2015 Ferrari 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo Review and Performance Comparison

Ferrari 488 Performance Review.

Introduction:

The 2015 Ferrari 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo is a powered by a Petrol V 8. This variant of the Ferrari 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo is the 7 speed / Auto version and was first brought out around 2015. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 2016 Bugatti Chiron 8.0 W16 Quad Turbo and the 2015 Koenigsegg Agera RS 5.1 V8 Twin Turbo.

This particular Ferrari 488 has a 3902cc Turbo Petrol powerplant driven by the Ferrari Rear Wheel Drive system.

Alternative Petrol V 8's include the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170

The 488 shares its Petrol V 8 engine configuration with the likes of the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 and the 2023 Ferrari SF 90 XX Spider 4.0 V8 Turbo.If you're looking for other similar performing cars which share the 488's Rear Wheel Drive, Coupe combination then how about the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce or the earlier 1982 Fiat X1/9 1.5 8V.

Power and Weight:

Weighing in at 1370 kgs (3020 lbs) places the Ferrari 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo in a similar weight category as the 2024 Maserati GT2 Stradale and the excellent 2022 Delage D12 GT, give or take 50kg.

The Ferrari 488 shares the same bhp with the 2025 BYD Han L LiDAR Premium (671 bhp)

In terms of pure power the 3902cc 32 valve, V 8 engine produces around 660 bhp (492 kW) @ 8000 rpm which is comparable to the 2025 BYD Han L LiDAR Premium (671 bhp) and also the 2025 BYD Han L LiDAR Flagship (671 bhp).

The Turbo V 8 throws out 561 lb-ft (760.6 Nm) @ 3000 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 3996 Bentley Continental GT 4.0 V8 Turbo Convertible (568 lb-ft) or the 2025 Maserati MCPURA Cielo 3.0 V6 Twin Turbo (538 lb-ft).

Power to Weight:

If you look at both power or torque of the 2015 Ferrari 488 in comparison with its weight you get a much more accurate idea of its real world performance.

The 1997 McLaren F1 GT 6.1 V12 (506.5 bhp per ton) has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Ferrari 488.

The Ferrari 488 has a power to weight ratio of 481.7 bhp per ton. Bhp per ton figures of the 2015 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo means you're competing with the 1997 McLaren F1 GT 6.1 V12 (506.5 bhp per ton) and the equally quick 2018 Lamborghini SC18 Alston 6.5 V8 (506.0 bhp per ton).

Torque to Weight:

If you agree with the late great Carroll Shelby then arguably an even better indicator of potential performance is Torque!. However, torque isn't the whole story, you also need to compare weight as well for more real world comparisons such as torque per ton.

The Ferrari 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo generates around 409.4 lb-ft per ton. So if you're looking at what cars perform similarly either on the drag strip or at the traffic lights using torque to weight as a benchmark, then look no further than the 2003 Pagani Zonda Roadster (432.0 lb-ft per ton) or the similarly performing 1997 Nissan R390 3.5L V8 (428.0 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

The Ferrari 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo can accelerate 0–60mph in 3.00 secs or 0–100km/h (0–62mph) in 3.1 secs. Acceleration rivals to the Ferrari 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo include the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Turbo Convertible (3.00 secs) or the equally as fast to 60mph 2023 Pagani Utopia 6.0 V12 Twin Turbo (3.00 secs).

The V 8 engine of the Ferrari 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo ensures that, ‘on paper’ at least, accelerates slightly faster than the 2025 Toyota GR GT 4.0 V8 Twin Turbo (3.10 secs) and the 2024 Mercedes GT GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+ (3.10 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the Ferrari 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo and the McLaren 650S 3.8 V8 Twin Turbo

On a longer format for acceleration comparisons the 2015 Ferrari 488 can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 10.51 secs with a trap speed around 129.5 mph. Similar performances down the quarter mile drag strip can be found with the the McLaren 650S 3.8 V8 Twin Turbo (10.52 seconds @ 129.5 mph) and a close race between the Caterham 7 Superlight R500 (10.54 seconds @ 129.2 mph) too.

Top Speed:

Some modern performance cars are often artificially restricted particularly when it comes to max speed. 155 mph top speed restrictions are often used as part of the German 'Gentleman's Agreement' for example, so be cautious when using maximum speed figures. The 2015 version of the Ferrari 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo has a maximum speed of 205mph.

Top Speed of the 2015 488 equals the Bentley Continental SuperSports Flying Star (204 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what has a similar top end performance to the 2015 Ferrari 488 GTB 3.9 V8 Turbo then there's the slightly slower the Bentley Continental SuperSports Flying Star (204 mph) or how about the impressive McLaren 600LT 3.8 V8 Bi-Turbo (204 mph).

— AutoSnout

Figures & Specs Summary:

Related Links:

• 2015 488 Rivals List.
• 2015 488: Full Review and Comparisons.
• A Brief History of Ferrari
• Compare the 2015 Ferrari 488