Feast your eyes on this beauty. It’s the new Ferrari 488 Pista and it’s sure to create more than its fair share of drool puddles when it is unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

It is the successor to Ferrari’s V8-engined special series (the 360 Challenge Stradale, 430 Scuderia, 458 Speciale) and marks a significant step forward from the previous special series in terms of sporty dynamics and how much technology is carried over from Ferrari’s racing experience – ‘Rari buffs will have noticed the Pista’s name is a direct homage to the brand’s motor sports heritage.

The 488 Pista will make use of the most powerful V8 in Ferrari history – an extreme evolution of the turbo unit that won the overall International Engine of the Year award titles in 2016 and 2017.

With 709bhp available to shift a 1,280kg car, the 488 Pista boasts a phenomenal power to weight ratio of 562bhp per tonne.

As such, its 3902cc engine can blast off the car from a standstill to 62mph in 2.85 seconds and 0-124mph in 7.6 seconds, with a 211mph top speed.

Motor sport expertise

Ferrari’s motor sports experience is called upon to achieve the maximum aerodynamic performance for the car – this means it boasts a front F1-inspired S-duct, while the design of the front diffusers feature a ramp angle that was optimised for the 488 GTE to create strong suction for increased downforce.

The underbody vortex generators have also been redesigned and the rear diffuser incorporates the same double kink as the 488 GTE to increase the air extraction and downforce generation. To top it all off, the rear blown spoiler is higher, longer and the shape has been optimised.

All this comes together to increase downforce by an impressive 20 per cent.

Vehicle dynamics were designed to enhance the 488 Pista’s driving pleasure and unlock the car’s full potential to all drivers – professional or otherwise – with the objective of making the model’s performance on the limit easier to reach and control.

Watch out for more details on this new Ferrari when it is unveiled in early March.

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