Ferrari 488 GTB arrives

The successor to the 458 italia is more powerful and more fuel efficient.

THE Ferrari 488 GTB is now on sale in Malaysia.

Following its international premiere in Geneva in March, the 458 Italia replacement was launched on Tuesday with a base price of RM1,068,800 ( excluding taxes and options).

The 488 GTB was unveiled by Naza Italia Sdn Bhd at its RM5mil refurbished flagship 4S ( sales, service, system and spare parts) centre that’s in line with the corporate identities of Ferrari and Maserati.

The centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor is considered to be one of the largest of its kind outside of Italy.

With a wheelbase of 2,650mm, the stunning- looking 488 GTB comes in measuring 4,568mm long, 1,952mm wide, 1,213mm tall and has a kerb weight of 1,475kg.

The 488 GTB ( Gran Turismo Berlinetta), has a mid- mounted twin- turbo 3.9- litre V8 engine that produces a staggering 661bhp at 8,000rpm and 760Nm of torque at 3,000rpm.

The new engine is an all- aluminium dry- sump unit from the Ferrari F154 family of engines and the turbochargers use Titanium aluminide ( TiAL) – a lightweight malleable alloy that’s resistant to oxidation and heat.

A seven- speed F1 dual- clutch transmission, manufactured by Getrac, manages power to the rear 20- inch wheels with 305/ 30 series tyres, while the front 20- inch wheels are fitted with narrower 245/ 35 series tyres.

Cross- drilled carbon- ceramic disc brakes derived from the La Ferrari are able to reduce stopping distances by 9% compared with the 458 Italia.

In terms of performance, the 488 GTB is able to get to 100kph from standstill in 3.0 seconds with a top speed of more than 330kph.

The 488 GTB’s body was engineered to have 50% more downforce over its predecessor, while reducing aerodynamic drag simultaneously.

This is achieved via a new front double splitter and a blown spoiler integrated into the rear decklid and bumper, which helps to increase downforce without the need to be raised.

A central aero pillar will deflect air to its flat under body, while two vents on the bonnet allows excess air to exit from the dual air intakes at the front bumper – helping to reduce air pressure over the front of the car.

The underbody features vortex generators to reduce air pressure beneath the car in order to increase overall downforce and a large rear diffuser and active aerodynamic variable flaps controlled by a microprocessor help to improve that effect to produce 325kg of downforce at 250kph.

The 488 GTB pays homage to the older 308 GTB of the 1980s with its scalloped side air intakes.

This time, the intakes have been divided by a central partition where the air entering the top gets partially channelled to the turbo’s compressor intake and the remaining air exits at the rear next to the rear lights to further reduce aerodynamic drag.

The lower intake directs air towards the intercoolers.

Further evolution of the car’s electronics extends to its new version of Side Slip Control ( SSC2) that’s integrated with the car’s F1- Trac and E- Diff, it now also controls the magnetoheological active dampers – for a flatter and more stable drive.

The 488 GTB made its debut in a new Rosso Corsa Met livery with black and red technical fabric cabin trim. —