Autocar Canned Ferrari 488 GTB Test Data: Car Was Supplied With ‘Unfair’ Advantage
Ferrari has a history of blurring the line between competitive advantage and cheating, but Autocar is having none of it.
Autocar is not only the worlds oldest car magazine, it also clearly values its integrity. It has a solid reputation for thorough reviews, analysis, and documentation of the cars it covers. To keep the playing field level for all manufacturers they test cars with the equipment specified from the factory.
However, Ferrari slipped a set of upgraded tires on the 488 GTB provided for the magazine’s road testing and benchmark figures. Instead of the road tires that come on the car from the factory, Ferrari snuck a set Michelin Pilot Sport cup 2 tires onto the test car. Sport cup tires are homologated as part of the Ferrari 458 Speciale’s development, but the Ferrari 488 GTB wasn’t developed on them. They are not even an option for the car. Sport Cup tires are reserved for the Maranello masterpieces wearing Scuderia and Speciale badges.
And that’s where the issue gets sticky. Of course, you can buy the car and then put whatever damn tires you please on it. However, switching to a set of track tires for a publications performance testing isn’t giving a true representation of the car someone purchases. It’s realistic that the Sport Cup 2 tires could drops a couple of seconds from a lap time and, of course, Ferrari knew the car was to be analyzed on a track. In fact, when Matt Saunders spotted the tires in the paperwork and contacted the company, they said as much. According to Ferrari they ‘prepared it accordingly.” Amusing from the brand that actively discourages people who try and improve their cars.
As a result, Autocar is taking a stand. They won’t be using the figures recorded with the Ferrari 488 GTB for reference and comparison. They also note that other major publications across Europe used the same vehicle for performance tests. We suspect that a lot of road testers are looking at their notes right now. It’ll be interesting to see how many make a statement.
We know the 488 is an exceptional car, but pulling something like this undermines that. So, we give a tip of the hat to Autocar for calling out Ferrari on it, and a wag of the finger to Ferrari for cheating.
Yes, we said cheating. Because that’s what Ferrari would call it if another company pulled the same stunt.
