Upcoming Ferrari 488 GTO Spotted in the Wild

TopSpeed

By Ciprian Florea

Published Nov 23, 2017

The beefed-up 488 goes testing before its debut in 2018

We know that Ferrari is working on a more aggressive version of the 488 GTB -- a successor to the iconic 458 Speciale -- we haven't heard much about it until now. We also haven't seen it testing on public roads or race tracks before, but we can finally take a peek at the upcoming Prancing Horse thanks to a batch of photos that surfaced the Interwebz. Reportedly called the 488 GTO, the beefed-up GTB was taken for a spin in a test session that included two cars. While one wears heavy white camouflage that doesn't allow us to have a glimpse at its features, the second one was captured without any camo on its front end.

The supercar looks very familiar as it retains all the main features of the 488 GTB. However, it has a different bumper with larger outlets and new black trim that appears to be part of a revised aerodynamic package. The headlamps have been blacked out for a more menacing look. Not much else can be seen in these photos from Motor.es, but expect the front splitter to be backed by a redesigned diffuser and a new spoiler around back. Revised side skirts, new wheels, and a new engine hood are also on the table, alongside numerous weight-saving components inside and out.

The twin-turbo, 3.9-liter V-8 engine from the GTB will find its way into the GTO as well, but not before Ferrari increases output from 660 to around 700 horsepower. The GTO is not yet official, and Ferrari could actually reuse the Speciale or Scuderia names. The "GTO" names were used on only three cars up until now -- the 250 GTO, 288 GTO, and 599 GTO -- all of which were considered flagship models when they arrived. The new supercar could break cover at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, so make sure you stick around for updates.