The supercar world continues its long-held tradition of one-upping each other, and with a supposed hardcore, track-focused version of the 488 GTB in feverish development, Ferrari looks to throw some punches at the newly released Porsche 911 GT2 RS.
This new lightened, battle-hardened evolution of the 488 GTB is rumoured to be called the GTO, resurrecting a storied moniker from Ferrari’s history, most recently used to denote the most extreme road-going incarnate of the front-engine 599.
When it makes its debut next year, reports Autocar, possibly with over 522kW and enough raw performance to set yet a new lap record around the Nurburgring Nordschleife, it might well shorten the GT2 RS’ window of glory just as abruptly it did for the Lamborghini Huracan Performante, a car that blasted past the hypercar trio to be the temporary king of the Green Hell, fastest of all production cars.
The name of this car has not been decided, and Ferrari may well choose to save the GTO name for something far more special as it had for the 250 GTO and 288 GTO, both of which served as homologation units to justify entry in a racing series. This upcoming 488, though, will likely not serve such a purpose.
Other examples that the Maranello unit has used to distinguish its most focused of the 488’s predecessors include 360 Challenge Straddle, 430 Scuderia, and 458 Speciale. Like those forebears, the 488’s transformation would include a significant weight reduction made possible by use of more exotic materials such as carbon fibre and titanium along with an omission of various interior bits, sound-deadening material, lighter wheels, thinner glass, and standard carbon ceramic brakes.
The mid-mounted 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine will likely remain in capacity and configuration, but possibly quite altered beneath the surface. Forged titanium internals, a revised induction system and intercooler could be the source of the dramatic hike in power and torque, giving those rear wheels a lot more to deal with than the standard car’s 760Nm.
In addition to the reduced mass and increased thrust, how exactly Ferrari solves the matter of aerodynamics could be an even more interesting answer to see unfold. To conquer such a demanding track, airflow much be optimised to balance drag and downforce, a challenge that Ferrari has had plenty of experience in tackling.
Sure, the 488 ‘GTO’ may feature a large fixed wing, more ground-scraping splitters, and imposing diffusers, but to reach the level of high speed traction needed to rival the Lamborghini and Porsche, Ferrari will likely resort to more advanced methods.
Lamborghini, for example, attributes much of the Huracan Performante’s record-beating time to an innovative Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA) active aerodynamics, allowing the car to selectively generate more downforce in corners for more traction and reduced drag on straights to achieve improved acceleration and top speed. Ferrari has used active aero on its road cars for some time now, but not to this extent, and here’s an excuse to present their latest and greatest.
Then again, Ferrari may not even choose to enter their new steed into contention for the Nurburgring crown. To this day, we have no definitive answer to just how quickly the LaFerrari hypercar laps the German track. It’s very quick, surely, but how much so in comparison to the two other hybrid hypercars of its day, the Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren P1?
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