Ferrari F8 Tributo — Meet Ferrari’s Latest And Most Powerful V8 Supercar

Over the past 70 years, Ferrari has achieved legendary, God-like status in the automobile world. The Italian car giant has etched its name in the hearts and minds of automobile enthusiasts, automobile critics and the general public alike. Having produced some of the finest supercars of all time, (e.g. Ferrari F40, Enzo, La Ferrari, 488 etc.) Ferrari has also been a pioneer and flag bearer for the motorsport industry with countless championships in Formula 1 and other world-renowned races. Supercars and large, powerful engines with stupendous amounts of horsepower go hand in hand. Ferrari has been very popular in producing some very successful V8 supercars, with the most recent from the house of Ferrari the Ferrari 488 which was launched in 2015. At the 2019 Geneva Motor Show Ferrari unveiled the F8 Tributo, as a replacement for the Ferrari 488. Let’s find out what makes the latest Ferrari a spectacle of engineering, speed, technology paying a fitting tribute to the mid-engine Ferrari V8’s.

On first impressions, you will realize that the F8 Tributo resembles the 488 quite a bit. Look closer and you will realize that the changes though subtle are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Car design is ever evolving and progressive, same is the case with the F8 Tributo. Ferrari has taken the 488 as a blueprint and enhanced the overall design for better aerodynamics, performance. The new car is sleeker, lighter, very aerodynamic and visual beauty to look at! The front section of the car is particularly aggressive looking. The nose of the car has a boomerang-like design to it. The headlamps though taken from the 488 are slimmer and sleeker. There is a large air intake at the front allowing for air to channelize and pass through to the engine for better cooling. Brake cooling has also been improved with additional vents allowing for air to pass directly to the brakes, Ferrari has decided against going for larger brakes, hence saving on overall weight. The rear of the car exhibits a complete rejig in design when compared to the 488. The rear fascia is now more aggressive with cuts, vents for the aerodynamics. The taillights give the car a good retro look and the dual exhaust pipes ooze performance. There is a hint of the legendary Ferrari F40 with the louvred engine cover. According to Ferrari, the F8 Tributo is the bridge to a new design language for future Ferraris. Ferrari in a statement has said that the overall design of the F8 Tributo has resulted in a weight saving of over 40 kg and a 10% improvement in aerodynamics. Step inside and you will be welcomed to the familiar cabin of a modern Ferrari. Like the rest of the car, the 488 resemblance is familiar in the cabin. Amongst the changes are newly designed turbine-like AC vents, a new 7-inch touchscreen unit on the passenger side of the car, a new steering wheel. Coming to the most important element of the car, it’s 3.9 L V8 engine! The F8 Tributo is powered by Ferrari’s iconic twin-turbo V8 petrol engine. This engine also does duty on the 488. There has been an astounding increase of 50 bhp to the power output when compared to the 488 thereby making 710 bhp of max power. For most of the ordinary and day to day cars reaching from 0–100 kmph would be a good 9+ seconds (approx.) but not for the F8 Tributo…Ferrari’s latest supercar takes a mere 2.9 seconds! You hit the 200 kmph in 7.9 seconds, both these are extremely quick and remarkable timings. The world-renowned 3.9 L V8 engine which does duty on this car is a twin-turbo unit, however, Ferrari claims there is virtually no turbo lag. With the advent of technology performance, car manufacturers are using a lot of hybrid technology to get out peak performance from their cars. Taking this into consideration, Ferrari has not used any hybrid technology in the F8 Tributo.

The F8 Tributo is a benchmark for mid-engine supercars. The latest car from the Ferrari stable is its most powerful mid-engine V8 supercar yet. The F8 Tributo pays homage to the mid-engine Ferraris before it, this could very well be the last mid-engine V8 supercar from Ferrari. Nevertheless, Ferrari has given us a marvellous car! Watch out McLaren 720S, you just got a new challenger!