Ferrari shows the 488 GTE and the 488 GT3

During the Ferrari Finali Mondiali event held at Mugello, Italy, Ferrari finally revealed the 488 GTE and the 488 GT3 models, which will be used from 2016 onwards in substitution of the 458 GTE and the 458 GT3 machines.

The GTE version of the new Prancing Horse will be available for the FIA World Endurance Championship, the European Le Mans Series, the IMSA Sportscar Championship and the Asian Le Mans Series. The FIA WEC campaign will feature a factory effort with the AF Corse squad led by Amato Ferrari.

The GT3 version will be available for most of the top championships worldwide as they make extensive use of the GT3 platform, which is the perfect ground for AF Corse’s program, where lots of amateur drivers make use of the Maranello-based cars in different competitions.

Both cars are barely different in terms of specifications and design, with the presence of more aero is the highlight of the 488 GT3, but the trump card is under the body Shell, as a new 3.9-liter turbocharged V8 engine will be used for both versions: a race-prepped one for the GTE and a production one for the GT3. The new powerplant is a measure to improve performance compared to the naturally aspirated V8 one used in the 458.

Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander, James Calado and Davide Rigon, AF Corse drivers in FIA WEC, revealed the 488 GTE to the public, while Giancarlo Fisichella, Olivier Beretta and Andrea Bertolini, testers of the new cars, revealed the 488 GT3. After that, a good number of cars went to the Mugello track to make a few demonstration laps, like in the vídeo above (huge thanks to 19Bozzy92 for that):

The planned debut for the two models will be the Rolex 24 at Daytona, with at least one GTE car to be used by Risi Competizione, as well a possible AF Corse effort. Other notable Ferrari entrants that may get at least one machine, either the GTE or the GT3 one, are Kessel Racing, AKKA-ASP, JMW Motorsport, Formula Racing, Maranello Motorsport and Scuderia Corsa.

PHOTO: Ferrari GT Competizioni