► New Ferrari 488 Pista driven in UK
► Follows Stradale, Scuderia, Speciale
► Red-hot: 710bhp, 2.9sec 0-62mph
How to follow up the family tree of go-faster V8s if you’re Ferrari? With this: the new 2018 Ferrari 488 Pista – and we’ve driven it in the UK.
Our video above chronicles the week we spent in the successor to the 360 Challenge Stradale, 430 Scuderia and 458 Speciale. Needless to say, it’s a very special car – as you might expect from the special talent that won our 2018 Sports Car Giant Test.
You can read our full Ferrari 488 Pista review here, or read on for more news, specs and technical details of Maranello’s maximum V8.
As you’d expect, the new Ferrari 488 owes much of its upgraded performance to the company’s motorsport know-how; it makes great play of its five manufacturer titles, 29 race wins and 25 years of one-make racing all lending a hand in the creation of the 488 Pista. From the 488 GTE to the 488 Challenge, the Pista has a rich DNA of racing heritage.
The new Ferrari starred at the 2018 Geneva motor show. Check out our full show preview here.
So what exactly makes the Pista the ultimate 488? The formula should be relatively understood by now. Like those earlier racing-inspired specials, the new maximum 488 follows a well-trodden path: the new Pista adds more power, less weight and a whole host of go-faster tuning to justify the extra price.
CAR magazine’s Ferrari 488 review
So just how powerful is the new Ferrari 488 Pista?
Ferrari has managed to squeeze an extra 50 horsepower extra from the V8, raising power to 710bhp – the same as the McLaren 720S flagship. Funny that. Thank turbocharging for the frankly mind-boggling 185hp-per-litre specific output.
The 488 Pista is lighter than the GTB base car, too, with a lightweight crankshaft and flywheel, titantium conrods and carbonfibre intake plenums all helping a modest reduction in kerbweight. In fact, the whole car’s been on the Maranello Diet, shedding 90kg from its kerbweight.
Ferrari quotes a 1280kg dry kerbweight, when the car is drained of all fluids.
We’d argue the 488 Pista has to be one of the best-looking Ferraris made in recent years, and pretty much every surface on the new car has been designed to force it into the tarmac. The front end has a new diffuser inspired by the 488 GTE’s, while the rear diffuser also benefits from development of the GTE racing car.
The underside of the 488 Pista features redesigned vortex generators, and there’s even an F1-inspired S-duct – designed to tidy up airflow over the top surface of the car – at the front. Not only does it help the car aerodynamically, but it also gives the car the impression of a floating front wing. The result of all this extreme bodywork? When combined with a modified rear blown spoiler, the 488 Pista features 20% more downforce than a regular or cooking GTB.
The full Ferrari 488 Pista specs are as follows:
- Engine 3902cc twin-turbo V8
- Power 710bhp @ 8000rpm
- Torque 568lb ft @ 3000rpm
- Length 4605mm
- Width 1975mm
- Height 1206mm
- Dry weight 1280kg
- 0-62mph 2.85sec
- 0-124mph 7.6 sec
- Top speed ‘Over 211mph’
Our video review above hopefully brings some of those raw figures to life. Be sure to sound off in the comments below.
Read all our Ferrari reviews here