If you exclude the Italian-market 208 GTB Turbo tax-break special of the 1970s and 1980s, the 488 GTB is only Ferrari's second turbocharged mid-engined car after the F40.

Its engine retains the flat-plane configuration of all Ferrari V8s and has a capacity reduced from the 4.5-litres of the 458 to just 3.9-litres but its power output has been raised by an incredible 100bhp.

The car's construction is still all-aluminium, Ferrari resisting as ever the lure of anything more than cosmetic carbon fibre in its production models, but even so, there are no fewer than 12 different alloys in its structure and body and, despite the additional turbos, wastegate and 20% increase in required cooling capacity, the 488 is still 10kg lighter than the 458 it replaces.
Born as a racing car manufacturer that made road cars to pay the bills, Ferrari has never forgotten its illustrious sporting heritage and the firm produced an unrivalled range of racing cars for customer motorsport specifically built for...