Top Gear’s Chris Harris Drives the Ferrari 488 Pista
Does the latest Ferrari special edition, 488 Pista, make sense when the regular model is so good?
Though the subtitle may beg a question nobody is asking, Chris Harris does bring up a good point just in the introduction to this Top Gear review. If the ordinary 488 was so insanely fast with 660 hp, why on earth create one with 720 hp? Though perhaps too much for some, Chris soon points out that yes, indeed, the 488 Pista feels right at home with the extra power.
Not long after praising the helpful traction control Chris says, “as is traditional, one must turn everything off to see what happens.” Unsurprisingly, there’s some sliding, fun, and tire smoke. Yep, impeccably balanced and obscenely powerful. “It’s a big step up from the 488, particularly in terms of the feel,” he explains. Not the numbers, but the overall feel. “You can’t make stuff that feels this good and treat it like an inanimate object!” Here’s to hoping more of these see the track days they were meant for.
On the tech side we were surprised to find out that contrary to popular practice, instead of just upping the output on the 488 GTB’s engine, Ferrari instead dropped in the engine from Ferrari Challenge 488 race car! Basically, everything is 488, except better. Is there anything Chris doesn’t like? The cabin has quite a few different materials, an effect Harris says comes across as a hodgepodge of materials. Though, we can’t imagine looking inside any supercar and saying that with much feeling. Perhaps there’s something to that though, as Chris has no doubt been inside all of the latest greatest machines from both Italy and Britain.
“You could use it every day if you wanted to,” Chris says. “But to not use its performance would be such a shame.”
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