We Drive Ferrari's stunning 488 Pista

Power hiked and weight cut as Ferrari ups the 488 ante.

- Shane O’Donoghue

THE Ferrari 488 GTB sports car is already as quick as supercars from just a few years ago, but the company still reckons there’s room for a bit extra and even more involvement. Enter the 488 Pista, equipped with an engine that is 50 per cent new and an even more extreme chassis set-up. We got behind the wheel of a late pre-production version to see if the new car delivers.

As well as being more powerful, the Pista is lighter (by 90kg if you tick the right options boxes) and it uses aero tricks from motorsport. And yet, despite the increase in raw speed, Ferrari is adamant that the 488 Pista is about driving enjoyment – on road or track.

At the heart of the new car is a heavily updated twin-turbocharged 3.9-litre V8, mounted behind the two-seat cabin; itself trimmed down in appearance, but not drastically. Peak power has been increased by 50bhp to 711bhp, while torque output is up by 10Nm, at 770Nm.