Looks like we were all wrong. Our guesses as to what the name of Ferrari’s upcoming hardcore version of the 488 GTB were based on their previous cars, but the Maranello crew decided to subvert expectations and chose something new altogether. Meet the 488 Pista.
Pista means ‘track’ in Italian, by the way, which is great and all but, being just one letter away from pasta, it doesn't exactly sound as intimidating something like Challenge Stradale, or Scuderia, or GTO. Nevertheless, it follows a very familiar formula to those former era machines.
Therefore, the 488 Pista is essentially a more powerful, more track-focused (obviously), and lightweight 488 GTB that’s been engineered to as fast as possible around a….circuit. Everything is a little more brutal, less forgiving, and focused.
The car’s online reveal here precedes the official ceremony planned for the Geneva Motor Show next month, but Ferrari has already laid out many of the specifications their newest car can boast about as well as some finer detail about what changes were made.
Starting with the engine, the 3.9-litre F154 twin-turbocharged V8 has been reworked to produce a lofty 530kW at 8,000rpm and peak torque of 770Nm as early as 3,000rpm. This boils down to a marginal 10Nm increase but a substantial 37kW boost in power.
Ferrari did not just twist up the turbocharger pressure and called it a day, though. Many elements from the engine used in their 488 Challenge and 488 GTE race car were brought to this road goer, including incorporating titanium connecting rods, a carbon fibre air intake, carbon composite flywheel and driveline and a new exhaust system made from Inconel, selected for its high resistance to extreme temperatures. That said, its turbochargers are uprated and also borrowed from 488 factory race cars.
This results in a 0-100km/h sprint time of 2.85 seconds while 200km/h swooshes by after 7.6 seconds, and on to a top speed beyond 340km/h. But the truest test will be how it performs on a….track. It’s no secret that Ferrari is aiming to beat the Nurburgring lap record set by the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, which it stole quickly from Lamborghini and their Huracan Performante.
The new body that the 488 Pista wears clearly bears major differences compared to the standard GTB. In an effort to generate far more downforce than other variants, the overall aero package has been comprehensively upgrades, with the most obvious addition is the F1-style S duct that channels air through its central front intake and accelerates it over the body.
While not visible in these pictures, its also clear that Ferrari is relying more on underbody airflow to generate downforce. The reworked routing and vortex generators works in tandem with the more aggressive rear diffuser. Where possible, aluminium has been substituted for carbon fibre, naturally, but for the first time the marque will also fit carbon fibre wheels. All totalled, it amounts to a weight saving of around 90kg over the standard car.
If Porsche’s previous forays into this new construction method are anything to go by, this could easily be the most expensive optional extra for the 488 Pista. Like the 458 Speciale and 430 Scuderia before it, this car isn’t relegated to a fixed number production run. However, like its predecessors, that run will likely only last for a year or two.
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