Spotting a Ferrari mule is always fascinating, even more so if underneath its rough skin hides the upcoming hardcore 488 Speciale.
Ferrari is one of the most careful companies when it comes to testing its future products. They must make sure that no one will take a peek at their new model and that they will be the ones to show it to the world.
That’s why the Italian company is always using an older bodystyle on top of their future models when the time for real-world testing arrives. Marchettino was able not only to spot one of these prototypes but also film it in some detail.
The mule is wearing a body from a 458 but once your eye hits some details, you definitely know that something is going on here. Things like the different side air intakes or the different doors are straight giveaways of the prototype nature of this vehicle.
Eventually Marchettino was spotted filming the car and Ferrari had the car moved somewhere else but the Youtuber says he overheard the people that came to take the car away, talking about a KERS system on the specific prototype.
We have already heard Ferrari’s plans to offer electrified powertrains in its regular models and after LaFerrari paving the way with such success, the time for a smaller hybrid supercar with the Prancing Horse has come.
The prototype is likely based on the current 488 architecture and the big side air intake might not represent a future product but the sheer size of them kind of reveals that there is a turbocharged engine behind the seats.
Could this be the next Speciale? It would certainly make sense for Ferrari to trickle down LaFerrari’s hybrid technology to its other models and the most hardcore version of the 488 lineup seems like a good place to start.
What do you think?