The BMW 8 Series is making a triumphant return to our roads after a two decade holiday.
We knew it was coming and like all modern launches, seemed to go on forever. The M8 race car made its debut before the road. That might seem odd, but this new car is a big deal for BMW.
As you’ll see, both the launch models are M Performance cars, so there’s bound to be more on the way.
BMW 8 Series
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The new car, first showed concept form at the Concours D’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2017 marks a turning point in BMW’s design language. It’s also the marque return to the top-end coupe market.
At launch, you’ll be able to choose from two all-wheel drive variants, the M850i xDrive and M840d xDrive.
While xDrive tells you all four wheels send power to the road, you’ll be pleased to know that like the Jaguar F-Type SVR it’s really rear-wheel drive. BMW says that all the power goes to the rear until the car’s system detect slip and then the party heads for the front door.
Both look pretty much the same, although the M850i gets all the goodies. It’s a long, sleek thing with what BMW calls “extremely slim headlights.” I can’t say they’re incredibly slim from the photos, but BMW says they’re the slimmest ever for a Beemer, so I’ll take their word for it.
Along with all-wheel drive, the 8 Series also comes with four-wheel steering (with the silly official name of Integral Active Steering).
You can also get optional laser lights if you’re keen. They throw a beam 600m (well over a quarter of a mile) down the road and through some black magic avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.
BMW’s engineers have kept weight down with lots of aluminium (roof, doors, bonnet and front bulkhead) while the transmission tunnel is made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). You can also spec the double-bubble roof in CFRP to reduce weight even further. The lengthy options list has lots of stuff to choose from.
8 Series Interior
The cabin is packed full of fun gear like heads-up display, digital dashboard and standard leather seats. There is a set of rear seats, but how big they are is hard to tell from the supplied images. The interior design is still very familiar to BMW owners, but it’s an evolution that makes it look more contemporary.
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M850i xDrive
BMW is clearly aiming this one at the more sporting driver. The company says the V8 has undergone a massive amount of refinement while still providing “intense power delivery.” I’m not being sarcastic, it’s what the press release says. It’s a good engine, though.
The M850i xDrive ships with BMW’s twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 spinning out 390kW (530PS) and 750Nm for a 3.7 second run to 100km/h (62mph). Interestingly, the V8’s torque figure is well clear of the diesel’s.
The top of the launch range rolls on 20-inch wheels and the M Sport styling kit comes in Cerium Grey along with a wing. The car in the pic also has the laser lights, which are those blue tinges.
BMW 840d xDrive
Ah, does sir or madam prefer a relaxed cruiser? Step this way.
For your long-distance cruising pleasure, the M840d xDrive has BMW’s straight-six turbodiesel. That engine is good for 235kW (320PS) and 680Nm for a 0-100 time of 4.9 seconds. And a lower fuel bill, obviously.
The two are distinguishable by different design details, but you’ll have to look closely. The 840d has 19-inch alloys and specific interior trim.
BMW M8
Haha, fooled you. Well, only slightly. There is proper 8 Series M-car on the way, but it will be well into next year as the new car turns heads to the brand. That will have the M5’s bonkers 441kW (600PS) V8. Well I say those power figures knowing that everyone who has plopped the new M5 on a dyno has seen rather more than the quoted figures.
Rumour has it that the M8 will pack 480kW, putting it up there with the Huracan Performante. as far as actual outputs go, anyway. Should be a riot.
Jaguar’s awesome topless F-Type comes in hardtop form. If you really want to get moving, you want the F-Type SVR Coupe.
If you’ve been here before, you’ll know I drove the F-Type SVR a few months ago. I may have loved it. I even confessed that I didn’t mind it was a convertible. A little while later, our local Jag man mentioned that he had an SVR coupe on the way. It’s almost like the room fell silent when he said it. But because he’s awesome, I didn’t have to ask.
History
The F-Type arrived – after years of prevarication – in 2013. It went off and everyone loved it. The Coupe followed a year later, first shown at the 2013 LA Motor Show, then at the Tokyo Show the same year.
In 2016, Jaguar showed us the SVR in both forms. There are few genuine differences between the cars, but two are important to know – the SVR Coupe is lighter and the top speed is 8km/h (6mph) higher at 320km/h (200mph).
SVR Coupe Drivetrain
As you may already know, the SVR Coupe shares the same 423kW (575PS) supercharged V8 with that completely mad active exhaust. Power goes to all four wheels (don’t knock it) and the eight-speed ZF automatic is as delicious as ever.
The SVR version of the V8 has larger air intakes to suck in more air as well as a lot more cooling.
Despite being faster than the R, it’s also lighter, the Coupe lighter again. The brilliant exhaust is 16kg lighter than the R’s and made of titanium and Inconel.
SVR Coupe Chassis
Despite lashings of aluminium and that lighter exhaust, the F-Type is not a lightweight. If you want something lighter, go and…um…acquire a Project 7. You can knock off a few more kilos with the carbon ceramic brakes and the carbon roof, but your starting weight is still the wrong side of 1700kg.
Those carbon brakes are huge – 398mm up front and 380mm at the rear, gripped by tell-tale yellow calipers. Our test car had both the brakes and roof, lopping a total of 25kg (55lb) from the Coupe’s kerb weight. That’s useful and the brakes’ weight saving is extra good as it’s less unsprung weight. Redesigned suspension knuckles save a further 600 grams at the rear.
On the SVR Coupe the wheels are forged alloys, saving 16kg over those on the R.With the carbon brakes came those gorgeous 20-inch alloys (same size as the standard wheels), which knocks the edge off the cost.
As I’ve already said it’s all-wheel drive but it’s as rear-biased. And that’s rear-biased in the way a bear is fond of honey. It’s basically rear-wheel drive most of the time until the fronts are needed. Ten percent finds its way forward of your feet, but you wouldn’t know it. Between the rear wheels, the active limited slip differential ensures shenanigans. The torque vectoring available across the range is also along for the ride.
The SVR Coupe also has the same active aero as the convertible, with a wing that pops up at around 110km/h (70mph) with the front splitter reacting accordingly. One of the coolest bits about the car is that if you manually retract the wing, a “VMax” graphic appears on the dashboard.
Naturally, SVO fits a gun set of springs and adaptive damping helps calm things down when you want to just pootle around town.
Driving – Every day
Anybody reading this will drive the SVR Coupe in Race mode, but let’s talk about what it’s like in Normal. It’s excellent, but the SVR is never normal. It’s quieter and calmer but still has colossal potential under your right foot. Despite the exhaust system’s valves being shut, it sounds menacing. And when you press start, will bellow like a cow meeting a truck on a highway. You’ve been warned.
It’s a long car but it never feels too big. The doors are obviously long enough to be double as a spare bridge over the River Kwai, but that’s only part of the struggle to get into the F-Type – doesn’t matter which one you buy, it’s a long way down. But that’s kind of the point.
Once you’re in and the door is shut, the Coupe feels barely different to the Convertible. I wonder if the Coupe with the carbon roof might be slightly noisier, but hey, it weighs less and that’s all I really care about.
Obviously, it’s a strict two-seater and it feels like you’re sitting in a big baseball mitt. And I’m not saying that because of the colour of the test car’s leather. You sit low, cradled in the cockpit, it almost feels like a race car. Hilariously, because you sit so far rearward, the wheel arches don’t intrude into the footwell.
The only worry I have driving this is the front splitter – it’s very low and doesn’t mind a scrape out of driveways. Most of the time it’s the rubberised plastic aero skirt making the noise, which is heartening.
Driving. Like, really driving.
This is a proper, fun car. I’ll tell you right now it’s probably not the best of its kind. The Mercedes GT C will probably go faster around a track but it won’t look as good. It won’t sound as good. It won’t make you feel as good. The Jaguar will affix a permanent grin to your face.
One of the greatest things about this car is its broad appeal. When you’re gunning this thing, everybody loves it – your passenger and the audience when they hear that supercharged V8 fired up. The exhaust racket is massive and it never, ever gets old.
When you’re firing it down the bends, the turn-in and grip is fantastic. You can feel the rear diff working hard as you thread it through the twisting stuff. For its weight, the SVR handles the bumps extraordinarily well – the MY18 model is happier on the rough stuff – and helps you build confidence. The Jag looks after you.
If you’re unsympathetic with the throttle and have left the electronics on, it will still buck and kick but again, will never let you down.
But you never get away from the fact it’s a heavy brute. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. Even here in the Coupe, the noise still invades the cabin providing you put the windows down, it makes the car feel alive.
The SVR Coupe is about fun. It knows it’s about fun, not about lap times. It’s an amazing road car that would be an absolute hoot on the track, but is fun on the road. Because eve when you’re dribbling along in traffic, the supercharged V8, the feel of the car under your backside and the reflection in windows.
The fact it’s supercar-fast to 100km/h and with a supercar top speed is neither her nor there – it’s hilarious, brilliant and a car I would own in a heartbeat.
And the real clincher? My wife loves it too.
Like the Coupe? Want to know about the convertible? Click here.
The BMW X2 is fine looking compact crossover (or SUV, if you will), taking on the likes of Audi’s Q2.
BMW X2 sDrive 20i
The BMW X2 is one of those cars that leaps out at you. It has the profile and stance of a paper plane laid carefully on a bench top but is actually a high-ish riding crossover. Built as part of BMW’s pincer movement on the compact SUV segment, it supplements the X1 in this wildly popular part of the market.
The sDrive 20i is a front-wheel drive 2.0-litre turbo version of the stylish new X2, which is also available with xDrive all-wheel drive and diesel options. We tested an Australian-delivered X2 M Sport X with a few tasty options on board.
History & Design
It’s a short one – the BMW X2 is the first of its name. It would be lazy of me to leave it there, though.
Way back in 2009, BMW gave us the first X1. Codenamed E84, it was cobbled together from the E91 3 Series wagon platform. That wasn’t a bad thing, because it meant it was rear-wheel drive and a good laugh to drive.
The 3 Series platform meant it was a bit weird-looking for its segment. The compact SUV wasn’t really a thing back then but people still complained it didn’t look enough like one. I didn’t mind it, although the front was a tad bluff, something the mid-life LCI didn’t do enough to fix.
The second-generation was a more considered effort, spun off the Mini front-wheel drive UKL2 platform. “That’s more like it,” everyone said. “It looks like a compact SUV now.” Or something to that effect, anyway. It was better looking and, if you knew your Minis, had that same darty front end and vertical bounce in the chassis.
The X2 announcement came on the heels of Audi’s Q2 and the car was first shown at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. I was there and it looked great. Happily we saw the production version a year later and it still looked great, if less sleek, particularly around the front end.
It looked like it had survived the journey to production relatively unscathed, which is pretty good going. The X2 debuts M Sport X, which means M Sport styling bits in Frozen Grey. I quite like that, but plenty don’t. If you don’t like it, you can delete M Sport altogether in some markets and get the dull version. Here in Australia, M Sport X is standard.
BMW X2 Drivetrain
The X2’s sDrive 20i designation means a front-wheel drive (in this case) setup with a 2.0-litre turbo producing 141kW and 280Nm. As it’s a UKL2 car, the engine is mounted across the car.
That’s not a truckload of power or torque, but with a seven-speed twin-clutch will hit 100km/h (62mph) in 7.7 seconds. That’s not slow but won’t set your backside on fire either.
The engine is from BMW’s modular engine family and is everywhere – 1 Series, 2 Series (of all kinds), 3 Series, 5 Series, X1, X3…you get the picture. The confusing “twin power” badge means twin-scroll turbo, not twin turbo or hybrid.
The seven-speed is a weird choice given the usual eight-speed ZF (you get that with the diesel engines), but if I’m honest, I thought it was the ZF…
Driving
There was a bit of an argument in our household about the X2. I’ll come straight out and tell you I thought it was terrific fun to drive. The engine spins quickly and quietly and the transmission makes sure you’re away without any fuss.
The electric power steering is reasonably direct and the front end nice and grippy. I really liked the driving position, too, and the M Sport (ish) steering wheel is one of my favourites.
This particular car had the dynamic damping, which might mask some bad behaviour on the standard units, but I haven’t spoken to anyone who doesn’t like them. In Sport mode it firms up very nicely and with the turbo spinning, it really moves.
The UKL2 platform is where my wife and I disagree. She hates the Mini and the X1. Not that she thinks they’re bad cars, she hates the way they ride. Both have a distinct bounce to them. Not a heaving, hearty wallow, but a particular feel in the dampers where there’s a frequency of vertical movement she just doesn’t like. I do like it, it feels go-karty. Our marriage has survived worse arguments, but she is resolute in her opinion that BMWs are rear-wheel drive and that’s all there is to it.
I really like the way the front end goes where you want it to. It’s a bit like the Q2 that way (not the base model, I hasten to add), it feels like a warm hatch. That’s a good thing because this segment is full of cars that are fun to drive (although many are much cheaper), so BMW had to do something to make the extra money worthwhile.
The X2 is 10mm lower than the X1 and you sit 20mm lower, too, which explains the good driving position. It’s not really that high, either, riding at 182mm. The changes to the platform didn’t stop there, with a bit of extra negative camber up front to improve turn-in. The anti-roll bars feature pre-loaded bushes and the body is ten percent stiffer. All that means that in non-adaptive damped cars (ours was), the ride is better but the handling is also better. Nifty.
Bottom line – it’s better than the X1 in nearly every way, but costs more and has a slightly smaller boot and tighter rear seat. If this car is one of those family compromises, don’t panic – it’s a lot of fun and bodes well for the next-generation 1 Series.
Specs
Our car had a few extras – the Launch Package ($4000 in Australia) includes the panoramic glass sunroof, head-up display (excellent), wireless charging for phones and Navigation Plus. The wireless charging is funky but and works nicely if want to use Apple CarPlay (an option!). Most cars insist on USB for CarPlay so the Qi pad makes sense all of a sudden.
The red interior was a bit of a laugh and, unexpectedly, I didn’t mind it.
Porsche’s electric future is underway and the first car has a name – Porsche Taycan. Yeah, you read that right. Tell me you didn’t hear aha’s “Take On Me” in your head as soon as you saw that.
Mission-E becomes Porsche Taycan
The Porsche path to electric has been a long, considered one. While Tesla provides covering fire for everyone, the people at Porsche have been getting on with it. By 2022, Porsche will have spent more than €6bn (US$7.1bn) on electric mobility. That’s twice the originally-planned figure, but I smell some double accounting here.
It’s not just Porsche, obviously. Following the PR disaster of Volkswagen’s Dieselgate, the whole group is going to EV land. We’ve already covered the new electric SUV Cross Turismo and I’ve written about it’s Audi sister car over at Drive Zero.
The Porsche Taycan is the automobile formerly known as plain old Mission E. Taycan sort of means “lively young horse.” I guess Mustang and Colt were already taken (that’s a joke, obviously).
Porsche went to great lengths to remind us they do good names. Cayenne means fiery (ok, cool, but it’s a massive SUV). Cayman means “incisive and agile” (does it?). Panamera apparently means it offers “more than a standard Gran Turismo” (uh-huh).
And Macan comes from an Indonesian word meaning tiger. That I like and didn’t know before.
Taycan Me (not sorry)
We don’t know much else. The drivetrain is comprised of two “permanently excited” synchronous motors. The system output is over 440kW (600PS) with a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time of 3.5 seconds. Porsche reckons you can do multiple successive launches without a loss in performance. That’ll cause a bit of side-eye among the Tesla fans.
The company says the range is “over 500km” on the NEDC, so it’ll be an I-Pace matching (ish) 450km on the more realistic WLTP. It’s quicker than the Jag, though.
The car goes into production in 2019 at the new upgraded Zuffenhausen plant. The upgrades include a new assembly area, a new bridge to get the bodies and drive units to final assembly and mods to the existing engine plant. Which will no doubt include heaps of power plugs to charge them all up.
Of the extra €3bn, Porsche will spend €500m on the Taycan and variants, €1bn on electrification of the rest of the range (including hybrid versions) and €700m on charging networks, new tech and smart mobility. Oh, and another several hundred million on production sites. Porsche says the Taycan will create 1200 jobs all on its own.
This is as big a deal for Porsche as the I-Pace is for Jaguar. The Cross Turismo will also be super important because SUVs bankroll Porsche’s sportscar business. That doesn’t mean the sportscars don’t make money, it’s just that the SUVs make stacks more. And that means lots of cool weird stuff like special edition Speedsters and 918-style hypercars.
Porsche Taycan Video
Here’s a video of the Taycan, hosted on Vimeo for some reason:
Alfa Romeo’s decade of indecision is a distant memory with a new Alfa 8C and GTV on the way.
Sergio Marchionne, on his way to retirement as head of the gigantic Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group, laid out is five year plan on Friday. Electrification is top of the agenda, along with new cars from Maserati, Jeep and electrified Fiat 500s and Pandas. Diesel is on its deathbed at FCA and I’m not mourning it.
Along with the startling shift to all-electric for the Alfieri (replacing the GranTurismo), Alfa Romeo is doing a new 8C and GTV.
Alfa 8C
Back in 2007, Alfa Romeo dropped the 8C, an achingly pretty V8-powered sports coupe. It didn’t seem to matter that the rest of company was about to burn down – the 159 was about to die, the odd-looking MiTo was old before it released a year later and the Giulietta wasn’t going to sell very well. Alfa was in dire straits while management messed about deciding what to do next (hint, nothing until about 2014).
Now with the extraordinary Giulia (well, the QV is anyway) and acclaimed Stelvio under its belt, Marchionne says a new 8C is on the way.
As the picture says it will have a combined 515kW (700PS), a mid-mounted (Ferrari-supplied) twin-turbo V6 and the front wheels will have an electric motor. The sub three second 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time seems reasonable but I can’t help wondering if Ferrari are going to be too pleased about that.
The carbon fibre monocoque pushed my eyebrows skyward, suggesting this is going to be another low-volume special. The carbon-bodied, steel chassis 2007 8C and 8C Convertible sold exactly 500 units.
Alfa GTV
A subject dear to heart is the Alfa Romeo GTV. I owned a 1977 Alfetta GTV and I loved it and so did everyone else. Even though it was poo-brown (or “Eye of the Tiger” according to the brochure).
The GTV came back in the 90s as a…steady…front-wheel drive coupe. It looked pretty cool and had a Spider twin, but it was hardly a worthy successor to the gorgeous 105 of days gone by.
Alfa was less forthcoming about the GTV, but did say it would have over 440kW (600PS), torque-vectored all-wheel drive and seating for four. With any luck that means a front-engined twin-turbo V6 with electric boost. That kind of suggests the electric motor can’t run on its own, but it is a plug-in hybrid, so who knows.
The rendering, as with the 8C, is all we have to go by, but I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s basically a four-door Giulia.
Alfa 2022
In five years the cute-but-ancient MiTo will be gone, the Giulietta replaced and joined by what looks like a small SUV and Giula and Stelvio will also be replaced. It looks like the Stelvio will score a long wheelbase version, either for the Chinese market or to accomodate a third row. The E segment car looks like a bigger SUV, so that’s probably a spin-off from the Maserati Levante.
They’re all going to be electric, with six PHEVs, which mirrors what’s happening elsewhere in FCA.
I don’t know about you, but this all looks terrific.
You read that dodgy joke right – the next Maserati coupe, the Alfieri, is going electric.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ outgoing boss, Sergio Marchionne spent Friday telling the world about his five-year plan that someone else has to deliver. He’s off to terrorise his grandkids if they don’t win every three-legged race.
Maserati’s sales increase increase since 2011 – 700 percent! – is funding two new models to join the Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte. That means the Alfieri (finally) and a new mid-size SUV to take on the Q5/X3/GLC-sized segment.
The presentation also included two new Alfa Romeo sportscars but what really got our attention was the new Alfieri.
Maserati Alfieri
First shown at a Geneva Motor Show aeons ago (okay, 2014) it looks like it’s finally happening. And it’s a bit unexpected.
The Alfieri is powered by three electric motors and the company says it will sprint to 100km/h (62mph) in two seconds. That sounds familiar. The three motors feature active torque vectoring and drive all four wheels.
Like the Gran Turismo and Gran Cabrio it replaces, it will carry four people but with that kind of performance will give a Ferrari GTC4 Lusso a walloping in a straight line. As well as mashing your kidneys.
Maserati says the battery system is 800-volts and will feature quick charge. The company also reckons the Alfieri will weight just 175kg more than it would if it sported a petrol engine.
Maserati Blue
The same electric tech will also find its way into the new Quattroporte, Ghibli and Levante replacements, offering fully electric and/or plug-in hybrid versions.
In fact, all Maseratis will feature electric or PHEV versions by 2022. The entire FCA Group is going mad for electric in order to ditch diesel, which doesn’t sound like a terrible idea. Guess who is going to make these power units? Ferrari. Join the dots, folks.
All of this is pretty bold for Maserati. Going all-on on electric is part of FCA’s €8 billion electrification spend that will see not just EV Maseratis, but Jeeps, Fiats, Alfas…and Ferraris.
Not going to lie, though – I’ll miss that Ferrari V8 in a Maserati coupe’s nose.
Every week – okay, nearly every week – I post links to stories I’ve done elsewhere as well as stories I like. I’ve been a busy boy for carsguide.com.au (as you can see) and there’s more Redline goodness on the way in the form of a very special car indeed.
Have look, have a click, do me proud.
carsguide.com.au
I had the good fortune to drive the new Audi SQ5. I was a huge fan of the old diesel one (the only one I’ve driven) so was wondering if the petrol one had the mojo.
The new Mazda6 is an even prettier car than before with a new nose and tail and basically a whole new interior. The big news is the CX-9’s 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine with 170kW and 420Nm (the twin-turbo diesel is 140kW/450Nm). It’s no MPS6, but goodness is it a nice car.
I also drove the new Ingenium-engined Range Rover Evoque HSE Dynamic. I really like the way the Evoque looks (Rob Melville at McLaren had a hand in the LRX design study that became the Evoque).
And finally, I spoke to William Chergowsky (with video) from Toyota’s Calty Design studio. Calty is a hugely influential design studio, not just inside Toyota, but in the whole industry.
SUV Authority
My very good friend Karl over at SUV Authority got his teeth into the Lexus NX 300h Hybrid. I’m not a massive fan of the NX and it really should have put Lexus on the SUV map with younger folks but it doesn’t seem to have worked.
Practical Motoring
Over at PM, Paul Horrell had a crack at Volvo’s stylish Volvo V60. I have a thing for the looks of Volvos but haven’t had nearly enough chances to drive them. Paul went to the international launch of the brand new wagon and came away…well, have a look.
The Ferrari 488 GTB is the benchmark. Ferrari’s mid-engined sports cars have been the top of the pile for decades. This latest iteration is the latest in a line that started with the 1968 Dino (don’t start). The mid-engined baby quickly became the standard, with the bigger midships V12s fading away (Aventador excepted) to front-engines.
The 488 Spider is another in a rather shorter line of cars – the hardcore, mid-engined drop-top sports car from Ferrari. But it’s a line that’s as iconic as its coupes.
History
You can trace this style of machine back to the 348 Spider. Released in 1993 towards the end of the 348’s run, it’s probably no surprise it came after Enzo Ferrari’s death in 1988. Yes, there had been Ferrari convertibles before but they had either been conceived as softer lifestyle machines or based on GT cars.
Obviously, these things sold and they sold well. The 355 followed on and sales of the roofless version started to build. Americans particularly liked them but sales came from all corners.
The 488’s mechanical lineage started in 1999 with the 360 Modena and Spider. The all new aluminium space frame was a whopping 28 percent lighter than the 355’s steel monocoque with rear tubular space frame. It was also quite a bit stronger. The new flat-plane crank V8 was a screamer.
Amazingly, the split between the Modena coupe and the Spider was almost 50-50 (8800 vs 7589). In the US, the Spider outsold the Modena 2389 to 1810, the vast majority with the F1 semi-auto transmission.
The 430 came next and there was another addition – the model’s pinnacle, the legendary 430 Scuderia, was also produced in Spider form, limited to 500 units.
The 458 arrived in 2009, the Spider two years later. The new twin-clutch transmission was the only one available and a good thing too. The 458 is so fast – all Ferraris are now so fast – there isn’t the time to change gears manually. The Spider also switched to an aluminium roof panel that folds away under the engine cover.
And again, the Spider came in the form of the swan song, the Speciale – but instead was known as the 458 Speciale A (A for Aperta).
Ferrari 488
Sacrilege. Drama. Disaster. The Ferrari 488 made its debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. Off came the covers and there they were. The 458’s lovely hips had been defaced with gaping air intakes to feed the new, smaller, force-fed V8 engine. Now with two turbos and displacing 600 fewer ccs, certain fans – and some “experts” – went bananas.
How could they? Enzo turning in his grave, they said, while conveniently ignoring the iconic turbocharged V8 F40 produced under his watch. The F40 is considered “the” Ferrari. The 488, though. Not a real Ferrari, they screamed, despite never having driven it. The 458’s twin-clutch and no manual policy had certainly made waves, but this. Surely it was the end of all that is good.
Part of the aggro came from the fact that the “girly” California T (don’t get me started) had the same twin-turbo engine. As usual, it was all unfounded. The Ferrari 488 moved things along almost as far as the 458 had done with almost no loss of its tungsten-carbide tip sharpness.
Competition
Obviously the mid-engined sportscar segment isn’t a hugely crowded space. The obvious contenders for the crown are the Lamborghini Huracan Spider and Audi R8 Spyder, both of which share the same platform and drivetrain. In their most potent forms, both are all-wheel drive to the 488 Spider’s rear-wheel drive. They’re not as fast but they are stiffer with the roof down. Both have a carbon and aluminium spaceframe and that high revving (8500rpm) 5.2-litre V10.
The McLaren 570S Spyder is reasonably close to the Ferrari but you really need to step up to the McLaren 720S for similar performance. The 488 kind of fits between them. Both McLarens run a twin-turbo V8 and are rear-wheel drive. Built around the carbon monocage, the Spyder loses almost nothing to the coupe.
Of course, you can try the Porsche 911 Turbo or GT2/GT3 to try and get close to the Ferrari, but both are quite different types of car.
Engine & Transmission
The 488’s twin-turbo 3.9-litre V8 is available pretty much across the Ferrari range. From the California T, its Portofino replacement and the rear-wheel drive GTC4 Lusso T, the engine also forms the basis for Maserati and Alfa V6s. As a V8, it’s also in the Maserati Levante Trofeo, although detuned.
Here in the 488 it’s an all-aluminium, dry sump flat-plane crank V8 codenamed F154CB. Power weighs in at 493kW (670PS) at 8000rpm and 760Nm of torque from 3000rpm. The dry sump means Ferrari engineers could mount the V8 as low as possible in the chassis.
The two twin-scroll turbos come from IHI, with two air-to-air intercoolers behind those hip intakes. The low inertia turbo compressors are made from super lightweight titanium aluminide (TiAL). That particular material finds its way into the fan blades of turbofan jet engines.
The F154 features an extremely clever system known as Variable Torque Management. As with many modern turbo engines, the turbo wastegate is electrically-operated. Torque is limited by the system in all but seventh gear, with the system fiddling with the wastegates (among other things) to control the boost pressure. Not only does the system limit torque it also makes sure that the power feels less like a turbo than it might otherwise, with progressive delivery and impressive throttle response.
The Getrag close-ratio seven-speed transmission continued on but with plenty of work to handle the extra 220Nm of torque. That’s a whole hatchback worth of torque extra.
The aluminium spaceframe started with the 360 continues on, although it’s obviously much improved. The dynamic dampers and double wishbones front and rear combine with 20-inch wheels and Pirelli tyres. Formed of two digital screens either side of a beautiful big rev counter, the instrument pack is simple and effective. It’s a joy watching that big needle swing to the redline.
The basic spec is pretty good but you can choose a variety of seats, the stitching on the leather, the leather itself or junk the leather put carbon fibre everywhere. It feels beautifully put together and everything you touch feels great.
The driving position is lower than the Huracan/R8 pair, but subjectively feels slightly higher than either the McLaren 570S/720S. We’re talking millimetres here and the Spider feels slightly higher just because you can see the windscreen header rail.
The steering wheel feels great in the hand, the controls well laid out. The way the indicator switches are set in thumb’s reach, one on each side, betters the Huracan’s Ducati motorbike indicator switch. The paddles feel lovely and if I were you, stick with alloy – the carbon ones don’t really have the tactility of the alloy.
The Famous Manettino
You change the chassis setup on the steering-wheel mounted manettino. Here in the 488 Spider – as in the 812 Superfast – you have a choice of five settings. The lowest – WET – is for tricky, slippery conditions. The car is soft and doughy to stop the rears spinning up at the slightest provocation.
The second position is for tooling around in the dry without the car being all go-go-go. Despite its SPORT designation, it’s fairly tame, relatively speaking.
The third setting – where I spend most of my time in the 488 – is RACE. This setting amps things up, turns up the throttle response and the exhaust is louder more of the time. It doesn’t seem to affect the ride too much despite the dampers tensing up.
This mode is the best of both worlds. The car still rides, won’t get away from you in the corners and is by far the most fun when you’re on a public road. Idiots that appear on YouTube wiping out their car leaving a Cars & Coffee meet seem to skip this mode.
Fourth on the dial is CT OFF. This turns off the traction control and is useful on tracks where your margin for error is much greater and you can more safely explore your throttle control talent. The stability system is still there for you, but you are still more than capable of throwing it off the road.
And finally you have ESC OFF. I call that Certain Death mode. If you’re not a on a track and aren’t Fernando Alonso, you’re going to find yourself in a whole heap of trouble real quick. The 488 Spider is colossally powerful and you can shred those rear tyres in seconds.
Driving
I love driving this car. Unleashing that V8 is something that will never, ever get old. It still sounds great, even with the loss of a thousand revs. The hissing, sucking turbo induction sound is glorious and the exhaust note barely less of a howl than before.
The big difference between the 458 and the 488 Spider is all that torque so low down. The 458 was a long, hard revver with a dizzying soundtrack. Interestingly, so is the 488 Spider. While the noise isn’t as metallic and F1-like (before F1 went quiet), it still sounds amazing.
Sitting low and tight in the cabin, as soon as you get rolling you notice two things. The steering is unexpectedly light and the ride is excellent. You’re going to read that a lot about modern supercars – they shouldn’t ride well but they do. It’s one of the reasons the Aventador feels so old-fashioned – it doesn’t ride at all well.
The light steering is a key part of how the 488 Spider feels to drive. The rack is fast – really fast – and translates to a brilliant turn-in. The way this thing chases and arrives at an apex is what makes it great. There is of course understeer – otherwise there’d be a lot more YouTube videos of crashed 488s – but it’s just a tiny bit to let you know you’re approaching the car’s limits. You can push through it with the throttle and it’s glorious.
The grip of this car is immense – the things you can do and the things you can get away with are really down to the active differential and a brilliant chassis setup. There’s no way the car could dance, stop or corner the way it does without the colossal work that has gone into the differential.
Coupled with that is the dynamic damper setup – the differences between modes are subtle but hugely effective and it honestly feels like the car reads the road ahead and adjusts accordingly. If it’s all too much, you can hit the bumpy road button – you’ll have to back off a bit but your spine will thank you on poor surfaces.
The only complaint? With the roof down, a poor surface reveals a bit of scuttle shake. That’s it.
Want to really know how it feels? Watch the video. Make sure you subscribe to The Redline on YouTube for more.
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Ferrari 488 Spider Images by Rhys Vandersyde
Ferrari 488 Spider Interior Images by Rhys Vandersyde
The Aston Martin DB11 AMR is here to rustle your jimmies in style. Replacing the current V12 at the top of the range, the AMR trades on Aston’s formidable racing heritage.
Aston Martin’s stunning new DB11 now has a new top-of-the-range model – the DB11 AMR. Packed full of the goodies we’ve come to expect from Aston – V12 engine, effortless performance, heaps of trick gear – this one is lighter, faster and even more powerful.
AMR DB11
The AMR bit comes from Aston Martin Racing, a brand that has built over time with the success of its sports car racing. Pro-Am types love the Astons because the company is extraordinarily supportive of moneyed types taking their cars to racetracks and building their brand for them. Who knew?
Aston’s engineers started with the twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 (447kW/608PS, 700Nm) and amps it up with a few more horse. Now standing at 470kW, the twelve knocks two-tenths of the 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time to 3.7 seconds. Top speed rises to a mighty 334km/h (208mph), which should clear your cobwebs.
Under the skin, the rear-mounted ZF eight-speed transmission has new shift calibrations, no doubt to feel a bit more racy when you flick the switch to Sport. The exhaust is also louder so people can hear you coming.
On the styling front, there’s the usual plethora of choice. The AMR starts with a “co-ordinated palette of carbon fibre” and it goes from there. The forged alloys look amazing and the gloss black detailing looks terrific. Also available are a range of Designer Specifications which co-ordinate colours for a particular look.
AMR logos are tastefully scattered around the cabin to remind you what you paid for, as if the fruity exhaust note wasn’t enough. Dark chrome and lots of racy Alcantara complete the racing vibe.
The Aston Martin DB11 AMR is on sale now in a number of markets. If it hasn’t already, it won’t be long.
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If your country is missing, let us know and we’ll add it. We’ll update prices as they filter through.
The Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR broke cover at the annual Wörthersee GTI festival thing and it seems it’s production ready.
Volkswagen’s annual GTI Treffen, held in Worthesee, is underway and as usual, VW has dropped a concept car. Called the Golf GTI TCR, VW says the concept is the fastest GTI ever. The press release bangs on about being “near-production” but the car you see in these slick VW photos is pretty much the real thing. For serious.
Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
Powered by VW’s 2.0-litre turbo four, the GTI TCR punches out 213kW (290PS) and maximum torque of 370Nm. The twist is available from 1600rpm.
That’s nowhere near the Golf R’s power figures, so how is it the fastest? Well, VW is being a bit tricky, which is totally out of character for such a truth-obsessed brand. The “standard” TCR is limited to 251km/h (155mph), like most German cars capable of such a speed. The press release says you can “opt to remove the speed limiter” which sounds awfully like an option you’ll have to pay for.
Once you’ve paid your money/flashed the ECU *cough*, you’ll have access to 266km/h (164mph). That sounds mildly terrifying for a front-wheel drive hot hatch. One imagines a derestricted Golf R would surpass that number, but we’re not here to deal in speculation or start an argument. Asking VW will depend on whether the car is in a government lab or not.
You can’t shift your gears yourself, so if you don’t like the seven-speed DSG, you’re out of luck. A locking limited-slip diff will help with the cornering and various shenanigans Golf GTI owners like. The Golf GTI TCR rolls on 19-inch alloys and you’ll be riding a whopping 20mm closer to the ground, which will no doubt do wonders for the ride quality. Dynamic Chassis Control is also along to either reign in your idiocy or let you have a bit of fun. Or both.
The looks are further enhanced with new bumpers front and rear, a big spoiler and a new colour, Pure Grey.
An Akrapovic exhaust will be available for those who like their upshift farts extra noisy and you can pick honeycomb vinyls for the body. Inside the honeycomb motif appears on the seats which also appear to be swathed in Alcantara. The door inserts and gear knob sport microfibre for some reason.
When and How Much?
The roadgoing Golf GTI TCR (you can buy a race car any time you like for about €95,000) will likely start rolling down the production line late in 2018. VW is saying it will be on sale in some markets by Christmas. Hopefully Santa is bringing some extra cash, because I reckon the TCR will command a hefty premium.
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* cheapest price I could find ** includes emissions tax **includes FRT
Is your country missing? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add it.
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