ehind the wheel The
ehind the wheel The Ferrari F8 Tributo graces the track at the Varano circuit, near Parma, Italy (0-62 mph) arrives in 2.9 seconds, 200 km/h (0-124 mph) in 7.8, and were Varano big enough we’d be hitting 340 km/h (211 mph) not long thereafter. The figures are a step up on its outgoing relative, the 488 GTB. In fact, the paternity test points to the soupedup 488 Pista. It’s got the latter’s engine, using race-derived lightweight components with slightly adapted camshafts and valve timing, and more refinement in areas such as ride, transmission, and sound insulation. Throttle response is instant, there’s a total absence of turbo lag, and there’s ballistic torque right across the 8,000 rpm range. Moreover, it’s easy to drive and gleefully rewarding. Handling and control are intuitive and aided by the latest version of Ferrari’s Side Slip Angle software and enhanced dynamics (FDE+), which can be activated on the shrunken steering wheel’s manettino dial, giving drivers more confidence on the limit. For Silicon Valley types, this’ll be their spirit animal. In this car, code equals lap time. The styling is a gentle continuation of what we’ve seen from Ferrari this decade, with aerodynamics trumping elegance, but it is aggressively beautiful. The ninja-star wheels and quad taillights are carryovers from the 1980s, and the clear polycarbonate louvred engine cover, designed to extract hot air, is a direct nod to the epochal F40. Roll up your sleeves and imagine you’re in Miami Vice. Ferrari has stretched Darwin’s Theory of Evolution to the extreme. Magnum PI’s 308 was the Berlinetta bloodline’s starting point, the prehistoric 255 bhp primate. Evolution finishes with this, the Tributo, standing tall after 40 years of generational progress. The 328, 348, F355, 360, F430, 458, and 488; every five years or so, a new and improved offspring emerges. The furniture hasn’t moved – two seats propelled by a mid-rearmounted V8 – yet the performance feels like millennia of advancement. The jurors of the International Engine of the Year Awards not only bestowed the F8 Tributo’s F154 powerplant bestin-show honours but announced it as the finest engine of the last 20 years. But there’s possibly another reason to the Tributo moniker: This is Ferrari’s V8 swansong. It appears that Maranello isn’t impervious to external pressures. Horsepower is going up, but displacement is going down. Hybrid technology is being used to great effect on its hypercars, and an all-electric prancing horse seems inevitable one day. Right now, Ferrari is in the advanced stages of signing off an all-new 2.9l twin-turbo V6, with hybrid tech pushing bhp into the mid-700s. It’ll be lighter, it’ll be cleaner, and less taxable, but will it have the character? We must, therefore, cherish the F8 Tributo. No other 0,000 supercar is this well engineered or this thrilling to drive on the edge. Yet despite all its innovative parts and lines of code, it’s old school. It really is a fitting tribute to everything that’s gone before, and Ferrari is right to be proud. Owners should be, too. ferrari.com Ferrari has stretched Darwin’s theory of evolution to the extreme © FERRARI 34 NetJets
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