Ferrari unveils the 488 GTB

Ferrari and McLaren may no longer be fighting it out at the sharp end of the Formula 1 World Championship but they have been upping the stakes in their war to lure deep-pocketed motorists to buy exotic road cars like the 458 Italia, MP4-12c, La Ferrari, P1 and the 650S.

The fabled Italian manufacturer has revealed what will soon be the latest entry in this carbon-fibre heavy battlefield with details of the 488 GTB, which is to be unveiled as the replacement - although car manufacturers prefer to use the term 'natural successor' - to the 458 Italia at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March.

The eventual unveiling of the 488 GTB marks 40 years since Ferrari launched the 308 GTB, which was it's first mid-rear-engined V-8 production car.

Ferrari claims that the 488 GTB's 4 litre, twin-turbo, V-8 engine that produces a claimed 660 bhp (19 more than the McLaren 650S's 641 bhp) along with seven-speed gearbox that has Variable Torque Management will allow it to set a time of 1:23.0 at it's Fiorano test circuit, making it the third fastest Ferrari road car ever around the 2.997 km circuit.

Just for reference, the fastest time set by any kind of vehicle at Fiorano is a 55.999 second lap by Michael Schumacher in the F2004 F1 car that he drove to his seventh world championship.

The 488 GTB is also claimed to generate 50 percent more downforce than the 458 Italia while maintaining a coefficient of drag of 1.67.

A slide slip angle control system along with active dampers and a host of other dynamic control systems are intended to make the car more predictable at speed and make any oil sheikh or millionaire footballer - probably also the auto journalists fortunate enough to drive this car - feel like Schumacher themselves behind the wheel.

FERRARI 488 GTB TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (As claimed by manufacturer)

ENGINE
V-8, 90°, twin-turbo
Overall displacement: 3,902 cc
Maximum power*: 660 bhp at 8,000 rpm
Maximum torque*: 760 Nm at 3,000 rpm in 7th

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Length: 4568 mm
Width: 1952 mm
Height: 1213 mm
Dry weight**: 1370 kg
Weight distribution: 46.5% Front – 53.5% Rear

PERFORMANCE
0-100 km/h: 3.0 seconds
0 -200 km/h: 8.3 seconds
Maximum speed: 330+ km/h

FUEL CONSUMPTION***
11.4 l/100 km

CO2 EMISSIONS ***
260 g/km

* With 98 RON petrol

**With lightweight options

*** ECE+EUDC combined cycle with HELE system