Sunday, April 21, 2019

Ferrari F8 Tributo Previewed in Kuala Lumpur in Conjunction with Naza Italia's 10 Year Anniversary

Naza Italia, official importer and distributor of the Ferrari brand in Malaysia, on Friday, previewed and launched the Ferrari F8 Tributo, the new mid-rear engined sports car. The Ferrari F8 Tributo was first unveiled on March 5 at the Geneva Motor Show and it has only taken a month and a bit more for the supercar to make its way to Southeast Asia. The special preview was made in conjunction with the 10th anniversary celebrations of Ferrari Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, and also 10 years of Naza Italia distributing Ferrari here.



Here is a video of the launch...

The Ferrari F8 Tributo officially replaces the 488 GTB and will be offered here from RM 1,068,000.00 (excluding duty and customization options). The F8 Tributo features improvements everywhere, such as providing even better control when on its limit as well as having greater on-board comfort for day to day driving needs. The F8 Tributo is also 50hp more,  is lighter and benefits from a 10% improvement in aerodynamic efficiency (due to the latest version of Side Slip Angle Control, version 6.1) over the 488.


The name of this new V8 Ferrari is an homage to the V8 engine used as well as it being a 'tribute; to past V8 Ferrari that came prior to it. This new 3.9liter V8 makes 720hp with a a record specific power output of 185 hp/l. To date, it is the most powerful Ferrari V8 fitted in a regular, non-special series car. The engine of which is it based upon has won “Best Engine” in the International Engine of the Year awards three years running in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and, in addition to that, was awarded the title of the best engine of the last two decades in 2018.  

All of the performance from the engine is handled by the F8 Tributo's advanced vehicle dynamics solutions. These include a new version of the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer (FDE+) which can be activated in the manettino’s RACE position switch gear for the first time ever. This was a move designed to make performance on the limit easier to reach and control for an even greater number of drivers (in other words, the F8 is more ergonomic and easier to drive than the previous production V8 Ferrari). The steering wheel rim is also smaller in diameter to enhance the level of tactility and make the car feel even more agile. Aside from that, the F8 is also 40kg lighter than the 488 GTB, which makes it have better response in terms of weight transfer and increases agility. 


As with any modern Ferrari, it incorporates state-of-the-art aerodynamic solutions into the car’s body to help ensure that the Italian horsepower can be fully utilised. As with the 488 Pista limited run model, the F8 Tributo’s aero package is directly evolved from the track and it adopts several features from the 488 Pista. All of these tweaks were designed to help manage engine heat, including, for instance, the rearward-angled front radiators and the dynamic engine air intakes positioned either side of the spoiler instead of on the rear flanks.
  
The F8 Tribto was designed in-house by the Ferrari Styling Centre. According to the product brief, the car is essentially a bridge to a new design language that will continue to emphasise Ferrari’s key characteristics of high performance and extreme aerodynamic efficiency. We personally like to think of it as an evolution of mid-engined Ferrari design first seen in the LaFerrari. What was first seen in those cars, and even the Pista is now brought into regular series production.

As for the exterior, the front of the car is identified by an S-Duct, this aero solution made its first appearance on the 488 Pista, but which has been redesigned to suit the extensive modifications made to this area of the new car. Because of this, the S-Duct alone contributes an impressive 15% to the overall increase in downforce compared to the 488 GTB. The F8 Tributo has new, more compact, horizontal LED headlights which has allowed Ferrari’s aero people to incorporate new optimised brake cooling intakes in combination with those on the outside of the bumper.  The aim for all of this was to improve air flow throughout the entire wheel arch and thereby avoid having to increase the size of the braking system to cope with the car’s greater speed.  


The new Lexan (plexiglass) rear screen showcases the engine compartment clearly takes homage from Ferrari’s most famous V8, the F40. The louvres help extract hot air from the engine compartment without impacting the efficiency of the blown spoiler which has been further evolved to increase downforce generated at the rear. The newly styled spoiler wraps around the tail lights, visually lowering the car’s centre of gravity and allowing a return to the classic twin light cluster and body-coloured tail, another signature of the early 8-cylinder berlinettas like the very first in the legendary series, the 1975 308 GTB. So while it may be a new add-on to what was originally derived from the 488, the Pista, the F8 Tributo takes more from the first of its line, the original 308 GTB.

Inside, every part of the dashboard, door panels and center tunnel, has been completely redesigned. This car features Ferrari's new generation HMI (Human Machine Interface), complete with round air vents, new steering wheel and controls as well as a new 7” passenger touchscreen display, significantly enhance the on-board environment for driver and passenger. This is a Ferrari for 2019, definitely.


“We are proud to be the first country in Southeast Asia to officially launch the new Ferrari F8 Tributo in conjunction with the 10th anniversary celebrations of Ferrari Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Naza Italia will host hundreds of Ferrari clients from the 3 countries over the next few days with a gala dinner, unique track and lifestyle drives and a chance to witness the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Asia Pacific 2019 Race in Sepang,” said SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin, Group Executive Chairman & Group Chief Executive Officer, Naza Corporation Holdings Sdn Bhd.

“The much anticipated replacement of the 488 GTB is bound to elicit excitement among Ferrari aficionados in Malaysia with its breathtaking looks and performance. We would like to take this opportunity to invite all Ferrari fans to make their way to Naza Italia to find out more on the new Ferrari,” added Nasarudin.

The car actually looks stunning in real life. While it does look good in the photos, it looks better in real life as there are lots of play in the surfacing. How the panels look with the wheels, the air vents are something to behold. Sometimes, I think it would be good to just wait for the stuff which Ferrari put inside their limited run cars into their regular production cars. You need to just be patient and wait for it, usually a few years but it could be well worth the wait if it looks as good as this.

Ferrari F8 Tributo - Technical specifications
ENGINE
Type 90-degree V8 turbo
Overall displacement 3902 cc
Max. power output* 720 cv at 8,000 rpm
Specific power output 185 cv/l
Max. torque 770 Nm at 3,250 rpm

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Length 4611 mm
Width 1979 mm
Height 1206 mm
Dry weight** 1330 kg

PERFORMANCE
0-100 km/h 2.9 s
0-200 km/h 7.8 s
Top speed 340 km/h

FUEL CONSUMPTION/CO2 EMISSIONS
Under homologation
* With 98 octane petrol
**With lightweight options













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