Slideshow: What's the Big Deal About the Ferrari 488 Pista?
The Ferrari 488 GTB is wild enough, but checkout the ridiculous 488 Pista track special!
An improved 488?
The Ferrari 488 GTB is a groundbreaking car for Ferrari. Beyond the sheer power output, the 488 GTB has an extremely stiff and balanced chassis that has been celebrated by automotive journalists worldwide.
As a cutting-edge automotive manufacturer, Ferrari is never content with stagnation in their car's performance and is always striving to set new benchmarks. Therefore, the engineers at Ferrari went back to the drawing board and started to conceive the 488 Pista, their latest experimental project!
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Subtle Aero Upgrades
The front end of the 488 Pista looks similar to the GTB to the untrained eye, but a closer look will reveal larger air ducts, larger splitter, and a reshaped bumper! All of these improvements add up to increased front downforce and brake cooling capacity.
The rear of this 488 is finished with a larger ducktail spoiler and active diffuser flaps to reduce drag and increase downforce depending on your driving condition. Ferrari claims an overall aero efficiency improvement of 20% over the 488 GTB!
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Squeezing another 50hp out of the 3.9L V8
Improving upon the 488 GTB's massive 660hp is no easy task!
The extra 50hp comes from titanium connecting rods, more aggressive cams, lighter valves, and some fiddling with the engine management system. Ferrari claims that this engine is basically what comes in the 488 Challenge cars which are built for "race-track" use only!
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Driving Tech at its best!
The low-end torque and gobs of power available below 3000rpm in the 488 Pista would render this car nearly impossible to drive on the track for even an experienced driver. Therefore, Ferrari's active torque management technology keeps the rear end in check by limiting torque in the lower revs. Ferrari's "Dynamic Enhancer" traction and stability control system and active clutch management all work together in harmony to deliver a tamed, yet visceral driving experience on the track.
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Ferrari's weight loss plan...
So how did Ferrari shed 90kg from the featherweight 488 GTB?
The engine itself is over 18kg lighter through the use of titanium exhaust manifolds and lighter valvetrain components. Fortunately, a lighter valvetrain also means that the engine becomes even more rev-happy and snappier on the throttle.
Carbon fiber front and rear bumpers are made exclusively in the same shop where the F1 cars are built and carbon fiber wheels are optional.
All of these advancements make this Ferrari even more exotic and desirable.
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But is it fast...?
Before we talk about how unbelievably quick this supercar is, the sound alone is enough to sell it thanks to new exhaust manifolds sourced straight from the same supplier Ferrari uses for their F1 team.
When you combine the improvements mentioned to an already record-breaking 488 GTB, you get one of the most desirable supercars ever made.
By the numbers alone, the 488 Pista is staggering. 0-60 happens in less than 2.85 seconds and 0-125 flashes by in 7.6 seconds. Total power input is up to 711hp, over 50hp more than the "base model" GTB! Lap times around Ferrari's Fiorano circuit are only 1.8 seconds slower than the LaFerrari hypercar!
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