2019 Ferrari 488 Pista Review Review

Wow. What are the key changes?

The basics are the same: the Pista is a mid-engined, twin-turbo V8 with rear-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. But weight drops 90kg to 1385kg compared with a 488 GTB, the 3.9-litre V8 improves by 49bhp and 7lb ft to 710bhp and 568lb ft, and downforce increases by a claimed 20%. Carbon-ceramic brakes and adaptive dampers are identical to the GTB’s, but spring rates are 10% stiffer and Michelin Cup 2 tyres are grippier.

Ferrari says it has never transferred so much motorsport expertise to the road. The rear diffuser is derived from the 488 GTE World Endurance Championship racecar, while the one-make Challenge racecar provides its crankshaft and flywheel, brake booster, intake and cooling system, and inspired the flat underbody. An Formula 1-style S-duct in the lower front bumper also increases downforce.

How does it drive compared with a GTB?

Everything feels tauter and more responsive, which is no mean feat. Even at modest speeds you notice extra definition and weight to the steering (though its still relatively light and impossibly fast), the reduced body roll and that the brake pedal feels even firmer – you’ll probably press it too much at first.

Drive hard and the Pista is simply sensational. The brakes offer almost unbelievable stopping power (they are more than a match for most people’s nerve, and never seem to trigger the ABS system) and when you wind on that super-fast steering the Pista grips hard at the front and feels wide, low and utterly planted. But it’s also highly playful and sweetly balanced, and soon encourages its driver to throw it around like a car with half the power (and a quarter of the price!). Nice too, that the ‘CT off’ stability control setting allows small oversteer slides but saves the day if you run out of talent.

How about that engine?

It’s incredible, and only intensified by the seven-speed paddleshift gearbox (no demands for a manual here). When we tested the car flat-out on track, initial acceleration in first- and second gear was almost overwhelming. There’s simply no turbo lag, just a wave of visceral acceleration that builds and builds through to 8000rpm, at which point the dual-clutch gearbox fires in a change like you’ve pulled a trigger. Naturally, a turbo V8 delivers a rich seam of mid-range torque, but it’s this absence of lag and sense of reward from chasing high rpms that really makes this the greatest V8 currently in production.

Is a Pista much harder to live with than a GTB?

Actually no, this remains a highly useable car. The exhaust is said to be 8db louder yet never becomes tiresome on the motorway, the chassis is almost unbelievably supple for a car so sporting, and the V8 is smooth and tractable at low speeds where you’d forgive it for straining impatiently. Select Sport mode and the gearshifts are quick and smooth, but less violent than the Race shifts. Somehow, too, the Pista manages to make 710bhp far more useable than you’d expect on the road.

In a nutshell

The Ferrari 488 Pista takes everything that makes the 488 GTB so fabulous and simply lifts it to another level of driving enjoyment, from its explosive powertrain to its sharper, more responsive chassis. This is an epic trackday machine that’ll excite and involve all day long, but perhaps Ferrari’s biggest achievement of all is how easy the 488 Pista is to live with on the road and how unintimidating its staggering performance is to exploit. If this sounds like a fiendishly difficult balance to strike, the multi-talented Pista makes it look easy. Search and finance your next used Ferrari 488 with ChooseMyCar, or view the entire Ferrari range.

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