2019 Ferrari 488 Pista is a Pièce de Résistance
2019 Ferrari 488 Pista sheds 488 GTB’s soft-spoken style for graceful aggression as 458 Speciale’s successor.
The Ferrari 488 GTB is a winner on so many levels. Its style garnered “Best of the Best” in product design from Red Dot in 2016. The 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 features compressor wheels made from titanium aluminide alloy, normally found in jet engines. And it pulls influences from the 458, it’s predecessor, and LaFerrari, while also boasting a power-to-weight ratio equal to the F12 Berlinetta.
But what if that’s not enough? What if the 488 GTB is too soft-spoken for your tastes? Then the 488 Pista is what you need. The Drive recently took the latest of Ferrari’s Special Series vehicles for a glorious ride through the automaker’s own Fiorano test circuit.
The 488 Pista is the successor to the 458 Speciale, and has the cred to back it up. The 3.9-liter V8 in the Pista now puts out 710 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque, a gain of 49 horses and seven pounds per foot of torque over the GTB. The Pista is also weighs 200 pounds fewer than the GTB at 3,047 pounds with all fluids accounted for.
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All that power and lightness means a 0-60 mph time of around 2.7 seconds, 0-120 mph in 7.5 seconds, and a top speed of 211 mph, all carried to the pavement upon custom Michelin Pilot Sport K2 tires. As The Drive says, the 488 Pista “is a hairy beast” compared to the 488 GTB. The Pista loses no performance at the red line, either, continuing to keep the fuel flowing as the gears run up on the line before shifting to the next gear.
All in all, the 488 Pista is the sum of its race-bred influences, “from Formula One to the World Endurance Championship Ferrari 488s to the Ferrari Challenge spec series. It’s loud, it’s proud, and it’s the hardest 488 you can legally drive on the street.
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