Cover story: Honda Civic Type R

40 years of mid-engined V8 Ferrari berlinettas
1975 308 GTB
Pininfarina-designed, Scagliettibuilt
Dino 246 GT successor was
Ferrari’s first mid-engined V8
berlinetta.
Spec: Transverse 2926cc V8,
252bhp, 214lb ft
1982 208 GTB TURBO
Italian-tax-friendly 2.0-litre V8
in the 308 body created 1980’s
208. 208 Turbo is the 488 GTB’s
embarrassing uncle.
Spec: Transverse 1991cc V8,
217bhp, 177lb ft
1984 GTO
The turbo connection the 488
likes to rif on. Just 272 ‘288’
GTOs were built – but never
raced – for Group B racing.
Spec: Longitudinal 2855cc V8,
395bhp, 366lb ft
1985 328 GTB
Gentle evolution of 308 with a
200cc bump, less wedgy snout,
more aerodynamic body. Turbo
version again available.
Spec: Tranverse 3186cc V8,
270bhp, 224lb ft
1989 348 TB
After the evolutionary 328 came
revolution with 348: semimonocoque
chassis, all-new
gearbox, longitudinal layout.
Spec: Longitudinal 3405cc V8,
296bhp, 239lb ft
1994 F355 BERLINETTA
Aluminium/steel body on semimonocoque
chassis, V8 set in
tubular subframe. Automated
manual debuted in ’97.
Spec: Longitudinal 3495cc V8,
375bhp, 268lb ft
1999 360 MODENA
First all-aluminium Ferrari 40%
stifer, 28% lighter than 355, but
larger with longer wheelbase.
Continuously variable dampers.
Spec: Longitudinal 3586cc V8,
395bhp, 275lb ft
2004 F430
Evolution of the 360, with
all-new V8, electronically
controlled dif, carbon-ceramic
brakes, first manettino dial.
Spec: Longitudinal 4308cc V8,
483bhp, 343lb ft
2009 458 ITALIA
All-new car. Aluminium body,
dual-clutch auto only. V8 revved
to 9000rpm with 597bhp in
Speciale guise. End of an era.
Spec: Longitudinal 4497cc V8,
562bhp, 398lb ft
’We don’t like to add
aero on top of form,
we like to subtract
and excavate,‘ says
designer Manzoni.
Hence the bar-ofsoap
slipperiness
Key switchgear
is located on the
steering wheel, as is
Ferrari’s modern, F1-
inspired habit. Sports
seats are too hard and
lack support
body is new, Manzoni didn’t have a
free hand.
‘I’ve never seen anything like
the relationship between form
and function at Ferrari,’ he says.
‘Most cars are designed around the
mechanical package, but here the
aerodynamics are crucial and this is
so much more complex. It has a very
strong impact on our job.’
Manzoni worked on both the
F12 and LaFerrari, and like those
cars, the 488’s bodywork is light on
spoiler but heavy on aerodynamic
sculpting, like sandstone blasted
by eddies over millennia. Air is fed
through the front bumper to both a new underbody with
‘twin vortex generators’ – a pair of symmetrical paths that
curve outwards from the front axle line and terminate behind
the front wheels – and enlarged radiators, a necessity due to
the turbocharged engine’s increased cooling demands.
There are also ‘base-bleed’ side intakes divided by a central
flap ahead of the rear wheels, before the bodywork flows into
flanks that are wider and more muscular than the 458’s; the
new turbos and intercoolers demanded a 40mm wider track,
much to Manzoni’s delight. The upper part of the base-bleed
intakes’ airflow goes to the engine while also cutting through
the car to exit next to the all-LED rear lights, helping to
reduce low pressure behind the car. Flow through the lower
vents goes directly to the intercoolers.
Rather than a spoiler sticking up in the breeze, air is channelled
between the base of the rear screen and the bodywork,
exiting via the bumper. A new diffuser also actively adjusts to
increase downforce or cut drag as required.
‘We don’t like to add aero on top of form, we like to subtract
and excavate, it’s more elegant,’ says Manzoni. ‘There are
simple lines to give an iconic feeling, it’s very clean, very pure.’
Manzoni asks how the 488 drives. I presume he’s making
conversation, but I discover that his team regularly pulls 13-
hour days and he simply hasn’t had the chance. I tell him it’s
amazing; it feels odd to just drive off and leave the man who
created the thing trying to blag a steer.
But it’s crucial that we do actually leave the track, because
it’s beyond Fiorano’s gates that the 488 should really shine.
Where the Speciale was raw and thrilling, the 488 has a
broader brief to satisfy less hardcore customers.
Inside, it’s been tweaked and fettled, graphics updated,
but really it looks and feels much the same as the 458,
with the blade-like instrument panel floating above the
low-slung centre console, a steering wheel loaded with
switchgear, and that central rev counter bordered by digital
screens that give you the car’s vital stats (left) and infotainment
systems (right). You’ll still muddle over the indicators
and wipers, the sat-nav still gets lost outside Fiorano, but
it’s the sports seats in our car that are the biggest concern:
they’re too firm and unsupportive; the Speciale’s chairs are
far comfier, perversely.
Generally, though, this is a much more road-oriented,
more luxurious car than the Speciale, intended as it is to
pick up where the Italia left off. There’s less road noise, fewer
bombastic exhaust antics and a significantly more compliant
ride than the Speciale’s. The dampers are based on the
Speciale’s, but re-valved, and the way they balance comfort
with body control is pretty exceptional – a clear step beyond
the already comfortable Italia. Is there a more tangible
difference between the hardest setting and the brilliantly
named ‘bumpy road’ this time? I think so.
We leave Maranello, heading south from the industry
CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | July 2015 99