It's been only three months since the hardcore Ferrari 488 Pista was unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, and the Maranello-based firm has already created a special edition of the supercar. Designed to celebrate the 488's success on the race track, it's called the 488 Pista Piloti Ferrari and made its debut ahead of the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Inspired by AF Corse’s no. 51 car, with which Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado won the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles, the Pista Piloti Ferrari is available exclusively to customers involved in the company’s motorsport programs. In short, if you're not racing a race-spec version of the 488, be it a GT3 or a GTE, you can't buy one. That's a bit harsh from the Italians, but let's a have a closer look at what you're missing if you're not involved in this program.

Continue reading to learn more about the Ferrari 488 Pista Piloti Ferrari.

What makes the Ferrari 488 Pista Piloti Ferrari special

The original layout of the 488 Pista remains unchanged on this car, so customers will get all the extra bits that comes with the hardcore supercar. Heavily inspired by the race-spec 488 GTB model, the Pista sports an F1-style S-Duct and complex splitter design, massive side vents, thin canards, and a redesigned front hood with twin vents. It also features new side skirts and modified rear fender outlets, as well as a big spoiler and a larger rear diffuser. All these changes provide the 488 Pista with an 20% increase in downforce compared to the regular 488 GTB.

Moving over to what sets the Piloti Ferrari model apart, it has a new livery with stripes in the colors of the Italian flag. A big white stripe runs the entire length of the car from nose to rear spoiler, flanked by thinner green and red stripes. This livery is partly inspired by the 488 GTE race car.

The nose is also adorned by "WEC" and "PRO" lettering, which indicate the competition and the class that the winning 488 GTE raced in. The logo of the WEC championship is placed on the front hood, right in the center. The Italian flag was also painted along the car's flanks, while a racing number adorns the lower front section of the door. While the presentation model sports the number 51, which matches that of the WEC-winning 488 GTE, clients can get any number they want.

The matte black finish for the S-Duct and the naked carbon-fibre rear spoiler and vent surrounds round off the exterior. Finally, the color palette is limited to only four hues inspired by the world of racing. There's Rosso Corsa, Blu Tour De France, Nero Daytona, and Argento Nurburgring.

While the Pista comes with leather and Alcantara upholstery, the Piloti Ferrari is draped in the latter material only for a race-inspired design. Likewise, almost everything is black inside the cabin. Again, to mimic the cockpit of a full-fledged race car. Whereas the Pista has red stripes on the seats, the Piloti Ferrari has a faded Italian flag on the special perforated Alcantara used on the backrests. Ferrari did add red stitching on the sides and a red prancing horse on the headrests for a bit of contrast.

The Italian flag theme continues on the gearshift paddles and the bespoke floor mats, while the steering wheel sports a racing number at the bottom. The number matches those on the doors. The massive amount of bare carbon-fiber trim was carried over from the regular model, but it has a matte finish in the Piloti Ferrari. The customized cabin is rounded off by exclusive identification plate and door sill trim, also in carbon-fiber.

The Piloti Ferrari is powered by the same engine as the 488 Pista. The latter uses a beefed-up version of the twin-turbo, 3.9-liter V-8 that cranks out 710 horsepower, a 50-horsepower increase. The sprint from 0 to 62 mph takes only 2.85 seconds, almost two tenths quicker than the 488 GTB, while the 124-mph benchmark comes in 7.6 seconds, a whopping 0.7 seconds faster than the 488 GTB. Top speed is rated at 211 mph, six mph more than the regular model. The supercar also features an update Side-Slip Angle Control system, E-Diff3, F1-Trac, a magnetorheological suspension (SCM), and the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer. The latter is a world-first feature that uses software to adjust the brake pressure at the calipers.

There's no word on pricing for this model, but with the 488 Pista costing at least $320,000, the Piloti Ferrari could fetch in excess of $350,000.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB.

Read our full review on the 2018 Ferrari 488 Pista.

Read our full review on the one-off 2018 Ferrari SP38.

Read our full review on the 2016 Ferrari J50.

Read more Ferrari news.