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Ferrari 488 GTB: celebrating the 308 GTB’s 40th in style

7 February, 2015

It’s been 40 years since Ferrari came out with the legendary 308 GTB, the marque’s first mid-engined V8 model, and now we have this — the Ferrari 488 GTB. It looks a little like a 458, doesn’t it? Don’t go thinking that this is just a normal 458 with some garnish, though — the most notable change is not aesthetic, but mechanical.

The 458’s brilliant 4.5-litre V8 is out of the picture here, replaced with an all-new turbocharged 3.9-litre V8 developed by Ferrari’s Formula 1 and World Endurance Championship engineers. How does 661hp and 560lb·ft sound? That’s said to make the 458 GTB good for the 0–100kph dash in three seconds, and 0–200kph in just over eight seconds. Fiorano is dispatched in one minute and 23 seconds, a full two seconds quicker than the 458.

Power isn’t everything, and you can bet Ferrari weren’t going to leave it at slapping a pair of turbos onto the engine. Aerodynamically, the 488 GTB is reported to produce 50 per cent more downforce and a reduced coefficient of drag, thanks to the double front spoiler, base-bleed side intakes, and active rear diffuser and spoiler. The F1-Trac and E-Diff work in conjunction with a revised Side Slip Control 2 (SSC2) system, keeping the 488 GTB stable around corners.

Inside, it’s all modern Ferrari, with the steering wheel the main business hub, and the rest of the cockpit tastefully finished. The 488 GTB is set to make its debut at the International Geneva Motor Show in March this year.

Lunch with Bill Leckie: An Imp’s tale

6 August, 2026

Seeking limelight is part of Bill Leckie’s DNA, but when I asked him if anyone had written about his career and the cars he created, he didn’t think so. Even so, I was delighted when he agreed to sit down with me over a pie and coffee to reminisce. I started by asking how it is that someone who is so fanatical about F1 only ever raced saloon cars? Well, we’ll get to that, but where did things start? “I went to Cornwall Park Primary School and then to Remuera Intermediate where I became good mates with Geoff Perry, son of the legendary motorcycle racing legend Len.” Geoff Perry was 23 and on the edge of stardom when he was killed in a mystery air disaster over the Pacific in 1973. “We used to race around his backyard on a cutdown motorbike. It was friendly competition that I suppose helped hone our racing instincts. There was never much between us and so, by 11 or 12, I had a definite leaning towards speed.”

Mitsubishi’s secret weapon

31 July, 2026

Ewen’s Starion is a little different and special. He saved this one – literally ‘found in a paddock’ — just in time, as he relates.
“Mine is a 1983 Starion. I’ve had it about five years. I first saw it in a paddock at Ryal Bush [north of Invercargill], and I went past it three times. The third time I went back and knocked at the door, but the owner didn’t want to sell. He rang up a year later, and put a price on it, which we accepted. Only thing wrong was the motor was totally dismantled.”
Ewen then set about getting the car back to its current state.
“It took me six months to find somebody suitable to refurbish it back then. Simon Bradley at Midas in Invercargill offered to do it and he did a great job on it. The head was badly damaged around the valves, and Simon said you could get generic cylinder heads now, so he installed one, and it cost $800. It’s made such a difference to the car. Mine is an intercooled, fuel-injected turbo model, fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox. It’s a great car to drive too.”
Except for a small patch of surface rust, Ewen’s car was in surprisingly good condition despite its paddock life.