Early on in Ferrari’s history, the idea of building a “race car for the road” wasn’t really on the brand’s radar. At that point, the laws were lax enough that almost any of their racing cars could be driven on the road and frequently were used as transportation to and from the track that they would be racing at on the weekend. But as race cars became more specialized and stricter regulations were put in place for road cars, the idea of a race car for the road started to become more appealing to Ferrari and its customers. In the United States, this began with the 360 Challenge Stradale- a stripped-out version of the 360 Modena, the Challenge Stradale offered a far more raw driving experience and gave owners the feeling of being behind the wheel of a race car on their weekend drives around town. This kickstarted a new line of cars from Ferrari that has created some of their most coveted models, the most recent of which is the 488 Pista.
Sold new in the San Francisco Bay Area, this 2020 488 Pista was delivered in October of 2019 and shows just 413 miles from new. It is presented in the classic Ferrari color of Rosso Corsa and features a white and blue over-the-top stripe, to match the paint scheme of the debut car from the Geneva Motor Show in 2018. With nearly $85,000 in optional extras on the window sticker, this car benefits from a unique specification with a large list of desirable carbon fiber extras. When you see the car in person, the sheer quantity of carbon fiber on the exterior is outstanding, with the front flaps, side air splitter, engine cover, rear diffuser, front air vents, and rear molding all made of the material, giving the car a very racecar-like appearance. In addition, this car has been optioned with what is arguably the most important feature on any modern supercar- a front suspension lift from the factory to help you get in and out of driveways, and keep the front of the car from dragging along the ground.
The design of the interior of the 488 Pista is beautiful in its simplicity. As with the exterior, this car has been fitted with a tremendous amount of carbon fiber throughout the interior- and what isn’t wrapped in carbon, is covered with black Alcantara. For the occupants, a pair of lightweight black Alcantara and cloth bucket seats have been fitted, but to give the interior a splash of color, they feature red trim up the center as well as red stitching, including the prancing horse logo in the headrests. This black and red theme continues on the dashboard which is also Alcantara wrapped. The trim line bisects the upper and lower part of the dash and has a red stripe to match the seats additionally, the steering wheel has been stitched with red thread too.
Powering the 488 Pista is a highly tuned version of the 488 GTB’s twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V8 which produces 710 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque. Internally, the engine received a new camshaft design, larger intercoolers, titanium connecting rods, and stronger pistons to help the car reliably make this outstanding power figure in a wide variety of conditions. The exhaust manifolds are made of Inconel like on the 488 Challenge and on this example, are connected to a set of black ceramic finished exhaust in the rear. All of this power is then sent through a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox which has been calibrated to click off shifts in an almost unfathomable 30 milliseconds. Thanks to some ingenious design work by the team at Ferrari, the added scoops and diffusers are not just for show- the Pista produces 20% more downforce than a standard 488 GTB, meaning that it feels far more confident when cornering at speed.
With Ferrari’s new mid-engine cars all featuring hybridization, the 488 Pista may represent the final all petrol powered mid-engine track special from the brand. This example is in outstanding condition throughout and is a truly unique build thanks to the extensive optioning carried out by the first owner and is offered with all the extras including a window sticker, tire inflation kit, books, and manuals. As the years go by, the 488 Pista will be seen as a true high spot in Ferrari history and a fitting vehicle to mark the end of the pure, track-focused mid-engine combustion cars that people love so much from the brand.
