To think that a much greener and environmentally friendly car than its predecessor can be a faster and ultimately more fulfilling experience to drive may sound rather nutty, but here it is, in the form of a car that is surely bound to divide opinion among the brand's faithful.
Turbocharging may be accepted fashion elsewhere, but this is a Ferrari, and for a long time it would have been sacrilegious to even venture blown as a means of propulsion until the California T appeared - the last road-going one to feature such novelty was a 485 PS beast from nearly three decades ago, a fling which some older folk might remember and have even lusted over. Everything else since then has trodden the atmospheric pressure path, uncomplainingly lapped up by the adoring.
Well, the divisive tip is here, and on time as planned. The seeds for the engine in the car you see here were planted quite a while back – seven years ago, in the very same building at Maranello where the technical presentation for the 488 GTB was held, the company's then-technical director Roberto Fedeli revealed that going down the turbocharged route was unavoidable.
"It is in the process of development, as part of a mixed basket of powertrain solutions we are exploring. In the next couple of years a design will be defined, and the results should be seen within five to eight years." Cue the advent of the new F154 engine family, the first iteration being the 3.8 litre BB in the California T last year.
Ever the firm NA believer, Fedeli didn't offer the words with much conviction, but revealed later to this writer that the demands of the day dictated change, like it or not. "We have to look at different options because of tightening environmental standards, and turbocharging looks like the way to go. As much power, but lower emissions. It's inevitable, I think."
Shame that the man is no longer there – Fedeli joined BMW last year after 26 years at the Italian automaker. It'd definitely have been interesting to hear his thoughts on the 488 GTB. We're left to find out on our own how much going the blown route has added – or detracted – from before.
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