Following the official unveiling of the Ferrari 488 GTB in early February, a silver prototype has been spied undergoing final testing in South Africa.
Details about the Ferrari 488 GTB in question remain scarce but it appears to be a test mule with an array of sensors attached to measure a selection of parametres. Also visible in one of the photos is a Porsche 911 suggesting some sort of comparison testing was being conducted.
In case you didn’t know, the Ferrari 488 GTB utilises a twin-turbocharged 3.9-litre V8 engine which is significantly more powerful than the naturally-aspirated 4.5-litre V8 used by the outgoing Ferrari 458 Italia. As a matter of fact, the Ferrari 488 GTB delivers 660 hp at 8000 rpm as well as 560 lb-ft of torque at 3000 rpm. Incredibly, torque from this engine is also higher than the 509 lb-ft of the 6.0-litre V12 found in the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.
Mated to the twin-turbocharged 3.9-litre V8 is a tweaked variant of the 458 Italia’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission driving the rear wheels. The gear ratios have been modified to improve acceleration throughout the rev range. When it is all said and done, the Ferrari 488 GTB will sprint to 100 km/h in 3 seconds flat, 200 km/h in a mere 8.4 seconds as well as a 334 km/h (208 mph) top speed. Those figures are almost identical to the 642 hp McLaren 650S which hits 100 km/h in the same time, 200 km/h in 8.5 seconds and a 333 km/h (207 mph) top speed.
