Tech Tuesday: Ferrari 488 GTB

Not once has someone thought “slow” when the word Ferrari pops in their heads. Automatically, we think power, noise, beauty and price. With all this being true, the last decade of Ferrari’s have proven to be the most technical too. Technology has made the Ferrari’s of today become some of the most exciting cars to drive. The merger of technology and passion has been so well fused, we have seen many journalists lose their minds like three years olds receiving new Lego when driving these cars. A few weeks ago we spoke about Side Slip Control found in the 458 Speciale, now we have the new kid on the block to talk about, the 488 GTB. To the normal person, this car looks like a sort of different looking 458. Yes there are many characteristics that are similar to the old car, but this is a new car completely. First off the engine. It’s no shock to see a turbocharged Ferrari as the most legendary Ferrari, the F40 was a boosted beast. This time around, we have 21st century technology and things are far more sophisticated. For instance the 3.9l engine has ball bearing turbochargers with compressor wheels made from the same stuff you get in jet engines.

How’s that for bragging rights? Your golfing buddies won’t be able to top that. If they do top you, you can tell them that your car has just under 500…Kilowatts, not horsepower and 760Nm of torque. At this point, they will be phoning their bankers and organising themselves Bugattis to top you. The great thing with the 488 GTB is that not only do you have stupid power, you have the aerodynamics to back it up too. If you so happen to be on an airfield you can trust that your Vortex Generators,will keep your car stuck to the ground at high speed to make sure you can cruise at silly speeds. Vortex Generators? Yes these are appendages under the car which help direct air flow so that the car can generate more downforce at speed. See what I mean when I say Ferrari’s nowadays are packed with crazy tech? So if you’re rich enough to own one, be happy that your car shares many design elements with Sebastian Vettel’s car. If you don’t know who that is, google him and use it against your friends at the golf course. Happy Tech Tuesday…