The new V8’s 0.1sec quicker 0-62mph than the 488 GTB at 2.9sec (2.85sec
for the Pista) and 0.5sec quicker 0-124mph at 7.8sec (7.6sec for the Pista).
But numbers don’t do justice to an engine so potent and charismatic
that it propelled the Pista to first place in CAR’s 2018 Sports Car Giant Test,
ahead of the monstrously talented Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Pista owners had
to fight their way into an elite queue and stump up £253k 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. It’s thought McLaren’s V8 will give way to a
hybrid-assisted V6 in the near future, the same solution Aston’s developing
for its sub-Valkyrie mid-engined supercars. But don’t worry – Ferrari’s V8 is
not going anywhere just yet. Trust in Leiters.
‘This is not the end of our V8 line,’ he says. ‘The turbo V8 will remain an
important pillar of our engine range. We are working on a V6 but it won’t
replace the V8. Downsizing will be important, and the V6 – combined
with hybrid technology at different levels, not always full hybrid – will be
important too. But this will not replace the V8. Technically the V8 is diffi-
cult to keep alive but we are working on this, and in the mid-term we can
maintain three families: V12 naturally-aspirated, V8 turbo and V6 turbo.’
The rest of the F8 is broadly familiar from the 488 GTB and Pista, featur-
ing an aluminium-intensive monocoque with double-wishbone front and
multi-link rear suspension. But Ferrari’s engineers have worked through
each of its key systems making small but significant changes, from suspen-
sion set-up through the steering wheel itself to the stability control system.‘The suspension set-up is more sophisticated and we have a new steering
wheel [smaller in diameter and thinner of rim] for a compact feeling and a
high degree of control,’ says Leiters. ‘We also have a new control system on
the car, to help make it easier to drive on the limit. There are many minor
improvements that add up to improve the handling.’
That control system is version 6.1 of Ferrari’s Side Slip Control (SSC),
which also bundles in the Dynamic Enhancer miracle-worker previously
reserved for the Pista. Essentially a highly intelligent, almost predictive
accessory to Side Slip Control, Dynamic Enhancer (available in the Race
and CT Off positions on the manettino) builds on SSC’s manipulation of
the car’s limited-slip differential to bring in a little driver-flattering brake
tweaking. The system uses SSC’s algorithms to detect an imminent slide.
If it decides the slide wasn’t deliberately provoked then it works the brakes
to counteract a sudden loss of traction and negate the need for hurried
armfuls of opposite lock. But if it thinks you know what you’re doing it’ll
merely lend a helping hand, imperceptibly scrubbing the front and rear
brakes to let you indulge in spectacular yet safe oversteer.
Leiters: ‘It helps a lot when you go to the limit – and especially when you
go over the limit. The system places a high demand on the brakes and on
the differential so we wanted to have it only in certain circumstances. We
need it only for the driver when they are driving to the limit in a very sporty
way – so it’s available in Race and CT Off modes.’
The very best bits of the Pista, then, wrapped in a body that blends a little
of that car’s track-bred menace with some heart-melting retro flourishes.
Same wind-cheating thinking (for a 10 per cent increase in aero efficiency),
same impossibly waisted silhouette, new rear lights – gone are the GTB’s
single round lamps, replaced by two pairs that evoke older Ferrari V8s
like the 308. Cutting-edge technical solutions melded with a little of the
romance of the past – what better way to see off those impudent rivals? Turn the page for Aston Martin’s LaFerrari rival, the new AM-RB 003‘We are working on a V6 but
it won’t replace the V8. The
Tributo is not the end of the V8’
Michael LeitersCarbonfibre
wheels will be
a cost option80 GET TWO YEARS OF CAR FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! WWW.GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK.CO.UK | APRIL 2019
F8 Tributo: Ferrari fights back