Posted on Tuesday 8 April 2008
Ferrari’s upcoming 2+2 GT has been spotted once again at the carmaker’s Fiorano test track and is now less than half a year away from being unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. Many have suggested the new 2+2 will be positioned below the F430 but new reports claim the car will be bigger and feature a more powerful 4.7L V8 engine.
It’s hard to gauge what the new model will look like given the heavy camouflage, but expect to see a traditional long bonnet and generous GT proportions. Onlookers claim the car is closer in size to the 612 Scaglietti rather than the F430 as it will need to accommodate four adults.
The strange hump seen on the test-mule is rumored to be hiding a new folding hardtop roof. Pininfarina has recently revealed plans to expand its operations to include production of new roof mechanisms, and previous reports suggested the new Ferrari model would also be partially built by the Italian coachbuilder.
The 4.7L engine, meanwhile, is likely to be based on the same unit used by Maserati’s Granturismo S. However, it will likely feature its own unique components such as injection rails, intakes, cylinder heads and valvetrains to give the engine the Ferrari spark. You can see the spy images in full over at Auto Motor and Sport.
The new car will not replace the F430 or any future mid-engined V8 Ferrari. It is a new type of Ferrari, a front-mid-engined V8 2+2 coupe, with at least 500HP and a proper rear boot/trunk, in other words a very fast, practical car. It will be priced a little higher than the F430 but well below the 599GTB. Up to now Ferrari buyers only had a choice between a mid-engined 2-seater with very little luggage room and large, very expensive V12s. The new car solves this problem. It will probably be offered in coupé and hard-top convertible forms, and like current Ferraris will be all-aluminium and therefore much lighter than the Maserati Granturismo.