The 710bhp Ferrari 488 Pista Is Officially Here At Last

Welcome to the embodiment of old-school Ferrari at its modern finest. The 488 Pista has finally been released officially, and its spec sheet makes for one hell of a read.

Let’s start with the output. Some 710bhp comes from the most powerful V8 Ferrari has ever made – 50bhp more than the standard 3.9-litre unit thanks to the likes of Inconel exhaust manifolds, a lightweight crankshaft and flywheel, titanium con-rods and carbonfibre intake plenums, variously derived from the 488 GTE and Challenge racers.

Torque is ‘higher at all [engine] speeds’ says Ferrari, peaking at 568lb ft with faster throttle response than ever. It’s louder and more ferocious on the ear, too, in all gears and at all speeds. We like. That makes it good for a 0-62mph sprint in a bonkers-fast but slightly anal 2.85 seconds, with a 211mph top speed.

But power is nothing without, err, aerodynamics. The ‘F1-inspired’ S-duct and front diffusers are part of a package that increases the downforce by 20 per cent. The rear ‘blown’ spoiler is higher and wider, above a new GTE-sourced ‘double-kink’ rear diffuser.

Despite all that, the Pista is designed to be fully exploitable even by people who aren’t quite Ferrari test driver standard. Version six of the company’s Side-Slip Angle Control, or SSC 6.0, manages the electronically-controlled differential, F1-Trac, the magnetorheological suspension and, for a Ferrari first, the brake pressure at individual wheels. It’s all designed to help you avoid ending up in the gravel.

Ferrari says it’s now easier (for a confident driver) to get to the car’s limits and exploit its handling behaviour at ten tenths – and beyond. The tyres are bespoke Michelin track-focused items, and they have an impressive 90kg less weight to handle.

The Pista clocks a dry weight of just 1280kg. Part of that is new carbonfibre wheels that cut 40 per cent out of the alloy hoops you’ll find on the 488 GTB. When it finally arrives in the real world, we can look forward to very many shootouts between this, the 911 GT2 RS and the McLaren 720S. Bring it on!