My FM Log: The Ferrari 488

Obtained as a prize car from the game's Update 2.0 Open Class Tour, the Ferrari 488 GTB returns to Forza Motorsport, flexing its small but punchy V8 turbo engine through the world's most demanding racetracks.

Premiered at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari's brand new sportscar, the 488 GTB, succeeds where the successful 458 Italia left off and in tune with the times, this car is the first turbocharged mid-engined Ferrari since the F40.

Unlike the 458 it replaces, the 488 GTB is armed with Ferrari's brand new 3.9L twin-turbo V8 engine, which is smaller in size but more powerful than the 458 because it produces 670PS of power and 760Nm of torque, while mated with a 7-speed F1 gearbox. Ferrari says that the new model can do 0-100kph in less than three seconds and a top speed of over 330kph.

Apart from its performance, the 488 features carbon-ceramic brakes inspired by the LaFerrari, resulting in a better stopping distance than the 458. It features a unique aerodynamic design that improves its downforce by over a half. It comes with a central "Aero Pillar", which deflects air under the flat body while the two vents in the hood deliver air from the dual intakes of the front bumper, to lower air pressure.

Now that I got my word with the now-legendary 488 GTB, it's time to flex its Italian muscles around the Mugello track, unleashing the roar of its turbocharged V8 engine through the Italian countryside.

The turbocharged stallion from Maranello still pulls the right punches even in the afterlife. It got replaced by the F8 and later, the 296, but the 488 managed to prove its worth as one of the most controversial Ferraris ever made.

Enjoy your new ride!

My FH5 Log: The 488 Challenge

The world of Horizon is all about road cars but why would the producers like to put race cars in the Horizon Festival anyway? Isn't that an antithesis to what is known to be the sub-franchise of the Forza series? This race car is one of them.

What you're looking at here is the Ferrari 488 Challenge, one of the cars that can be obtained via DLC in Forza Horizon 5, and this is nothing more than the racing-spec version of the Ferrari 488 range offered in the game from the normal to the Pista. Seems that the producers are big fans of the Ferrari 488 after all and looks like they sure love to feature different kinds of it.

So, what's it all about the 488 Challenge? Built exclusively for the one-make Ferrari Challenge series in 2017, the 488 Challenge differentiates itself from its GT3 equivalent because, unlike the 488 GT3, the Challenge lets all of its 670PS power output loose from its turbocharged V8 engine, the first for a Ferrari Challenge race car. Aside from the power, the 488 Challenge is the first Ferrari Challenge machine to feature Slide Slip Control which improves longitudinal acceleration on corners by 4.2%, and better corner management that prevents performance losses due to rear axle skidding.

Because of its racetrack capabilities orchestrated by the Scuderia men, the 488 Challenge transforms the everyday supercar into the ultimate thoroughbred only a select few can master. The drivers involved in the Ferrari Challenge series really got the chance to experience the 488 Challenge's true power while fighting around the world to see who's the perfect 488 Challenge driver.

Of course, while I got flabbergasted by the 488 Challenge's capabilities, it's pointless and silly for me to drive the 488 Challenge around Horizon Mexico because it's a race car built for racetracks, not for the streets. It's common sense but my mind just hatched an idea. Instead of taking it to the streets of Horizon Mexico...

I brought the 488 Challenge to a life-sized Hot Wheels playset to demonstrate the race car's true power while unleashing the kid in me with my Hot Wheels lifestyle. Now that's common sense to you and me.

As I'm busy having fun with the 488 Challenge at the Hot Wheels park, the kids at the block want to challenge me with a race. I'd say, hey, challenge accepted. See what I did here? Anyway, let's get it!

Not the outcome I'd hoped for but hey, it's mission accomplished for the 488 Challenge.

Although pointless to drive across Horizon Mexico, the 488 Challenge completes the trio of the Ferrari 488 catalog ranging from the normal one, this, and the hardcore version called the Pista. Given the choice, I'd rather pick none because...well, now that the 488 served its purpose, there's no need to drive the entire fleet anymore, well almost.

From the GTB, the race-spec Competition, to the hardcore Pista, the Ferrari 488 will go down as the turning point in the history of V8-powered Ferraris. The more you know.

Forza Horizon 4 - Hasta la Pista, baby

There are two new Ferraris added in the Series 16 update of Forza Horizon 4 and the first one is, I'm sorry to say, too little, too late for the party. It's a Ferrari that recently went out of production but boasts the record for being the fastest car to lap the Top Gear Test Track. I'm talking about the Ferrari 488 Pista.



As the hardcore version of the now-outgoing Ferrari 488, the Pista is a track-ready mid-engine V8 super sport that employs all the knowhow from the 488 Challenge racing machine and made it fit for road and track use, making it a real mega-multitasker.

With its 710HP four-liter V8 Twin Turbo engine, it really is the most-powerful mid-engined V8 Ferrari ever made and when mated to a Formula 1-style double clutch gearbox, it is capable of going from 0-100kph in 2.85 seconds and a top speed of over 340kph. Apart from that, the Pista features track-honed vehicle dynamics inspired from the 488 Challenge racing machine as well as weighing 90kg less than the normal 488 GTB.

It went round the Fiorano test track in 1:21.5 and recently, at the Top Gear Test Track, it set the fastest lap time in 1:12.7, faster than the Dallara Stradale and the 992.5-spec Porsche 911 GT2 RS.



It may be now old and now out of production but still rather impressive by supercar standards and for a track-focused car, it's worth a thrill. It may feel difficult at the start but when it gets faster for longer, the 488 Pista truly shows its colors as the opportunity arises. Those people (especially Mr. Harris) who claim that the 600LT is better than the 488 Pista because it's cheap might new to scratch their heads on because not only the Pista obliterates it, it humiliates it, which is a sad day for Britain's finest.



Speaking of which, the McLaren 600LT came back to play with Ferrari's ultimate super sport once again on British soil ever since the Prancing Horse humiliated it on TV and with that, let's give these two the rematch they deserved but near the castle for a more dramatic atmosphere.



I'm already familiarized with the McLaren 600LT a while back but now that it got itself a revenge match against the 488 Pista, this could be the most interesting comparo ever done since Chris Harris did a comparison between the two. Too bad he went for the slower one. Time to prove him wrong once again with a quick lap shootout between the two near Bamburgh Castle and see who's the fastest.

And now the results;

600LT - 0:58.592
488 Pista - 0:56.990

Aw man. It's Ferrari 2, McLaren zero. Another sad day for Britain.



Let's be real, folks, because while I'm starting to gain respect to the 488 Pista, it feels like it has already served its purpose because its arrival is somewhat too little, too late, not like the 600LT from McLaren. It maybe a sold-out lost cause but it feels like it's long for this world and man, I'm sounded like him now.

Anyway, enjoy your new ride if you can. You'll have mixed reactions having the Pista the moment you got one.

Project CARS 2: The Ferrari 488 Challenge

The recent update on the Project CARS 2 game gave us a new racing Ferrari in our stable called the Ferrari 488 Challenge but before explaining the latest vehicle ever to emerge from Ferrari's answer to the Lamborghini Super Trofeo racing series, just what is the Ferrari Challenge?



Since its establishment in 1993, the Ferrari Challenge is an FIA-approved one-make race series where Ferrari dealerships and distributors from across the globe compete in three different categories such as the Trofeo Pirelli, Trofeo Pirelli Am, and Coppa Shell. For the year 2017, they are using Challenge-spec Ferrari 488s for this one-make race series, which is the first Ferrari Challenge machine to have a turbocharged engine producing 670HP of power from the V8 3.9L engine sourced from the 488 GTB, making it the most powerful car in the Challenge history. To differentiate it from the normal 488, it's been given race-derived aerodynamics that stays true to its design. They've improved the front radiator layout which is now inclined towards the rear, resulting to better air flow over the radiators in racing conditions whilst reducing drag. This new layout requires new vents below the bumper ahead of the wheels.



The Ferrari Challenge has three series such as Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific. Project CARS 2 got not one but three 488 Challenge machines as provided from their respective series and while they boast the same performances, their liveries vary from each region. I went for the one used in the Asia-Pacific series because of that interesting livery that got me noticed because one of them used in the Ferrari Challenge Asia-Pacific series is a Filipino. Yes, I can tell why one of them is from the Philippines is because of the suspicious-looking logo which came from a hotel chain Victoria Court, the Philippine flag, and the name of the team that used it which is none other than the official Ferrari distributor of the Philippines, Autostrada Motore. Wish I want to talk more but since this is a Bandai Namco game, I've gone for the one used by the Rosso Scuderia Tokyo dealership and the venue I just pick for my run with the 488 Challenge is none other than Long Beach.



I never thought that the streets of Long Beach felt so alive right now in the weekends. We have the IMSA and the IndyCar that spices this Californian port city with vigor and now, here I am, trying out the Ferrari 488 Challenge round the city center to see what is like. I once tried the GT3 variant of the 488 but the Challenge spec is far more different because while it's got more power and faster than the GT3 version, it's slightly heavier and you can slightly tell the difference when you handle them both. However, despite bearing different aerodynamics and performance, they're still a blast to drive and driving the 488 Challenge on Project CARS 2 is a stepping stone to introduce players the latest generation of the Ferrari Challenge machines. Speaking of which, would you like to see how I did with it?






The Ferrari Challenge maybe only reserved for official Ferrari dealerships and distributors worldwide but with Project CARS 2, you can sample what is like to be part of Ferrari's one-make race series with the 488 Challenge. With practice, you can get your hopes up that one day, your nearby Ferrari dealer will enlist you to be part of the team and the next thing we hope for is to see the world's best Ferrari Challenge drivers compete around the globe in unity. While it sounds irrational, an introduction to Ferrari's one-make race series with Project CARS 2 makes it worth a shot to understand how the 488 Challenge works. The more you know.

New Audi R8 Spyder vs. Ferrari 488 Spider vs. Lamborghini Huracan Spyder

You're a rich man, you spend a lot of time doing stuff at the CEO's desk and then going out gambling your luck at the casino on your day-off. You have a lot of money to spend on those super-fast cars but your probability of your choosing would be open-top supercars because you want to look cool driving on those things. There are three choices, which one would you go for?

2017 Audi R8 Spyder

Let's take a look at your first choice of the latest open-top supercars on the market today, the brand new Audi R8 V10 Spyder. You may have noticed that while it maybe slightly heavier than its hardtop equivalent, it still comes with its new Audi Space Frame as well as its 5.2 V10 engine developing 540PS of power and 540Nm of torque, while mated to a 7-speed double clutch gearbox which shifts like magic bur that doesn't stop you from spoiling your day out with this open-top supercar, especially that it can get from 0 to 100kph in 3.6 seconds and onwards to 318kph. Because it's priced less than two hundred grand, this new Audi R8 Spyder is a supercar bargain.

2017 Ferrari 488 Spider

Then, let's take a look on the new Ferrari 488 Spider, which is an updated version of the old 458 Spider, the car that will make everyone agree that it's the best mid-engined supercar ever made. It may have the same V8 as the old 458 but it's been miniaturized and turbocharged so this 4.0L Twin Turbo V8 engine produces 670PS of power output while mated to its F1 7-speed double clutch gearbox, resulting to its 0 to 100 km/h time in 3 seconds. While it may slightly more than the coupe version, its dynamics remain just as fun as the normal one and with the roof up, the upside of having one on the track day meet is that while you can enjoy its F1-inspired dynamics, you can really hear the noise of its V8 engine very clearly but since this is turbocharged, you can't hold your case for a little while longer, knowing this this Ferrari's too matured for its own good.

2017 Lamborghini Huracan Spyder

Or if you're unhappy with those two, you can have the Lamborghini Huracan Spyder instead. Like the new Audi R8, it has a 5.2L V10 engine but it produces 610PS of power output while mated to the same 7-speed double-clutch gearbox as the R8. The age of V10 engines maybe soon endangered but with the Huracan Spyder, you can assure that this modern open-top supercar still has that old-school charm that car enthusiasts really love to listen like the sounds of good old 80's rock and roll from their old CD collections. Because this is a Lamborghini, you can be very addictive while driving this open-top Huracan on the road and on the track, despite the added weight on it.

With these open-top supercars currently available on the market, it's hard to decide which one is the best. The Audi R8 Spyder has the most value for money, the Ferrari 488 Spider for its power that beats them in their own little game of top trumps, and the Lamborghini Huracan Spyder for its old-school charm that wouldn't settle for anything else. How you live it up and sum it up with those three is up to you, my dear bachelor and bachelorette.

Forza Motorsport 6: The Ferrari 488

On the recently launched Meguiar's Car Pack, the all new Ferrari 488 GTB has arrived late in Forza Motorsport 6 but it's better than never being showed up at all for us to try out Ferrari's latest turbocharged masterpiece.



So, what's it all about this new Ferrari? Premiered at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari's brand new sportscar, the 488 GTB, succeeds where the successful 458 Italia left off and in tune with the times, this car is the first turbocharged mid-engined Ferrari since the F40.

Unlike the 458 it replaces, the 488 GTB is armed with Ferrari's brand new 3.9L twin-turbo V8 engine, which is smaller in size but more powerful than the 458 because it produces 670PS of power and 760Nm of torque, while mated with a 7-speed F1 gearbox. Ferrari says that the new model can do 0-100kph in less than three seconds and a top speed of over 330kph.

Apart from its performance, the 488 features carbon-ceramic brakes inspired from the LaFerrari, resulting to better stopping distance than the 458. It features a unique aerodynamic design that improves its downforce by over a half. It comes with a central "Aero Pillar", which deflects air under the flat body while the two vents in the hood deliver air from the dual intakes of the front bumper, to lower air pressure.



As I recall, the new V8 engine maybe as turbocharged as the legendary F40 but it doesn't sound like one because with all that miniaturization comes with a hefty price in the show-off stakes in terms of engine noises, perhaps the folks wanted to lower the volume of the engine noise in the making of downsizing engines. Despite its lowered volume in the engine noise, the 488 still retains its charm in terms of dynamics. Because this is lighter than a normal 458 and it incorporates all of Ferrari's motorsport knowledge, the new 488 still retains its handling charm that its predecessor does, although you could use some special training to get things right while mastering Ferrari's new turbocharged sports coupe.

Anyway, while in the subject of Ferrari's brand new berlinetta, I guess it's time now to see how much of a Ferrari this car is as I'm on a day off somewhere in Spain. One part of Spain to be exact; the Circuit de Catalunya, the venue of the Spanish GP.





So, thoughts on this Ferrari? Well, although its turbocharged V8 engine isn't as sound as I hoped for, it does make up with its sharp dynamics that I can enjoy it harder and longer the more I'm getting accustomed to it. It maybe late to arrive in the FM6 car roster but it's good to have one of the latest Ferraris on the list and with the 488, there's more to discover with this turbocharged stallion from Maranello.

Ferrari 488 GTB vs. McLaren 570S

Meet the two new prime specimens in the supercar league; first up, there's Ferrari's brand new replacement to the already perfect 458 Italia, the 488 GTB. Then, in the McLaren side, the much accessible but soon to be a classic 570S. With two new cars already arrived at the hearts of many car enthusiasts, everyone's going to be extra jealous, wishing they want to have a go in one of these.

2016 McLaren 570S

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB

First, let's take a look at the Ferrari 488 GTB, the latest replacement to the 458 Italia. At first glance, it looks nearly identical to the old 458 but with the LaFerrari-inspired nose, you can't really tell the difference between them. On the inside, it remains the same old Ferrari lunacy because there are buttons hidden in the back of the steering wheel, which makes the driver harder to memorize where the windscreen wipers or the headlights or any other stuff are. 

The inside job wasn't the least of the problem here because under the hood lies a newly developed 4.0L Twin Turbo V8 engine and before you can say sacrilege, this powertrain makes the 488 the first turbocharged mid-engined Ferrari since the legendary F40, which means it's got form. When you get the car running, you will notice how weak the exhaust note is unlike the sound from the 458. Despite all the turbocharging involved that resulted to its 670PS of power output (more than what you get from the Lamborghini Huracan and the McLaren 650S), you will still notice a faint hearing of the exhaust notes. Sounds good but there's no hint of snarling like most supercars do.

While you're still moaning about the noise of the 488's V8 twin turbo engine makes, you should know that with all that power and the Formula One-inspired 7-speed double clutch gearbox, the new 488 goes from 0-100kph in less than three seconds and onwards to over 330kph. This is a definite point why Ferrari still is the king of the supercar realm and whoever tries to dethrone it, will dethrone its rivals in retaliation.

With all that retaliation against McLaren's 650S and Lamborghini's Huracan, its Formula One-inspired dynamics really employed in the 488, delivering a racecar-like feel when used on the track and as a result, this is probably one of the best V8-powered Ferraris to drive if you're not complaining how weak the new V8's noise is.

Now what about McLaren's new baby supercar, the 570S? Well, this is the baby McLaren everyone's talking about and it slots below the 650S in the lineup. It still has McLaren's 3.8L V8 Twin Turbo engine but it produces a titular 570PS of power and 600Nm of torque. It will do 0-100kph in 3.2 seconds and onwards to 328kph, two less than the 488, but let's remember that the 570S weighs 57kg less than the 488,

When you pit these two in a drag race, you will see that it's going to be a close one between the McLaren and the Ferrari. And if by close one, I mean of course, an exciting one presumably.

What about dynamics? Well, with all the race-inspired tech that embraced most McLarens for decades, the 570S is no-brainer. It sure loves to slice through corners like a sharp scalpel with surgical precision and when it comes to fun, well, it's not half bad to have one a go. It maybe not as sharp as its big brother, the 650S, but for a baby McLaren, the 570S loves to rise from the challenges set by the track gods. Despite looking shoddy in terms of design, the 570S is a serious performer on the road and on the track. With all that tech implied, this feels like it's set from the futuristic world.

So, do you have a choice between those two? Well, for a recap, both the 488 and the 570S are well honed on the track thanks to its motorsports roots implied but because decisions can be as complicated as your social status quo, it's up to the drivers to decide which one is the best but under Ferrari's right, best to aware that the 488 holds no substitutes because Ferrari knows there's no turning back now when it comes to retaliate against the supercar oppositions.