The Ferrari 488 Pista is here

Ferrari has added another name to continue the lineage of the 360 Challenge Stradale, 430 Scuderia and 458 Speciale. The supercar to take on the mantle of continuining in the ric vein of performance is the 488 Pista set to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.

The 488 Pista takes inspiration from Ferrari’s current motorsport cars, namely the 488 GTE and the 488 Challenge. The Pista subsequently cuts down on weight while increasing power while improving on the brilliant electroncs and aerodynamics that the 488 already has. It is set to be the most powerful V8-engined Ferrari in the company’s history, with 710bhp at 8,000rpm from the turbocharged 3.9-litre engine and 710Nm of torque at 3,000rpm .With an extra 49bhp over the 488 GTB, the 488 Pista has a larger increase in power over the standard car than any of the 360-, 430- and 458-based ‘specials’.

Performance figures are incredible with 100kph turning up in 2.875secs and 200kmph taking 7.6 seconds. The top speed is in excess of 320kmph.

The Pista achieves the weight savings due to the use of inconel exhaust manifolds and a lighter crankshaft and flywheel from the Challenge car, plus the use of titanium conrods and a carbonfibre intake plenum. The Pista’s torque output is higher at any engine speed than the GTB’s, and Ferrari claims that the response from the turbochargers is said to be even quicker. 

Further weight was trimmed off in the body, where the engine cover, front and rear bumpers and the rear wing are made from carbonfibre. 20” wheels with a carbonfibre rim can also be ordered, and with all lightweight options specified the 488 Pista weighs an incredible 90kg less than a GTB coupe, tipping the scales at 1,280kg dry.

The design of the Pista is clearly influenced by its need to go fast. There’s an F1-inspired S-Duct at the front along with a diffuser similar to the GTE car, while the car’s underbody has been redesigned with new ‘vortex generators’. At the rear, the diffuser features a ‘double kink’ design again inspired by the GTE-spec racer. With its larger and higher-set ‘blown’ rear spoiler, and a front end dominated by a raised section that looks almost like a complete front wing mounted on the car, the 488 Pista offers a 20% increase in downforce over the 488 GTB. 

Ferrari says that its new suite of electronics is meant to create a ‘completely symbiotic relationship’ between car and driver. Helping to make the ‘limits approachable’, according to Ferrari, is Version 6.0 of its Side Slip Angle Control System, or SSC 6.0. This suite of tech incorporates E-Diff3, F1-Trac, the latest adaptive dampers (SCM) and, for the first time, something called the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer (FDE). Ferrari claims FDE is a world first, and describes it as ‘software that adjusts the brake pressure at the calipers’. All together, it’s a massive amount of computing power helping to make a 700bhp+ mid-engined car more friendly on the limit.