Pista First Impressions

I'll have to disagree with you on this. You will not just notice the speed differential on the speedo, you will notice it everywhere. The car is quite a bit faster. I haven't measured in db but I am fairly certain the Pista is louder than the 488 while driving as well. I do agree that compared to the 488 GTB it makes the GTB look very boring by comparison. And yes, it's incredible indeed. People need to drive one before believing/thinking it's only a minor change from the GTB.

 

The sound seems to be getting better with the miles. It is especially noticeable when you you left off or downshift.

 

intresting that you found the engine so dramatically different vs the 488 that you compare it to a mitsubishi evo vs an m5 when others have stated they couldnt tell the difference driving the F8 vs a 488!

would be nice to see a F8 v pista back to back test

 

Yes from the GTB. You will probably take this as hyperbole, but it feels like its from a different planet, at least to me. I just never could engage with the GTB. Not looking to stir the pot but I found the GTB to be tremendously accomplished but a bit too GT focused. Whereas I do engage with the Pista. Very much so. I needed about 100 miles with the car to really get it though because the initial sound was somewhat quiet- and then another Pista owner told me to let the exhaust break in- and it does break in. And it gets so much better. And as the tires break in and you get used to it, you'll realize this is a car that takes what's in your brain and just translates it into action. I think its a very special car and quite an achievement. It has the F40's "holy ****!!!" kind of power - but there is no delay in the delivery- it just feels unbelievably strong. And the car just wants to be your friend and wants to go go go go and have fun.

I think the engine feels more ferocious in the way it revs and the way it delivers power over the GTB. I'm surprised anyone could think the Pista is just 10% over a GTB. Its really a different animal all together.

 

Thanks for your comments.I would expect the Pista to be in a new realm of performance over the 488 just as the Performante is over the 610-4. Your sentiments about the 488 echo mine.

 

I have not driven an F8 so no way to compare there for me. However, I suspect the Pista vs F8 will reveal a significant difference as well, more in feel than likely speed or numbers. I have driven many, many cars from high performance street cars to full out track only cars and seen and felt the progression from a great street car/acceptable track car to a poor street car/great track car. The exact same spec motor will feel dramatically different when all of the parts around it are "wound up tighter". Usually for the track, that means less suspension compliance (solid bushings, spherical bearings, fixed arms, etc...) While none of us will ever know all the trickery that goes on in Maranello, there is no question in my mind that they tune the special models to be more high strung. In this day and age, much of this is electrical trickery rather than raw mechanical bits and difference. The way the throttle is tuned, the way the shocks are programmed, certainly the lack of sound deadening, and harder materials surrounding you creates the "perception" of speed and excitement/drama without actually making a huge difference in performance.

In the case of the engine, I think it has a lot to do with how quickly the turbos spool up and the programming telling them when to hold boost and when to release via the wastegate. BMW pioneered alot of this trickery on the 1M coupe which had a program ("M" mode) that held boost longer so the turbo was pre-spooled and ready to go. Not great for fuel economy but awesome for acceleration and throttle response (almost hyperresponsive). This will create some real world performance difference as well and would also help to explain why this makes the engine feel like a larger displacement engine.

 

In a vacuum I'd choose Pista over F8, I just prefer the looks of the Pista and looks are a high priority for me for a car purchase decision. But I did find it interesting that a Ferrari dealer in Europe was advertising the F8 on Instagram as the road car with the Pista engine, so count me as another curious for the F8 vs Pista comparo

 

I think the pista vs F8 comparison is interesting. For all variants before this (360CS, 430 Scud, 458 spec) the model that superseeds them has always been "faster" but they have also been softer than the special edition. In time the pista will be the car to have not the F8, not just because it's more raw, but because it is rarer and more striking.

 

Of course.

 

The Pista also has resonator pipes connecting the exhaust to the cabin to transfer more sound inside of the car. Yet, the regular 488 is a bit louder but much more aggressive in terms of sound. The Pista's sound reminds me of the Speciale in some situations. Maybe it will change a bit while adding miles to it. The 488 changed a lot over time.

 

How many miles on your Pista?