So here we are again. The Ferrari 360 CS came along four years into the lifespan of the 360 Modena. 

For the 430 Scuderia, we were made to wait for three years after the F430’s arrival. For the 458 Speciale, the cadence between all-new model and stripped-out track hero was back to four years. And now we’re back to three again.

2018 Ferrari 488 Pista revealed

Some things feel familiar here, others less so. As weight savings go, 90kg isn’t to be sniffed at – but it’s precisely what Maranello saved, last time around, for the 458 Speciale. It leaves the 488 Pista with a slightly heavier dry weight than McLaren’s 675LT had but the car’s 711bhp ought to make up for it.

This is the biggest power hike any special-series Ferrari V8 has had – and 49bhp might be just the start of it. How exciting does an Inconel exhaust system, a lightweight crankshaft and flywheel, titanium con rods and carbonfibre intake plenums sound, after all? Expect even sharper throttle response and a higher redline, then. They certainly know how to get your attention, don’t they?

How to buy your first Ferrari

It’s interesting, also, that Maranello is claiming to have made its Sideslip Angle Control ‘drift mode’ even cleverer. That can’t have been easy. The 488 GTB and the 458 Speciale set a damned high bar for flattering limit handling, and it’s hard to fathom exactly how much more god-like a mid-engined supercar could actually make its driver feel. I suppose we’ll find out. 

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