Under the skin

While you might be hard-pressed to tell the 488 Evo apart from its predecessor the devil really is in the detail, and out on track Ferrari’s new GT3 is said to be easier to drive and ultimately quicker. Racecar went to Maranello to find out more

- ANDREW COTTON

Unlike the newer cars of many of its rivals, the difference between Ferrari’s GT3 Evo version of the 488 and the 2019 version is not immediately obvious. In fact, a squint at the front bumper and front wheel arches will give the only external visual clues that this is a new car, a dive plane inserted into the recess in the bumper ahead of the front wheel while at the rear of the front wheel arch there is some wind tunnel-inspired trickery that was designed to increase frontal downforce. Other than that there is little to give the game away.

The reason for this curious lack of external change is that, according to its head of GT Track Car Development, Ferdinando Cannizzo, Ferrari itself was struggling to figure out what to do in order to update the original car. The previous model was already performing well, was close to the edge of the ‘performance windows’ specified by the FIA and had come close to winning titles. In terms of overall performance, there was little that the design team felt that it needed to do.

Yet, as always in racing, it turned out there were a few tweaks that would improve the car, after all and Ferrari, of course, decided to get stuck in. In doing so it has created a car that is easier to drive, better to race and above all, quicker. Ferrari hopes this will convince customers to part with cash to upgrade their existing car or, better still, buy a new one.