Believe it or not, Ferrari takes customer racing rather seriously. Ferrari owners taking their own cars to compete seems like an ideal belonging to a bygone era of gentlemen racers, but it seems even more vexing when trying to imagine placing a rare 488 Pista at such risk.
This ‘Piloti Ferrari’ specification for the hardcore 488 is made for exactly this purpose by the Maranello automaker’s Tailor Made division and debuting on the sidelines of the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
Inspired by AF Corse’s no.51 488 GTE car with which Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado won the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles, this special finish for the new Ferrari 488 Pista is available exclusively for customers involved in the company's motor sports programmes, making possible ownership limited to those already participating.
The exterior is mostly defined by the additional cosmetic details added atop the 488 Pista’s aerodynamically formed body. These include stripes that run with the colours of Italy’s national flag, embellished by a laurel celebrating the WEC title, the logo of the championship and the word "PRO" indicating the class the #51 car raced in.
Each client specifying their own 488 Pista with the Piloti treatment will also be able to add their own race number to the side livery, where again the three streaks of the Italian national colours are found. Other than the scarlet ‘Rosso Corsa’ main colour, Blu Tour De France, Nero Daytona and Argento Nurburgring can also be optioned. The matte black S-Duct and the natural carbon-fibre ‘dovetail’ suspended rear spoiler and vent surrounds round off the personalisation of the exterior.
Inside, each Piloti will be furnished with a full Alcantara interior, includes seats upholstered with a special perforated version of the same material that incorporates the Italian flag in the central band of the backrest. The national colours are also clearly visible on the edge of the gearshift paddles and on the floor mats which, like the carpeting itself, are made of a special technical fabric.
The number that features on the external livery also appears on the base of the steering wheel, while all the carbon-fibre trim parts have a matte finish. The personalisation of the interior is completed by an exclusive identification plate and sill trim in carbon-fibre, the latter with the Tailor Made logo.
As you may have already surmised, the Piloti treatment does not include any mechanical alterations to the 488 Pista. Thusly, the mid-mounted but heavily modified F154 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 produces the same 530kW at a lofty 8,000rpm and 770Nm at 3,000rpm, mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Thanks to the numerous new active aerodynamic upgrades Ferrari have fitted to the 488 Pista, particularly the underbody, the car develops loads more downforce than the standard car could hope to. Meanwhile, the extra thrust and reduced weight (by 90kg) means that it reaches 100km/h from rest in just 2.85 seconds and will climb to a top speed in excess of 340km/h.
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