Offered between 2015 and 2019, the 488 marked the switch from the naturally-aspirated V8 of the 458 to force-fed muscle. Ferrari’s midship sensation climaxed in March 2018 with the unveiling of the Pista, which takes many influences from the GTE and Challenge racing cars. The convertible rolled out later that year at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with a higher price tag than the coupe.
The 488 Pista Spider is officially rated at 340 kilometers per hour by the Prancing Horse of Maranello, which means 211 miles per hour at full chatter. Pictured with Dutch plates, the 488 Pista Spider in the video below was pushed to 339 kph (210 mph) on a derestricted part of the Autobahn.
As you’re well aware, road cars are intentionally calibrated to show a lower speed for safety reasons. The Dragy app shows a GPS-verified top end of 329 kilometers per hour, which converts to 204 miles per hour. By comparison, the 2023 model year Chevrolet Corvette Z06 with the standard low-drag setup is good for up to 195 mph (314 kph), one mile per hour better than the base Stingray.
Dragy further shows 3.47 seconds from zero to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) as opposed to Ferrari’s claimed 2.85 seconds, which is only natural given that we’re dealing with Autobahn tarmac rather than the super-sticky prepped surface of a drag strip. The quarter mile is over in 10.72 seconds according to GPS, while the half mile is dealt with in 16.61 seconds.
Photo: AutoTopNL on YouTube
Not bad at all for an Italian exotic that came out five years ago, a car that may not happen ever again. The F8 Tributo went official at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, and its name is – of course – a tribute to V8 midships. The Italian automaker confirmed that F8 Tributo production came to a grinding halt in the first quarter of the year, and – due to the 296 – the likelihood of a successor is understandably slim.
Although there is a possibility for the V8 mid-engine supercar to return with some kind of hybrid assistance, remember how beastly the 296 is despite packing a twin-turbo V6. Also remember that said engine was adapted for endurance racing in the 296 GT3 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning 499P.
At press time, V8-powered Ferraris come in two flavors: the Roma gran turismo and the SF90 hypercar. Given that Ferrari uses a plug-in hybrid setup in the SF90 series, the long-running F154 engine may be used in other applications with a similar degree of hybrid assistance. Ferrari could also keep its V12 alive with hybrid trickery, although it remains to be seen if the 812’s incomer will go down this particular route.
The 12-cylinder lump in question is even older than the F154. Internally referred to as Tipo 140, said engine premiered in 2002 in the Enzo. Care to guess what Ferrari calls the Enzo? Make that F140, which isn’t exactly a coincidence. Although the LaFerrari packs a V12 from the 140 series, the yet-unnamed successor makes twin-turbo V6 noises. Codenamed F250, the LaFerrari-replacing hypercar is believed to command €2 million ($2.1M at current exchange rates) in coupe form.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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