The Most Beautiful Ferrari In A Decade Pays Tribute To Race Cars Past

While drawing on history to make the 2020 F8 Tributo, Ferrari’s designers have put the V8 engine, a marvel in its own right, at its core

- Hannah Elliot

It’s comforting to know that some things never change. Markets may crumble, social media may demolish civil society, but fresh pasta, good wine, and the courtesy of Italian drivers who move over on the A1 when they’ve got a Ferrari on their tail — these things prevail across generations.

They’re like the Colosseum. Or the V-8 turbo engine. That’s the throbbing heart inside Ferrari NV’s 2020 F8 Tributo, a new offering from the 70-year-old company. As the name suggests, the coupe pays tribute to the almost-sacred engines that have powered the automaker’s most successful cars since its first mid-engine V-8, in the 1975 Ferrari 308 GTB.

Powerful & efficient

The F8 Tributo is where I found myself in early September — yes, on a sunny section of the A1 that runs from Modena to Milan and caters to the most impatient of sightseers. With a 3.9litre, 711-horsepower engine, a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and 568 pound-feet of torque, it’s more powerful and efficient than its predecessor, the 488 GTB. Turbo lag simply doesn’t exist here.