Here's The New 681bhp Ferrari No One Expected

One thing no one, anywhere has said about the Ferrari 488 is that it needs more power, but to hell with that: they’ve gone and delivered it anyway.

This is the limited-edition Ferrari J50, a completely unexpected targa based on the 488 but with the 3.9-litre V8’s wick turned up to 681bhp – 20bhp more than the standard car.

Just 10 are being built to celebrate 50 years of the Italian brand’s presence in Japan, and no you can’t have one because you can bet they’re already sold, with each being tailored to the customer that bought it. How much? If you have to ask…

There are plenty of press release references to the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Serious bodywork mods include the “helmet visor”-style glass area, a bonnet that’s lower than standard at the centre and a black ‘dividing line’ that circles the new front bumper below knee height. All this, says Ferrari, turns it into a heritage-friendly barchetta.

The LED headlights are new, as are the wheels and interior trim. To accommodate the heavily revised front end the radiators have been moved closer together and the windscreen header rail has been lowered for better air flow up from the lower nose.

As for keeping the rain out, obviously if you’ve bought one you’re rich and live somewhere where it doesn’t rain. That or you have much garage space. But just in case, there’s a two-piece carbon-fibre hard top that stows, ahem, “conveniently behind the seats.”

Built by Ferrari’s Special Projects department and designed by the in-house Maranello team, this is likely to be a Ferrari collector’s wet dream from day one. We can’t wait to see the final sale value the first time one goes to auction.