770Nm at 3250rpm, as befits such a race-bred
engine. The new F8 is 0.1sec quicker from zero to 100km/h
than the 488 GTB at 2.9sec (2.85sec for the Pista) and 0.5sec
quicker 0-200km/h at 7.8sec (7.6sec for the Pista).
But numbers don’t do justice to an engine so potent and
charismatic. Pista owners had to fight their way into an elite
queue and stump up $645,000 before options. In the new F8
Tributo, it’ll be a good deal less expensive.
To ensure you never forget the very special engine’s right
there at your back, a duct will channel its aural splendour into
the cockpit. Leiters: “We have a new exhaust system which
negates the impact of new emissions tests, and includes a new
particulate filter. We also have a membrane just after the turbo
compressors and a duct to bring the sound directly to the
cabin – it is even more emotional and involving than it is on
the 488 GTB.” It is for its music that most of us prize Ferrari’s
V8, and worry for its surely inevitable demise.MAIN
Carbon-fibre wheels
will be offered as a
cost option on F8LEFT
Evocative twin
round lights play
on Maranello’s mid-
engined V8 back
catalogue. Revealed
in Geneva, the design
has been polarising➜