The Ferrari 488 Pista is the last in a long line of phenomenal hardcore track orientated versions of Ferrari’s V8 supercars. Following in the footsteps of legends such as the 430 Scuderia & the 458 Speciale except this time there is one major difference, the 488 Pista is turbocharged. Some Ferrari purists will turn their noses up at a turbocharged Ferrari, conveniently forgetting about the legendary F40, but the truth is these days the dark art of turbocharging at this level has significantly evolved and simply yields hugely powerful and torquey powertrains with beautifully linear delivery. The 488 Pista does not simply run a tweaked or boosted version of the GTB engine and instead uses the full-fat version from the 488 Challenge race car. One of the main differences in this engine are the lighted all titanium internals, making it spool quicker and feel all the more naturally aspirated in the way it revs. All this power and torque gives mind-bending straight-line performance with a 0-125mph time of just 7.5 seconds, a sniff slower than the LaFerrari!

In addition to the monstrous engine there has been a 90kg weight reduction through the increased use of carbon fibre and reduced sound deadening. Add to this an increase in downforce at both axles courtesy of the new bodywork, splitters and diffuser plus stiffer springs with recalibrated dampers and the Pista starts to put serious distance between itself and the standard 488 GTB. Other differences include faster shifts from the 7-Speed F1 DCT, updated electronic chassis control systems and an Inconel/Titanium exhaust system producing a uniquely booming bassy sound. Although the ‘bumpy road’ suspension button does an impressive job at loosening off the suspension and improving ride quality on uneven roads, the Pista demands to be driven on the track in order to behold its full potential. After all, ‘Pista’ does directly translate to ‘Track’ from Italian. Overall the 488 Pista pushes the envelope even further on what is possible from a usable every-day track focused supercar in the 21st century, presented in a package of Italian flare, passion and pedigree hard to compete with in this market sector.