It was not exactly a secret that an extra-hot version of the 488 was in the works deep inside Ferrari factory in Maranello, especially since Porsche released their GT2 RS last year. Now the first complete picture of this beast has leaked and we get our first look at the new 2019 Ferrari 488 GTO. And in case you are in a hurry to know, it has 700 horsepower. 

Ferrari 488 GTO is the successor to the 360 Challenge Stradale, the 430 Scuderia, and the 458 Speciale. But this one is apparently so good, they went ahead and gave it the venerated GTO badge. The name has not yet been confirmed officially, but a lot people are calling it that. So it is almost certainly the official name.

Now, those three letters hark back to what is possibly the most glorious part of Ferrari’s history and perhaps the entire automotive culture. So the new boy had better be damn good, or Ferrari will get some serious stick from their hard-core fans. But of course it is gong to be awesome in every way, this 488 GTO, because it’s a new Ferrari. Sources tells us 2019 Ferrari 488 GTO is a hard and stiff race car built for the streets, so in that sense at least not much has changed since the Stradale days.

Other traditions to be continued in the extra-hot 488 include wight loss and added power. The 3.9 liter turbo V8 gets some additional boost and churns out 700 horsepower. Meanwhile more of the body components will be made from carbon fiber to achieve a significant reduction in weight compared to the standard 488. Aerodynamics is another area where this car is superior to its plain sister. But is all that enough to make the GTO a better track-focused supercar than the brilliant 911 GT2 RS?

That remains to be seen.

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