Ferrari’s Turbo V8 Wins ‘International Engine of 2016’
It sounds a bit silly doesn’t it? Ferrari winning an engine award? Shouldn’t the most magical and hardcore car manufacturer in the world already be known for producing the best engines?
Yes and no. The truth is that Ferrari makes sweet and delicious naturally aspirated engines, but in today’s world of turbocharge-everything-to-please-emission-loving-government-agencies, all manufacturers including Ferrari are forced to install turbos and risk killing their reputation.
Courtesy of the stunning Ferrari 488 GTB, the prancing horse from Italy was just awarded the ‘2016 International Engine of the Year Award,’ which is a big deal considering that every manufacturer produces a performance-oriented turbo engine nowadays.
The truth is that turbochargers change everything. They change the way the power is generated, when it’s generated, and they also change how every single component of the car will behave under acceleration. The suspension has to be tuned differently than a naturally aspirated engine, and more importantly, the transmission programming varies wildly from a non-turbo motor. Driving satisfaction may also change, as handling can be impacted by turbo lag or turbo spooling in the middle of a tight corner, and lastly, the sound of a turbo charged engine is much different from a natural aspirated Ferrari.
Thanks to old-fashioned Italian sorcery, Ferrari says they’ve gotten rid of turbo lag, which most in-depth reviews would agree, and perhaps that’s why they won this award. Still, if I had a quarter-million bucks or more, my money would go to a naturally aspirated V8 or V12 from Ferrari.
Join the racers in the forum.>>
Photos via: [Ferrari & CD]
