Don’t be surprised, it’s Ferrari again, and it decided to refresh its 488 GTB model this time. If the rumors are true than this new vehicle might pack more than 700 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged mid-mounted V8. The successor of the wild and wonderful Ferrari 458 Speciale with the naturally aspirated V8 could be the fastest car ever came from Maranello.
This will be the fourth time Ferrari has used the name GTO. The first was in the 1960s on the 250 GTO and then again in the 1980s on the 288 GTO. Most recently, a more track-oriented variant of the 599 GTB was released as the 599 GTO. Each of these cars eschewed most pretense of comfort and civility in the pursuit of power and performance. While they didn't carry the GTO moniker, the 430 Scuderia and the 458 Speciale were designed with a similar philosophy.
Since the standard 488 GTB already makes 661 horsepower, it doesn't seem like a stretch to up the boost and strengthen the internals to move the needle past 700. Ferrari can't let the new 710-horsepower McLaren 720S have all of the fun. The 488 GTO should use lighter components and lose some interior trim and sound deadening to drop weight. Autocar believes the new model will dip below 3,000 pounds, absolutely svelte for a car this size. The car should have better aero, a revised suspension, and higher performance wheels and tires. For non-Ferrari comparison, think Porsche 911 GT3. We've seen some spy shots of a new Ferrari recently, but at the time we thought this might be the rumored Dino. It's unclear if that's still the case, but either way, look for something big from Ferrari sometime later this year.
