---
title: "Possible Ferrari 488 Hybrid V6 Variant Spotted Testing in Germany"
description: "The test mule is speculated to portend not a cheaper Ferrari 488, but a possible entry-level V-6 model from Maranello."
date: "2018-11-19"
modified: "2018-11-19"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/24995/possible-ferrari-488-hybrid-v-6-variant-spotted-testing-in-germany"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Ferrari"
  - "Ferrari 488 GTB"
  - "ferrari dino"
  - "hybrid"
  - "hybrids"
  - "Spotted!"
  - "Supercars"
  - "Test Mules"
---

# Possible Ferrari 488 Hybrid V6 Variant Spotted Testing in Germany

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-19-at-2.png>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

A Ferrari 488 has been spotted wearing test mule camouflage and making an unusual sound in Stuttgart, Germany, perhaps coming from a six-cylinder powerplant.

Depicted in a video uploaded by YouTube user DrGumoLunatic, the car is likely not a new high-performance variant of the 488, as the Pista and its corresponding open-roof Aperta versions were revealed earlier this year. The car does not emit the same noise as the 488's standard 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8, instead making what seems to be a distinct V6 noise. The uploader speculates the engine to be hybridized, and that its eventual destination could be the Ferrari Dino, whose revival has been rumored for more than a year.

https://youtube.com/embed/7QdYIAN0eEw

The Dino was an entry-level V6 sports car named for Enzo Ferrari's eldest son and introduced by the company in 1968. Ferrari [celebrated its 50th anniversary](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/21915/ferrari-celebrates-the-dinos-50th-anniversary>) in July with a meeting in Maranello, where more than 150 owners of the under-appreciated Dino waved the model's colors at the company's private Fiorano test track.

Former Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne stated in August of 2017 that the model [could be relaunched](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/13383/ferrari-execs-split-on-whether-to-build-a-new-dino-ceo-says>) as the brand's new entry-level vehicle, undercutting the [Portofino](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/24902/boutique-supercar-tuner-loma-turns-ferrari-portofino-into-740-hp-beauty>). Company executives were reportedly split on the resuscitation of the Dino, with some fearing it could "dilute" the Ferrari brand (apparently the [Purosangue crossover](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/24467/ferrari-purosangue-suv-test-mule-spotted-in-new-spy-video>) doesn't count).

The V6 to be found in the hypothetical Dino was reported to be that of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, a 2.9-liter, twin-turbo unit bubbling with 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. Hybridization would only further improve that power figure, assuming the engine wasn't detuned to keep it further from the 488.

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)