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If you have about $300,000 to spend on a supercar, you've got an enviable but very difficult decision to make.
Be you go with the absolutely insane Lamborghini Recon or perhaps we precision engineered McLaren 650S Or there's the classically beautiful, but thoroughly modern Aston Martin DD11.
Those are all great choices, but there's always one brand that's going to be difficult to ignore.
It's the one with the greatest racing heritage.
I am of course talking about Ferrari.
This is the 488 GTB, it's the successor to the epic 458.
It's more powerful, it's faster, it's got better handling, greater aerodynamics, and it looks better to.
We're gonna find out what it's like to live with the 488 but first we're gonna hit the track.
And not just any track we made a trip To Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.
One of the most beautiful and historic circuits in the U.S..
It opened in 1957 and basically sits right inside the town of Lakeville.
So close to the church that racing is banned
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And on Sundays.
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Thankfully, we came on a Wednesday.
Now, this is a very short course, only about a mile and a half in length with a front straight that's over before you know it, but even So I'm hitting 140 miles an hour by the end of this front straight.
When the Risi Competizione 488 GTE came here last month, the same guys who got second at Le Mans earlier this summer.
They're hitting 150 miles an hour on the front straight.
And that's in a full bore race car with slicks, and big wings, and professional drivers.
[NOISE] There are obviously a lot of differences between the GTV road car and the GTE race car, not the least of which being price.
The GTE costs about three times as much but still these two are far more alike than they are different.
They share an engine to start, a 3.9 liter V8 that manages 661 horsepower than the road car, almost 100 more than the old 458 The 488's chassis is the same as the race car and the body work is too, mostly anyway.
But where the GTE needs a big wing for down force, the road going GTB does things much more subtly.
Air is channeled through the nose and a massive defuser at the rear has flaps that open to manage drag.
Those giant scoops behind the doors, the top opening feeds the turbos while air going in the bottom gets ducted through, venting out between the tail lights.
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There's 50% more downforce here than on the 458, and that's despite having less drag and no big wings hanging off the car.
And the steering is incredible.
This is the most direct, most linear feeling car I have ever driven.
If you miss the apex in this thing, you got nobody to blame but yourself.
And then of course there's the power.
The power of this car is absolutely unbelievable.
You get it to [UNKNOWN] Throttle, and it just takes off.
The LEDs start blinking in your face frantically telling you to grab another gear.
Good luck keeping up with that, but thankfully the car's pretty happy to shift itself if you want it to.
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At the limit, the 488 is amazing.
It is absolutely amazing.
And while I'm sure the full bore race version, the GTE, is even more amazing to drive out here, there's one trick that that car can't match.
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The 480 GTD is of course a road car, not a pure race car.
And as such, it's actually quite livable.
The adaptive suspension goes from track ready to back friendly with the touch of a button.
Practicalities aside, living with a super car isn't always all that it's cracked up.
to be.
Most cars that can do more than 200 miles an hour are pretty boring to drive on normal roads at normal speeds but, somehow, not this one.
The steering is so light and this thing is so nimble that it's a joy to drive at any speed.
And, sure, most super cars have great sounding engines, but they usually have a lot of road noise and tire drone on the highway, too, but somehow Not this one.
[SOUND] All the better to hear what you want to hear.
The engine, it's an incredible [UNKNOWN] with dual twin scroll turbo chargers.
And unlike other luxury manufacturers, Ferrari isn't trying to hide them.
Not only are the turbos easily visible, nested down In that lovely engine bay, you can here them sucking and whistling on acceleration.
And even the concussive hits of the waste gate when you eventually get on the brakes.
There's even a massive boost gauge right there on the dashboard.
The car is missing a lot of technology that we've come to expect from modern [INAUDIBLE] Machines.
Things like lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control.
But that's not to say that this car is lacking technology.
In fact, there's plenty of it.
There's an electronic rear differential that will automatically vector torque from left to right and the car has one of the most advanced stability control systems on the planet that doesn't just cut power when you start to slide.
It actually adjusts the rear dampers to help you maintain that slide.
It will help you look like a hero.
In other words, all the technology in this car is intended to help you go faster.
Everything, maybe, except the Apple Carplay integration.
Although Hey Siri, should I be taking a late apex into turn one at Linewright Park?
No, take a traditional line, but only turn out to the track before turn two.
Then stop being such a wimp on the downhill.
I guess I need a few more
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So the 480 looks good.
It sounds great.
It's got amazing performance.
Really the only problem with this car is, that as configured, this one costs $358,000.
That's more than my house costs, but I think I've got a solution for that, too.
It's a little cozy, but it's got a great view.
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