---
title: "Ferrari 488 GTB Vs. Ferrari F12berlinetta Drag Race Is Shockingly Close"
description: "It's turbocharged V8 versus high-revving V12 in a battle of sprinting horses."
date: "2017-08-24"
modified: "2017-08-24"
authors:
  - name: "Will Sabel Courtney"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/will-sabel-courtney"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/13782/ferrari-488-gtb-vs-ferrari-f12berlinetta-drag-race-is-shockingly-close"
categories:
  - "Ferrari News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "488 gtb"
  - "Drag Race"
  - "f12berlinetta"
  - "Ferrari"
---

# Ferrari 488 GTB Vs. Ferrari F12berlinetta Drag Race Is Shockingly Close

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/08/ferrari-f12berlinetta-488-gtb-drag-race.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Thanks to the bucking bronco at the center of the company's logo, [Ferrari's supercars](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/8321/is-this-laferrari-worth-3-3-million>) take on their fair share of equine associations. In spite of this, however, they're rarely considered quarter horses. Ferraris may be renowned for their performance, but the quarter-mile drag race is far too proletarian, way too plebeian, [just too...*Dodge*](<https://www.thedrive.com/video/12838/launching-the-2018-dodge-challenger-srt-demon>)...for Maranello's stallions to lower themselves to its level—at least, in terms of quoted factory performance figures.

Once those F-cars are out in their owners' hands, however...well, those Richie Riches behind the wheel are free to do whatever the hell they like. Including run them in drag races...even against other Ferraris. Because here's the thing about pitting two of Maranello's supercars against one another: One way or another, a Ferrari is gonna lose.

And as it turns out, racing [a Ferrari 488 GTB](<https://www.thedrive.com/supercars/5378/the-ferrari-488-gtb-instant-review>) against [an F12berlinetta](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/5518/is-this-custom-ferrari-f12berlinetta-beauty-or-beast>) makes for a closer race than the dearly-departed Enzo might like. After all, in the Ferrari hierarchy, [eight-cylinder cars](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/13733/ferrari-portofino-is-the-california-ts-unexpected-592-hp-replacement>) play second fiddle to ones powered by the mighty V12. Even with its more advantageous mid-engined layout pushing the center of mass closer to the drive wheels, the 661-horsepower 488 shouldn't be able to beat the 720-hp F12. It'd be against the natural order of things...right?

Well, a couple of Ferrari owners brought their supercars to the [*Dragtimes* drag strip](<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT8Rf6QQeFADwyyPTrGgT4Q>) to find out once and for all how the battle of turbocharged V8-versus-naturally-aspirated-V12 would settle out in the real world. The F12berlinetta grabbed an early lead out of the blocks, but the 488 quickly closed the gap—leading to a nail-biter of a race all the way to the finish line.

So who's the faster Ferrari out of these two ponies? Hey, we're not gonna give it away. Watch for yourself.

https://youtube.com/embed/ZUoDaNBWmG0

## Author
Will is the former managing editor of *RIDES Magazine* and the former online editor for *0-60 Magazine*. He has worked for *Time Out New York* and *Rolling Stone*, and was the creator of *College Cars Online*, the first automotive blog specifically targeted at college students and young professionals.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/willsabelcourtney>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/willscourtney>)