Technically, the Ferrari 488
Pista encompasses all of the experience built up on the world’s circuits by the
488 Challenge and the 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 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 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 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 than
forwards as in the 488 GTB), improving cooling and maintaining optimal
performance levels even in high thermal stress situations.
The car’s aerodynamics are
derived from both the 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 488 GTB. Other solutions have been carried over from the track
to shave off further weight, including the lithium battery (from the 488
Challenge) and also the new carbon-fibre wheel rims - a first for Ferrari. The
overall result is that the 488 Pista is an impressive 90 kg lighter than the
488 GTB.
As with the three previous
special series, the Challenge Stradale, 430 Scuderia and 458 Speciale, this new
berlinetta is the perfect marriage of extreme performance and track car-style
handling.
The Ferrari 488 Pista can
punch out 720 cv at 8000 rpm, giving it the best specific power output in its
class at 185 cv/l, while torque is higher at all engine speeds, peaking at 770
Nm (10 Nm more than the 488 GTB). An extreme evolution of the turbo engine
elected overall International Engine of the Year in both 2016 and 2017, this is
the most powerful V8 in Ferrari history.
Source: Ferrari