Ferrari 458 Speciale vs 488 Pista: Classic Comparison
The Ferrari 458 Speciale and 488 Pista are the most exciting mid-engined Prancing Horses in recent memory. They have much in common, but demonstrate their (ample) talents in notably different ways. We drive them back-to-back at Zwartkops.
IMAGES: Stefan Kotze
The alarm clock goes off at 05:00, but after a 30-minute drive and with the sun already up, the early start is quickly forgotten. I park my car in the pits of Zwartkops Raceway, looking forward to an epic duel.
I hear the deep, gruff burble of 2 of Ferrari’s greatest cars from the past 2 decades. The headlights and sculpted shapes of the Ferrari 458 Speciale and 488 Pista fill my view. An exhilarating morning awaits.
Both represent the lightweight, more focused version of their “mainstream” siblings: the 458 Speciale is to the 458 Italia what the 488 Pista is to the 488 GTB. These 2 are arguably the most affordable way to gain access to Ferrari’s rarer models, although they do not form part of the limited numbered cars.
Our track time is limited though and the owner asks me which one I want to drive first. I always drive the oldest first, so I eagerly grabbed the 458 Speciale’s keys. I had a brief drive in a Speciale many years ago, but on a public road. Here we have an empty track, mild temperatures and a few laps to play with…
458 Speciale takes to the track
The Speciale’s cabin is more basic than an Italia’s, but to call it stripped out would be an overstatement. The use of lightweight materials becomes evident as I close the door with its carbon-fibre and Alcantara panels; the cabin offers a high level of comfort, but at the same time, no unnecessary equipment.
There is, for example, plenty of space in the footwell, while the seats offer great support combined with a level of luxury. As with all Ferraris these days, the long gearshift paddles are fixed to the steering column.
Specifications
- Model: Ferrari 458 Speciale
- Engine: 4.5-litre, V8, petrol
- Power: 445 kW at 9 000 rpm
- Torque: 540 Nm at 6 000 rpm
- Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto, RWD
- Weight: 1 395 kg
- 0-100 kph: 3.0 sec (claimed)
- Top speed: 325 kph (claimed)
The seatbelt is a 4-point harness, although its simplified design does away with the racing centre unit and offers the easier standard seatbelt clip instead. Needless to say, it keeps you securely in place.
I twist the key and then press the starter button, also positioned on the steering wheel. With an urgent bark from the exhausts the engine catches and I pull the carbon-fibre paddle to select first gear.
With a throaty burble emanating from the exhaust, I pull away and head onto the track. For the first few corners, I take it easy, but even so, the turn-in of the Speciale is sharp. Each downshift, even if it is only at 4-, 5- or 6 000 rpm is accommodated by a prompt bark from the exhausts as the engine auto-blips.
I start pressing the car a little harder and the Speciale blooms as I turn in a little quicker and chase that 9 000 rpm red line. The minimal inertia from the engine allows the revs to climb rapidly, complemented by the 7-speed dual-clutch Getrag transmission shifting with enthusiasm and blistering speed.
The exhaust sound is such a huge part of the experience, especially as the owner had the car’s catalysts and silencers removed. One would think that it might ruin the original sound (so carefully developed by Ferrari’s engineers) – but it hasn’t. It remains true to that of the original, but turns up the volume to 11!
The brake pedal feels strong with good feedback, although being someone else’s car I bleed off speed long before the brake marker. At all times, the car feels light and nimble and even if you have been exposed to several different high-performance cars in the past, once you start to understand how the 458 Speciale engine delivers its peak performance, it won’t take long to fully enjoy this car. Grip levels are good, but at the same time, especially in the slower corners, I sense that you can play with the car.
The view over the relatively short nose allows you to place the car perfectly through the apex and you feel part of it in a way that most front-engined cars cannot replicate.
The 458 Speciale is better than I remember because a track excursion allows you to focus 100% on the car and the experience with no other traffic or distractions to deal with. It is completely understandable why values have increased. It is a very unique car and deserves all the love and attention it gets.
How 488 Pista compares with 458 Speciale
Compared with its predecessor, the 488 Pista’s design is more aligned with Ferrari’s contemporary design language, but not significantly so. It also has more aerodynamic addenda, so in some ways, one could say that the Speciale has a marginally smoother design than the more purposefully styled Pista.
While form most definitely follows function in both instances, the difference in design approach can be seen when comparing, for instance, the discreet “shark” winglet design of the 458 Speciale to the large and very obvious air intakes on the sides of the 488 Pista.
Specifications
- Model: Ferrari 488 Pista
- Engine: 3.9-litre, V8, turbopetrol
- Power: 530 kW at 8 000 rpm
- Torque: 770 N.m at 3 000 rpm
- Transmission: 7-speed auto, RWD
- Weight: 1 385 kg
- 0-100 kph: 2.85 sec (claimed)
- Top speed: 340 kph (claimed)
Also, additional winglets, not to mention the more significant air duct at the front, make the 488 Pista’s intent much clearer than the more subtle 458 Speciale. From the back, the similarities in terms of the diffuser and rear addenda are immediately apparent, even though the 488 Pista has a larger integrated rear “wing”, whereas the 458 Speciale has a more conservative upper rear design.
That is also the case with the Pista’s cabin. It is more modern, but the minor upgrades aren’t immediately noticeable. The principle remains the same though. The cabin is a more focused version of the 488 GTB, but any Speciale owner will immediately feel at home as all the instruments are located in approximately the same position. Having said that, I did not play around with any of the settings as the main objective was the put both cars in “Race” mode and drive them back-to-back in the limited time we had.
With the Manettino dialed to Race, I set off. It only takes minor inputs of the throttle to realise there are totally different forces at play behind your shoulders.
Part throttle inputs are accompanied by waves of torque that push you forward, which is quite unlike the power and torque delivery of the 458 Speciale’s engine. Unlike the naturally aspirated 458 Speciale, the turbocharged 488 Pista is less rev-happy but more tractable. The exhaust note is expectedly slightly softer, but don’t be fooled: it has a piercing voice with a raw, metallic sound still very much in evidence.
Talking to a mechanical engineer and ex-colleague who attended the launch of the car, he shares the following insight: “To measure throttle response in a car, Ferrari’s engineers drive the vehicle in a steady-state condition in 3rd gear at 2 000 rpm on a level road.
“The accelerator is then mashed to the floor and the engine’s increase in torque delivery over time is calculated by measuring the acceleration (or fitting torque-measuring hub devices to the wheels).
“The in-house specification records the time it takes to achieve 90% of the theoretical maximum torque value at a given engine speed. In the case of the 488 Pista, this is a class-leading 0.8 seconds.” That explains the on-demand intensity of the engine.”
With the tyres a little warmer I hold longer onto each gear and suddenly the violence with which torque is delivered surprises me. The delivery feels notably faster than the in 458 Speciale and it would be very easy to allow your enthusiasm and eagerness to explore the limits of the car to get the better of you.
The carbon-composite brakes work perfectly and have the expected slightly rough sound to them, but the moment you press the accelerator pedal, the torque is immediately on offer and pushes you down the straight with such intent that I often find myself changing up 1 000 rpm too early.
It feels like you must be close to the redline, but then you realise that is not the case. It is when driving the car to the limit that the rev lights on the steering wheel really come into their own, as you simply do not have enough time to look down at the rev counter when you are trying to set a fast lap time.
I found it is best to leave the gearbox in its auto setting, even if it’s immensely satisfying to change gears manually (when you can execute down changes when you feel like it). Another option is to keep the left paddle pulled in as you brake into a corner and allow the box to change to its lowest appropriate gear.
I do one final lap and remain completely astonished by the performance that the 488 Pista offers. It is the torque availability throughout the rev range that gives this car a completely different driving experience from that of the 458 Speciale. You really need to have your wits about you to fully explore its potential!
With only a few laps in each car it is difficult to judge decisively the difference between the steering feedback in both cars. In retrospect, I found the 458 Speciale offered marginally more levels of feedback than the 488 Pista, but even if that is the case, the difference is negligible and there were so many other factors (that differentiate the 2 cars from one another) to pay attention to rather than the steering feel.
I pull into the pits on a high and buzzing – it has been a while since a car(s) have had this effect on me. The last time it was an atmospheric flat-six engine revving to 9 000 rpm in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the highly tuned 5.2-litre V10 from a Lamborghini Huracán Performante that revs to over 8 000 rpm. I didn’t expect the 488 Pista to have this effect on me, but its performance is truly astounding.
Owner’s thoughts on 458 Speciale & 488 Pista
I relax a little and start sharing my thoughts with the owner. He, in turn, explains that he has done 1 other thing to the cars (apart from the changes to the exhaust system): as standard, the stripes end at the rear wing, but the fact that they don’t continue to the diffuser seemed peculiar to him. Therefore he had them extended and, because they’re of the same quality as the original stripes, they don’t look out of place.
The owner has had both these cars since new and eagerly shares his thoughts. “First of all, what makes them special for me is that they are limited in numbers, are lightweight and they are relatively hardcore. I also prefer to enjoy my money in this way rather than just sitting in an investment.
The 488 Pista, even just driving it to the track this morning, is surprisingly civilised – maybe too civilised. However, you really need to be careful with the performance on offer. If you don’t know what you are doing, depending on the driving mode, the back can easily step out.
“The 458 Speciale is uncompromising, but the 488 Pista does everything better, in a more civilised and smoother manner. To be honest, the latter lulls you into thinking it is a docile machine! If I had to choose one, it’d probably be the Pista. But, if I had to sell one, that would be a very, very difficult choice for me.
“I far prefer the mid-engined cars to the front-engined cars. You can drive to the track, do a few laps and head home. Even with the standard settings and street tyres you can do phenomenally fast lap times.”
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