Ferrari returns to turbo

The notoriously rapid Ferrari F40 supercar of 1987 was the last Prancing Horse model to be powered by a turbocharged engine.

But that's set to change according to Ferrari CEO Amadeo Felisa, who told US car magazine Motor Trend that a facelifted version of the Ferrari California will be powered by a twin-turbo V8 in 2014.

Felisa told the American magazine the upgraded California, which is due on sale in Australia early next year, will be powered by a reworked version of the twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 engine that it produces for the Maserati Quattroporte sedan also due on sale here in early 2014.

Expected to make its debut in March at the 2014 Geneva motor show, the facelifted Ferrari California onvertible will sport a subtle new look and a fresh twin-turbo V8 engine, which is expected to produce more power and torque than the current car's naturally aspirated 360kW/505Nm 4.3-litre V8.

The 2014 Ferrari California is likely to get more power than the Quattroporte's 390kW/650Nm, as Maranello's whitecoats tune the twin-turbo V8 for at least 400kW and potentially a lot more torque.

Performance figures will most certainly improve with the extra herbs, the 2013 Ferrari California's 3.8-second 0-100km/h split likely to be shaved by at least a couple of tenths and its 312km/h top speed also expected to rise.

Transferring the increased power from the front-mounted eight-cylinder engine to the rear axle will be an upgraded version of Ferrari's seven-speed dual-clutch cog-swapper, also used in the LaFerrari hypercar.

The flip-top Ferrari will herald a return to turbo V8s for the iconic Italian supercar brand for the first time since the F40 supercar built between 1987 and 1992.

It's not clear if Ferrari will offer turbocharged engines in other upcoming models or mid-life upgrades, but with ever-tightening emissions regulations, it's more likely than not.

The Italian car-maker has already embarked on an emission-reduction crusade. Its hybrid hypercar, the effortlessly quick 708kW LaFerrari, makes use of electric motors to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

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