Tuesday 6th March 2018

Ferrari 488 Pista: Geneva 2018

The Speciale successor is the 720hp Pista, and just wait until you hear about the rest of it...

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As family lineages go, the run of mid-engined Ferrari V8 lightweights is a fairly sensational one: 348 GT Competizione, 355 Challenge, 360 Challenge Stradale, 430 Scuderia and 458 Speciale. Today Ferrari has announced the newest member of the clan: the 488 Pista.

That's 'Pista' as in 'track', the 488 following its illustrious predecessors in aiming for a lighter, louder, more circuit focused package. As such the Pista is said to borrow heavily from the GTE and Challenge 488 race cars, featuring upgrades like titanium rods, a carbon intake plenum, Inconel exhaust manifolds and a lighter crank.

Overall power is 720hp at 8,000rpm, allied to an incredible torque peak of 568lb ft. Apparently Pista torque is higher than the GTB at all engine speeds, delivering "a feeling of consistently smooth, powerful acceleration with even faster turbo response". The end result is a 0-124mph time of 7.6 seconds, passing 62 after 2.85 of them. Top speed is claimed to be more than 211mph.

Now these focused Ferraris have always been about more than just outright power - the Pista's 50hp gain is actually the most these special Berlinettas have ever received - and, unsurprisingly, there's a renewed focused on mass reduction and aerodynamics too. Like the Speciale, the Pista saves 90kg from the kerbweight from the regular GTB, resulting in a 1,280kg dry weight with the near-obligatory lightweight options. New carbon components, including wheels, bumpers and spoilers, plus a stripped out interior, will contribute to that improvement.

The new front end look is called an 'S-Duct', which works with the redesigned diffusers to improve front-end downforce. In addition to that the underbody vortex generators are also updated, the rear diffuser mirrors the design of the GTE car and the rear blown spoiler is described as "optimised", as well as being longer and higher. The result is a 20 per cent increase in downforce.

Are you up to date with your Ferrari acronyms? Do you know your SSC from your SCM? Good, because now there's a new one to learn: FDE, or Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer. (And just in case you didn't know, SSC is the slide slip control, now in its sixth generation, and SCM are the magnetorheological dampers). The Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer uses software to adjust brake pressure at the calipers, said to further finesse the 488's performance through and out of corners. We're not entirely sure how that works either, but anything that means a driver can "more easily control yaw angles" sounds like very good news. The tyres you will be roasting at this time are a new set of Michelins, presumably an evolution of the Cup 2.

Plenty to be excited by with the Pista, then, what with that spec and the incredible back catalogue. It will be revealed in full at Geneva, where additional spec details are due as well. More as we have it...

[Aftershox]

That is stunning

[Snubs]

To be followed by the 'Ferrari 488 GTO Pasta' hopefully.

Definite improvement to the design of the front end.

[seawise]

stunning effort, well done Ferrari. massive want.

[Gad-Westy]

Looks nice. Think I still prefer the idea of a 360CS though. Wouldn't mind a back to back test drive to double check These things have become crazy fast though!

On the history side of things, were the 348 Evoluzione and 355 challenge not competition cars as opposed to the this, the CS, Scuderia etc being stripped down road cars?

[Grey944]

Awesome.

One of the best looking ferraris ever?
Maybe a few too many ducts and intakes for the purists, but there's just something 'right' about it to my eyes. Obviously will go like the clappers as well

[BRR]

Absolutely love it, would definitely be on my lottery list. all of that power and tech would be wasted on me but I still want it

[DJT14]

• Insert disgruntled PHer comment about how its great, its fantastic, but no one is going to get one other than people letting them appreciate in a carcoon in their garage and it'll never see the light of day and never get driven the way its supposed to* There you go, saved at least 20 of you the time so you can moan about something else

[PhantomPH]

Never thought I'd say it, but I would have this over a Huracan Peformante....and I'm normally a Lambo guy!

[viggyp]

I just can't stand the word Pista (and I'm of Italian descent) but the car looks great.

I can just imagine the journalists stating "with all the drivers aids off, it can be skittish like an Italian out on the Pista!"

[M1C]

That. Is. Absolutely. Gorgeous.

Not loving the name and i think i still may prefer the 458 Speciale to look at but this is a lovely lovely thing!

[TTmonkey]

Gad-Westy said:

Looks nice. Think I still prefer the idea of a 360CS though. Wouldn't mind a back to back test drive to double check These things have become crazy fast though!

its a significant top speed increase over the 360CS. As I cruise past you at 210mph, you are going to feel like you are going backwards even at top speed.


Which will happen nowhere, of course....


Beautiful car though. Significantly enhanced by the stripes.

[ghost83]

Such a beautiful car

[Plug Life]

TTmonkey said:

Significantly enhanced by the stripes.

Stripes = -0.2s 0 to 60

[Mike1990]

Want.

[Gad-Westy]

TTmonkey said:

Gad-Westy said:

Looks nice. Think I still prefer the idea of a 360CS though. Wouldn't mind a back to back test drive to double check These things have become crazy fast though!

its a significant top speed increase over the 360CS. As I cruise past you at 210mph, you are going to feel like you are going backwards even at top speed.


Which will happen nowhere, of course....


Beautiful car though. Significantly enhanced by the stripes.

More than 211mph apparently which is about the strangest top speed I've ever heard quoted. Manages to be vague and specific all at the same time.

[mooseracer]

Lottery win and I'll have one.

In the real world looking forward to Chris Harris driving one.

[Gameface]

PhantomPH said:

Never thought I'd say it, but I would have this over a Huracan Peformante....and I'm normally a Lambo guy!

It will be a £100k more than a Performante from the factory (and as said already you can't buy them anyway).

Flippers will want at least £500k for one.

[The Surveyor]

That really is very desirable. Strangely the details of the weight saving and the performance are of no interest, but as an overall package it looks fabulous.

[TooMany2cvs]

Gameface said:

It will be a £100k more than a Performante from the factory (and as said already you can't buy them anyway).

Flippers will want at least £500k for one.

HFM? They're taking the pista!

[numtumfutunch]

DJT14 said:

*Insert disgruntled PHer comment about how its great, its fantastic, but no one is going to get one other than people letting them appreciate in a carcoon in their garage and it'll never see the light of day and never get driven the way its supposed to* There you go, saved at least 20 of you the time so you can moan about something else

What he said