The carbon-fiber kit has an unusual back story.
Supercars don’t require much help attracting attention, but some buyers crave a bit more than the “off-the-showroom” exotic styling. That’s why an entire industry exists to create more aggressive bodykits for supercars, with companies like Zacoe. The performance company has experience building bodykits for a variety of sports cars and supercars, including the Toyota Supra and a widebody McLaren 720S. Though it’s no longer in production, Zacoe has created a unique kit for the Ferrari 488 GTB.
Celebrating the Ferrari brand’s 75th anniversary, the Zacoe 488 carbon fiber performance package draws inspiration from GT3 racecars and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novels.
Zacoe says the front lip, side skirts and diffuser side flaps are designed to look like the armor of Lu Bu’s horse. In the story, Lu Bu’s horse is named Chi Tu (meaning Red Hare), which is a tenuous link to the classic red prancing horse.
Specific pieces of the bodykit were inspired by elements of Lu Bu’s and Chi Tu’s armor. The side skirts, for example, are meant to look like the leg armor from Dynasty Warriors 9 Koei Tecmo, while the rear side flaps pay homage to Lu Bu’s iconic “antenna” war headpiece. These pieces add drama to the 488 without looking too outrageous while providing GT3-style handling improvements.
Along with the carbon fiber body kit, the package includes a Fi Exhaust valvetronic exhaust system, which amplifies the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 soundtrack. Drivers can control the exhaust flaps using a remote control or mobile app. The exhaust comes with carbon fiber tips, said to match the pattern offered by Ferrari from the factory.
Like any special edition Ferrari, the Zacoe 488 carbon fiber performance package will be sold in limited numbers. In fact, the company will only produce five units for customers who want to make their 488 GTB look more like a Chinese warhorse. Presumably, because there are only five 488 owners that would ever consider such a move.
