Photo: MDStudio
While we were all excited about Ford's Le Mans return, the Blue Oval's endurance racing presence is one thing and a remake of the Ferrari battle that sparked the original Ford GT is something else.
Ferrari recently opened up about the 458 racecar replacement, telling Top Gear that the motorsport version of the 488 will arrive in the next 18 months.
A Prancing Horse spokesman explained a GT3 incarnation of the twin-turbo Ferrari will be completed by the end of next year, which means it will compete in the 2017 season.
As for the 488 Challenge car, which will take part in the company's one-make series, this should also be ready by the end of next year.
There are two big questions that remain unanswered though. First of all, many carmakers have chosen to stick with natural aspiration for their racecars, despite the road cars on which these are based using forced induction. Perhaps the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT3 is the best example here.
The idea is that Ferrari hasn't said anything on whether the 488 racers will use atmospheric engines or twin-turbo units. Yes, motorsport does help Ferrari develop better road car engines, but since their F1 offensive is already focused on turbocharging, we could see the 488 racers sticking to atmospheric engines.
It's not clear what Ferrari plans to throw at the Ford GT racer. Nevertheless, given the pressure of this circuit battles, we're expecting them to be completely silent until they come up with a lethal move.
Rendering above by MDStudio
A Prancing Horse spokesman explained a GT3 incarnation of the twin-turbo Ferrari will be completed by the end of next year, which means it will compete in the 2017 season.
As for the 488 Challenge car, which will take part in the company's one-make series, this should also be ready by the end of next year.
There are two big questions that remain unanswered though. First of all, many carmakers have chosen to stick with natural aspiration for their racecars, despite the road cars on which these are based using forced induction. Perhaps the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT3 is the best example here.
The idea is that Ferrari hasn't said anything on whether the 488 racers will use atmospheric engines or twin-turbo units. Yes, motorsport does help Ferrari develop better road car engines, but since their F1 offensive is already focused on turbocharging, we could see the 488 racers sticking to atmospheric engines.
Back to the Ferrari-Ford fight
As for the second question, this brings us to the Ford rivalry. The racing incarnation of the Ford GT will compete in the GTE Pro category, where we currently find the third incarnation of the racing 458, namely the GT2 (by the way, there's also a GT3 Grand Am).It's not clear what Ferrari plans to throw at the Ford GT racer. Nevertheless, given the pressure of this circuit battles, we're expecting them to be completely silent until they come up with a lethal move.
Rendering above by MDStudio
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