The Ferrari 488 Pista Is the Fastest Car Top Gear Has Ever Tested
When the Stig has to drastically drop his speeds in a turn, you know you’re in for quite a ride. The Ferrari 488 Pista roars around curves and effortlessly reaches speeds over 220 mph. Keep an eye on the speedometer, and you’ll see it reach a top speed of 242 mph.
With speeds like that, it’s no surprise that the Pista was the fastest car that Top Gear has ever tested. Considering some of its competitors were cars such as the Audi R8 V10 Plus, the 911 GT2 RS, and the Lamborghini Huracán, this was quite the feat. The Pista’s official lap time was 01:12.7 on the infamous 1.75-mile track. It was a rather narrow win, as the Dallara Stradale came in second with a speed of 01:12.8.
Top 10 Cars and Times
While there were many amazing cars that were tested on the Top Gear track, these were the cars that made the top 10. The times were extremely close in several instances and in the case of the McLaren 600 LT, the Ariel Atom V8 500, and the Dodge Viper ACR, all three had the same time of 01:15.1.
- Ferrari 488 Pista Time: 01:12.7
- Dallara Stradale Time: 01:12.8
- Porsche 991 GT2 RS Time: 01:13.4
- McLaren 675LT Time: 01:13.7
- Pagani Huayra Time: 01:13.8
- BAC Mona Time: 01:14.3
- McLaren 600LT Time: 01:15.1
- Ariel Atom V8 500 Time: 01:15.1
- Dodge Viper ACR Time: 01:15.1
- Audi R8 V10 Plus Time: 01:15.7
The Ferrari 488 Pista
With predecessors like the 430 Scuderia, the 458 Speciale, and the legendary F40 that broke the 200 mph threshold back in 1987, Ferrari had set the bar high for what came next, and it didn’t fail to deliver with the Pista.
The Pista is Ferrari’s track focused version of the 488 GTB that’s been on sale for several years now. First revealed in 2015, the 488 GTB just keeps getting better and better.
Ferrari describes the Pista by stating, “The Ferrari 488 Pista is powered by the most powerful V8 engine in the Maranello Marque’s history and is the company’s special series sports car with the highest level yet of technological transfer from racing.” This may sound like they are tooting their own horn, but given the Pista’s performance on the track and the 155 competitors it beat out, it’s clear that the praise is well-earned.
Pista, which translates to track in English, is the perfect name for this beast of a vehicle considering how easily it eats up the track. The Pista comes equipped with a twin-turbocharged V8 with 711 hp. It’s official top recorded speed comes in at 211 mph.
The body of the 488 Pista brings to mind the classic street racer look with its S-Duct at the front, slick edges, and gorgeous paint jobs.
Continuing with the racing theme, the 488 Pista’s interior has contrasting hand stitching, and heel rests in a triangular pattern. Shockingly enough, Ferrari ditched the passenger side glove department in favor of storage pockets in the doors and rear bench. While some might find this disconcerting, given the already slim space provided by the 488 Pista, it’s simply another way that Ferrari is changing up the way cars are made.
Since the Ferrari name is associated with luxury, speed, and refinement, it’s no surprise that the 488 Pista doesn’t come cheap. In fact, according to Automobile Magazine, the base price starts at $345,300. It may be out of the price budget for many people, but that doesn’t mean we can’t dream.
All images provided by the manufacturer unless otherwise noted.
