Simply Abu Dhabi XXXVI

2 1 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I F errari’s heritage may have begun with V12 power and hence why that engine remains special to the Tifosi, but for anyone who grew up in the past 40 years, it’s the mid-engined V8s that we most readily identify with the famous Italian marque. The 308GTB of 1975 became a part of modern pop culture when it was the star of ‘80s TV show, Magnum PI, set amidst the exotic surrounds of Hawaii before it earned its rightful place as a supercar on the back of its success as championship-winning GT3 race cars through a string of its successors like the F355, 360 Modena and 458 Italia. The new F8 Tributo is the latest in this long line and evolves from the most recent 488GTB with effectively the same 710bhp engine taken from the stove hot 488 Pista, mixed with a more road-biased GTB chassis. The best bits of the ‘by-invitation-only’ 488 Pista have been carried over in the way of reduced weight and more downforce, wrapped in a new design where only the roof and doors are the same, enveloping a lightly refreshed interior. As Ferrari embraces a hybrid electrified future, the twin-turbo, 3.9-litre unit in the F8 Tributo which has won 15 awards in the past five years including “International Engine Of The Year” for four years in succession, could be seeing duty for the last time in its present guise. The 2020, SF90 Stradale may well use the same engine, but it will be incorporated as part of an electric hybrid power unit. Going on sale across the Middle East from this month, the million- dirham F8 Tributo replaces the 488 and features a more classic look which touches on iconic Ferraris of the past such as the four round tail lights of the 308 and the louvred Lexan engine cover from the F40. The use of Lexan shows how far Ferrari is going to reduce weight as the F8 is 30kg lighter than the 488, bringing it down to 1,435kg, while producing 10 per cent more downforce and the Pista-sourced engine squeezes out an extra 50bhp. FerrariF8Tributo B y D a m i e n R e i d