Yahoo Autos The 488 Challenge Is Ferrari's Latest Expensive Dodgem
Ferrari's Challenge Series started in 1992 with the 348 (oh boy), and to celebrate its 25th anniversary next year in style, Ferrari announced its fifth race car for this single-make series. With the 488 Challenge, drivers get the same 661 horsepower as in the road car, but a whole lot more speed.
To start off, the engine is remapped and lightened by 43 lbs. The exhausts sheds another 19 lbs, the gears are shorter for better acceleration, and the electronic nannies have been adjusted for track duty as well. Basically, drivers can now tell the computers when and how to cut the torque if the rear wheels start to light up. And then comes the wings. All the wings.
The rear one comes straight off the FIA World Endurance Championship-winning 488 GTE, while the front end has been redesigned with inverted radiators and new vents all over the place to keep those spontaneous combustions to the minimum. Overall, the aerodynamic package makes the 488 Challenge around 9% more efficient than the 458 Challenge EVO was.
The result? A lap around the Fiorano test track in 1:15.5.–that's a second faster than the 458 Challenge EVO, seven and a half seconds faster than the street-legal 488 GTB and four seconds faster than a LaFerrari.
Those gentlemen drivers all over the world better get ready.
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