Technically, the Ferrari 488 Pista encompasses all of the experience built up on the world’s circuits by the Ferrari 488 Challenge and the Ferrari 488 GTE. For over 25 years, Maranello has been organising the most prestigious of all one-make championships, the Ferrari Challenge, in which over 100 drivers split into three continental series do battle at the wheel. Last year saw the introduction of the Ferrari 488 Challenge, the first model in the series to be equipped with a turbo engine. The Ferrari 488 GTE is instead the car fielded in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the pinnacle of GT racing, where it has won two consecutive GT Manufacturers’ titles and no less than five titles in total since the championship’s inception in 2012. Thanks to wins in both the Pro and Am categories, the Ferrari 488 GTE has taken no fewer than 35 out of the 50 races run to date.
The new car’s engine adopts numerous solutions from that of the Ferrari 488 Challenge and its power output has been increased to 720 cv. It is also lighter, thanks to new titanium con-rods and carbon-fibre intake plenums. The inverted radiator cooling system is also derived from the Challenge with the radiators raked rearwards (rather forwards as in the Ferrari 488 GTB), improving cooling and maintaining optimal performance levels even in high thermal stress situations.
The car’s aerodynamics are derived from both the Ferrari 488 GTE and from Formula 1, specifically the S-Duct at its front, the rear spoiler and diffuser profiles which boost efficiency by 20% compared to the Ferrari 488 GTB. Other solutions have been carried over from the track to shave off further weight, including the lithium battery (from the Ferrari 488 Challenge) and also the new carbon-fibre wheel rims – a first for Ferrari. The overall result is that the Ferrari 488 Pista is an impressive 90 kg lighter than the Ferrari 488 GTB.
As with the three previous special series, the Challenge Stradale, Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Ferrari 458 Speciale, this new berlinetta is the perfect marriage of extreme performance and track car-style handling.
