Ace of Base: Ferrari 488GTB

By all accounts, the Ferrari 488GTB is an incredible machine. Twin turbos coax 661 horsepower from V8 displacing a scant 3.9 litres ( my own 3.9-litre V8 cannot accomplish this feat), hustling its 3,362 pounds to felonious speeds in under four seconds. Slick aero and really weird door handles contribute to the 488GTB having 50-percent less drag and 50-percent more downforce than its predecessor.

Like the Porsche we examined a few weeks back, Ferrari has perfected the art of making doryloads of money on each transaction. Buyers can spend upwards of $100,000 on superfluous options that don’t make the quarter-million dollar supercar go any faster. A zero-option Ferrari exists only in the realm of unicorns and healthy fast food. But what would the 1 percent find in their driveway if they custom ordered such a machine? Let’s find out.

No matter the configuration, the 488GTB comes with a V8 engine mounted amidships, cranking out 661 of the finest Italian horses and 561 lb-ft of twist. Those numbers are not far off the sheep’s-head ugly Ferrari Enzo of a few years back. When the 488GTB appeared with its turbochargers and downsized engine, purists wrung their hands while conveniently forgetting that the best Ferrari ever made — and, incidentally, the last Ferrari personally approved by il Commendatore himself — had twin snails hanging off its 90-degree V8.

Massive aero gains are on tap for all 488GTB drivers, regardless of their choice of options. Aero pillars take high-pressure air impacting the nose and sluice it under the car to its left and right radiators. A six-finned diffuser at the rear deploys three hinged flaps at high-speed to reduce drag and raise top speed. At 155 mph, seven hundred pounds of downforce pushes the 488GTB into terra firma with nary a wallet-hoovering option in sight. Fail to exercise restraint, though, and the bottom line changes dramatically.

Goldrake racing seats (available in small, medium, and large, just like gift-shop t-shirts) run $10,800. Diamond-cut forged 20-inch hoops are in the ballpark of $8,000 while those nifty Scuderia fender shields are $1,700. The filthy rich can also blow nearly $60,000 on carbon-fibre options.

It’s decreed somewhere in the ancient Italian texts that all Ferraris must be red, and Rosso Corsa is indeed on tap as a standard paint option. Historical colors, however, such as Azzurro California or Blue Swaters (which actually sounds like a down-on-his-luck lounge singer) ring the bell in the neighborhood of $12,000. Essentially, then, one can choose either special paint for their Ferrari or a Chevy Spark. The Spark has a standard backup camera, by the way. It’s a $6,074 option in the 488GTB. At least the Ferrari includes a forward-facing camera as well.

Thrifty 488GTB buyers will be sure to spec out a red or yellow tachometer for $0 while leaving the white and aluminum tachometers on the floor; apparently the latter two colors cost Ferrari $964 to apply, costs they happily pass on to their customers.

So a true Ace of Base? Not quite, as the steering wheel mounted shift-point LEDs and passenger side speed readouts are fantastic party tricks, but it’s close. If anyone reading this can afford a 488GTB, exercise some restraint and keep the MSRP close to its quarter-million dollar opening bid. By doing so, you’ll add a 661-hp supercar to your fleet with enough il denaro leftover to buy a Z06 when you feel like slumming it.

Oh, and by the way, ferrariamerica.com does not go where you think it will go.

Not every vehicle at the entry-level end of its price spectrum has aced it. The ones which have? They help make our automotive landscape a lot better. Naturally, feel free to roast our selection and let us know if there are other models you’d like included in this series.

The model above is shown with American options and is priced in Freedom Dollars.