Ferrari 488 GTB
2015–2019 · Ferrari 488 GTB — Supercar, V8 Twin-Turbo, designed by Ferrari Styling Centre (Flavio Manzoni).
The Story
When Ferrari unveiled the 488 GTB in 2015, it did what the faithful had spent years dreading: it bolted two turbochargers to the mid-mounted V8 and walked away from natural aspiration. The 458’s glorious 4.5L screamer was retired for a new 3.9L twin-turbo unit (F154 CB) — 661 hp at 8,000 rpm — Ferrari’s first turbocharged ‘regular’ mid-V8 since the F40. The enthusiast backlash was immediate: fear that boost would mute the sound, blunt response and strip the emotion.
The genius was that Ferrari answered those fears with engineering, not rhetoric. Ball-bearing twin-scroll turbos and clever variable torque management — metering peak torque out gear-by-gear — meant it never feels like a torque-converter sledgehammer and never falls into a lazy turbo lull. The result: ~170 hp/litre (a marque record at the time), 0–62 in 3.0 s, 205 mph, and Manzoni bodywork making 50% more downforce than the 458 with less drag.
History has been kind. It won Top Gear’s Supercar of the Year 2015 and Motor Trend’s 2017 Best Driver’s Car, and its engine took the International Engine of the Year four straight years (2016–2019) — the first ever to do so. The turbo era enthusiasts feared became one of the most decorated chapters in Ferrari’s mid-V8 story.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Supercar class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Ferrari Styling Centre (Flavio Manzoni)
Ferrari’s in-house design centre led by Flavio Manzoni (Design Director since 2010), which ended the Pininfarina era and styles all modern Ferraris.
Studio Motors POV
The 488 GTB is the car that proved Ferrari could turbocharge its mid-V8 without selling its soul — you trade a little of the 458’s top-end shriek for monstrous, brilliantly-managed real-world thrust. An engineering triumph wearing the asterisk every enthusiast quietly acknowledges: magnificent, but not quite as emotional as the NA act it replaced.
The Engine
Ferrari F154 V8
Lineage
Where it sits in the bloodline
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About 488 GTB
Worth Knowing About the 488 GTB
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- • You only get the full 561 lb-ft in 7th gear — lower gears are electronically capped to preserve a linear, NA-like build of thrust and protect throttle feel.
- • Its V8 is the first engine in the history of the International Engine of the Year awards to win the overall title four years running (2016–2019).
- • Despite sharing the F154 family with the California T, the 488 doesn't use the Cali T's 3.8L — it got a bespoke larger 3.9L unit developed specifically for it.
5 Fast Facts
- • 3,902 cc twin-turbo V8 (F154 CB): 661 hp @ 8,000 rpm, 561 lb-ft @ 3,000 rpm.
- • 0–62 mph in 3.0 s; 0–200 km/h in 8.3 s; top speed 205 mph (330 km/h).
- • First turbocharged mid-engined Ferrari V8 since the F40.
- • Designed by Flavio Manzoni's Ferrari Styling Centre; 50% more downforce than the 458 with less drag.
- • 7-speed DCT; built 2015–2019, succeeded by the F8 Tributo.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
Gordon Ramsay — documented 488 GTB owner; also drove one at Maranello (autoevolution / supercarblondie). 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) — owned a 488 GTB and famously called it a ‘lemon’ on Instagram in 2020 after a dead-battery breakdown, reportedly contributing to a Ferrari purchase ban (HotCars / motorbiscuit). (Keanu Reeves is documented driving a 488 at Fiorano but ownership isn’t verified — EXCLUDED as owner.)
Studio Buyer’s Brief
The base GTB is the usable, daily-friendly choice; the 488 Pista is the lighter, sharper, far more collectible (and pricier) one — GTB for driving, Pista for appreciation. Inspect turbos and plumbing (whistling/rattling, boost leaks at hoses/seals); watch for rough DCT shifts and fluid leaks, misfires/low-oil-pressure niggles, and suspension knocks. Verify recall work — the 2016 Takata-style passenger airbag inflator recall (~24,798 cars), plus brake-fluid-leak and fuel-vapour recalls. Full Ferrari history is essential.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Ferrari 488 GTB
- Class
- Supercar
- Production years
- 2015–2019
- Units built
- ~6,500 (est.; no official figure)
- Variants
- 488 Spider (convertible)
- Engine layout
- Mid
- Engine
- V8 Twin-Turbo
- Engine family
- Ferrari F154 V8
- Displacement
- 3902 cc (3.9 L)
- Power
- 661 hp
- Torque
- 561 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 3 s
- Top speed
- 205 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 450 hp/tonne · 4.9 lb/hp
- Transmission
- 7-speed dual-clutch (F1 DCT)
- Drivetrain
- RWD · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 3241 lb
Questions
488 GTB FAQ
What engine powers the Ferrari 488 GTB?
The 488 GTB uses a 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 (code F154 CB) producing 661 hp at 8,000 rpm and 561 lb-ft of torque. It was Ferrari’s first turbocharged mid-engine V8 road car since the F40.
How fast is the Ferrari 488 GTB?
Ferrari quotes 3.0 seconds to 62 mph (0-100 km/h) and a top speed of 205 mph (330 km/h), with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox routing all 661 hp to the rear wheels.
Why did Ferrari switch to turbocharging with the 488 GTB?
The 488 GTB replaced the naturally aspirated 458 Italia and was Ferrari’s first turbocharged mid-engine V8 since the F40, combining stricter emissions compliance with greater peak torque than the outgoing naturally aspirated unit.
Did the 488 GTB engine win any major awards?
The 488 GTB’s 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 won the 2016 International Engine of the Year overall title plus three additional category awards: Performance Engine, New Engine, and the 3.0-to-4.0-litre class. A jury of 63 automotive journalists voted it the best engine of the year.
What car replaced the Ferrari 488 GTB?
The F8 Tributo replaced the 488 GTB in 2019, using the same 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 with increased power output and aerodynamic improvements drawn from the racing-focused 488 Pista.
The Ferrari Lineup
Explore every Ferrari
250 Europa / Europa GT ’53250 GT Berlinetta 'Tour de France' (TdF) ’56250 GT Coupe 'Boano' / 'Ellena' ’56250 Testa Rossa (TR) ’57250 GT California Spider LWB ’57250 GT Cabriolet ’57250 GT Coupe (Pininfarina) ’58250 GT Berlinetta SWB ’59250 GT Berlinetta 'Interim' ’59
250 GT California Spider SWB ’60250 GTE 2+2 ’60250 GTO ’62250 GT Lusso (GT/L) ’62330 America ’63275 GTB ’64365 GTB/4 Daytona ’68Dino 246 GT ’69
365 GT4 BB / 512 BB ’73308 GTB / GTS ’75
288 GTO ’84Testarossa ’84328 GTB / GTS ’85F40 ’87348 ’89
F355 ’94F50 ’95550 Maranello ’96360 Modena ’99
575M Maranello ’02Enzo ’02360 Challenge Stradale ’03612 Scaglietti ’04F430 ’04599 GTB Fiorano ’06430 Scuderia ’07California ’08458 Italia ’09
599 GTO ’10F12berlinetta ’12LaFerrari ’13458 Speciale ’13F12tdf ’15488 GTB ’15GTC4Lusso ’16812 Superfast ’17Portofino M ’17488 Pista ’18Monza SP1 / SP2 ’18F8 Tributo ’19SF90 Stradale ’19Roma ’19
812 Competizione ’21296 GTB ’21Purosangue ’22Daytona SP3 ’22SF90 XX Stradale ’2312Cilindri ’24F80 ’24296 Speciale ’25
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