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Ferrari 488 GTB challenges that whole 'no replacement for displacement' thing [w/video]

You can't stand in the way of progress, even if you wanted to. And the current state of affairs in the automobile industry has everyone reaching for turbochargers. That includes even a company as famous for its wailing, high-revving supercars as Ferrari. The Prancing Horse marque has galloped in to the Geneva Motor Show this year on the back of the new 488 GTB. Replacing the 458 with its atmospheric 4.5-liter V8, the new 488 GTB packs a downsized turbo eight that may be smaller at 3.9 liters, but doesn't skimp on the power – now producing 661 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque to trump even the ultimate 458 Speciale. Compared to the new McLaren 675LT, the 488 packs almost as many horses but even more torque, and goes well beyond the Lamborghini Huracan by both measures. Even the new Audi R8 V10 Plus can't touch it. That's the kind of progress we can get behind, but there's more to the new 488 GTB than the turbocharged engine. It's also got revised electronics, updated bodywork, enhanced aerodynamics and a revised interior. Scope it out in our slideshow of live images from the floor of the Geneva Palexpo and in the video below. THE FERRARI 488 GTB – EXTREME POWER FOR UNIQUE DRIVING PLEASURE The innovative 8-cylinder berlinetta debuts at Geneva: new design, new engine and a plethora of patented solutions Geneva, 3 March 2015 – On its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show, the Ferrari 488 GTB sets a new benchmark for the sports car sector. Forty years on from the launch of Ferrari's iconic first-ever mid-rear-engined V8 berlinetta, the 308 GTB, the Ferrari 488 GTB opens a new chapter in the history of cars with this particular architecture. Credit for this achievement must go to the Ferrari 488 GTB's revolutionary proprietary solutions which deliver a car at the top of its class in terms of power output (670 cv) with engine and response times of just 0.8 and 0.06 seconds respectively. Sophisticated dynamic vehicle controls make this performance completely controllable even on the limit by drivers of all abilities, resulting in the unique driving pleasure that only a Ferrari can deliver. Ferrari drew extensively on its experience in both Formula One and endurance racing, bringing to the road the technology that delivered victory in two editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the title in the WEC (World Endurance Championship).

2015 Malaysian F1 GP springs hot, humid surprises [spoilers]

In the two weeks since Australia both Mercedes and Ferrari spoke of the improved performance from their respective cars. In Malaysia, Ferrari showed it. Lewis Hamilton still put his Mercedes-AMG Petronas on pole position, but Sebastian Vettel got within two whiskers of the Brit, lining up second just 0.074 behind. Afterward, Vettel said Ferrari could win the race if everything went well. But in qualifying we didn't know how much of Ferrari's performance was truly down to the car and how much was down to the wet weather that struck near the beginning of Q2. The rain didn't hamper Nico Rosberg's run – the German said "I just didn't drive good enough" – and he took third spot in the second Mercedes-AMG Petronas. Showing what the Infiniti Red Bull Racing chassis can do when the power unit is working properly, teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat grabbed fourth and fifth. Whippersnapper Max Verstappen, in his second race, qualified in sixth with an excellent drive through the rain; just 0.030 behind Kvyat, he said he could have got fifth if he hadn't had a running problem with his brakes. Williams head of vehicle performance Rob Smedley said he wouldn't complain about Mercedes' advantage, but Felipe Massa has spent the whole season so far banging the alarm about Ferrari's pace. He says Williams has lost its straight-line advantage, part of the reason the first Grove car is back in seventh, while Valtteri Bottas is in eighth. Between them was Romain Grosjean in the Lotus, but he got dropped two positions for a pit-lane infraction in Q2, so he'll be tenth. Ahead of him is Marcus Ericsson in the Sauber, who would lead the charge to turn in another surprise for the Swiss team. But the real surprise came from the Scuderia Ferrari, who, on a bright, sunny day proved that they don't need to add water for race-winning pace. While Hamilton got made usual awesome start at the lights, Vettel channeled that other famous German Ferrari driver and immediately cut across the track to intimidate Rosberg, maintaining his second place position into the first turn. Arguably the race-winning move came three laps later at that same turn, when Ericsson plunged in too fast and swapped ends, beaching the rear of his Sauber in the gravel trap. The safety car came out when the recovery truck emerged to retrieve the Sauber, and nearly all of the front-runners took to the pits to swap out of the medium tires. Vettel, however, didn't.

James May's Ferrari 488 GTB road test makes us miss Top Gear

Whoever the BBC lines up for the next iteration of Top Gear, the reality with which we're coming to grips is that the show will likely never be the same. The question is whether the departing hosts will ever be the same without each other, and without the show that brought them together. This clip could go a long way towards answering that question, though. In this video review for the Driving section of the Sunday Times, James May joined the gaggles of gathering journalists in Maranello to check out the new Ferrari 488 GTB. And suffice it to say, it's not quite as entertaining (or even as well-informed) as most of the segments in which we've grown accustomed to seeing Captain Slow driving fast cars. James does have some rather relevant experience he might have imparted, though, seeing as how he didn't just drive the ultimate version of the preceding model – he went out and bought himself a 458 Speciale shortly before losing his job. So with GBP200k of car payments to make, we're hardly surprised to see him fronting for another operation. Whether it's worthy of him or not, you'll want to watch the clip to decide for yourself.