488 - La PISTA è arrivata | FerrariChat

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  1. SECRET

    SECRET Formula Junior
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 19, 2007
    934
    #1 SECRET, May 21, 2020
    Last edited: May 21, 2020
    Well folks, the day is finally here! We made it to Status 94R aka delivery after nearly a full year from the day that I got the news I would be receiving a Pista Coupe allocation.

    Allocation news - Jun. 2019
    10G — Approved by HQ — Sep. 16, 2019
    10R — Printed — Jan. 22, 2020
    20 — Lastratura — Jan. 23, 2020
    30 — Painting — Jan. 23, 2020
    40 — Body Work Inserted — Feb. 3, 2020
    50 — Body on — Feb. 24, 2020
    60 — Finishing — Feb. 25, 2020
    70 — Testing — Mar. 1, 2020
    85 — Storage — Mar. 3, 2020
    90 — Water — Mar. 8, 2020
    91 — Subsidiary — Apr. 9, 2020
    92 — PDI Completed — May 4, 2020
    93 — Shipped to dealer — May 7, 2020
    94 — Dealer stock — May 14, 2020

    94R — Retailed — May 21, 2020

    From sneaking into the preview event of the Pista at Laguna Seca several years ago to the excitement I had in pulling together detailed spec spreadsheets, hunting for collections of images of each of the details, and ultimately commissioning my own renders, as well as getting 3 amazing days of track time in the Pista at the Las Vegas edition of the Corsa Pilota event, I've got to say the experience and journey of getting to this point has a been just as exciting and fun as seeing my spec in the flesh for the first time.

    The Pista was scheduled to arrive late last week, and before it had come, I had already dropped off a key modification for the dealer to install during PDI. I took note of multiple threads from forum champs like @Shadowfax and @SoCal to az commenting on sound. Coming from a Speciale with a full titanium IPE system, I knew it would be something important for me to pay attention to. After spending so much time with the Pista on track, I knew that at full throttle and at idle, I loved the sound it made. It was different that a screaming N/A V8, but it has it's own magic! During the Corsa Pilota event, however, every time a Pista left the pits, its exhaust note went from a loud, deep, grumbling idle to an awkward choked and silent whisper, then to a wonderfully deep and Ferrari-like sound. The same series of acoustic events would happen in reverse order as a Pista was coming into the pits: loud on throttle, dead silent under braking/cruise, then the loud and deep grumble as the Pista slowed to a full stop. Turns out this is the exhaust flaps closing during low throttle/cruise/liftoff!

    To get ahead of this, and to save another trip to the dealer, I purchased one of the first few Forza exhaust controller kits for the Pista in advance of it arriving. I've had a really great relationship with the service team at my local dealer, and they did a great job installing it during PDI. Thanks to Steve aka @bisel for picking up and answering their questions when they called!

    The PDI + controller install went without a hitch, and the car was detailed and ready for me to pickup!

    In the past year, I spent a lot of time going back and forth on many of the little spec details, and even more time emailing and calling the dealer over and over to verify that my spec was loaded correctly in the Modis Factory system! After seeing some threads of Pista Spiders with delivery issues due to specs not matching up, my very first VS Ferrari would just be devastating if a detail was missed! Yesterday night, I was patiently and anxiously awaiting the email from the general manager confirming that my spec details were correct on the actual car. They've had a pretty busy week already so it took him a while to reply. When he gave the all clear, I popped a bottle of beer to sit back and relax.

    Today, I'm happy to say that the Pista is officially ours! I took a break away after signing everything. Away from the excitement of my family and friends who came out... to remind myself how lucky we all are to be able to have moments like this in our lives... as people who appreciate and are passionate about car culture, sport cars, driving, racing, racing history, design, engineering, and ultimately the dream that Enzo painted for us all -- the dream of driving and owning a special car like a Ferrari. It's truly wonderful and brings me a lot of happiness and excitement. Feel like we're living!

    Anyway, I apologize that I was a bit too excited today to really do a great job with photos! I promise I will have someone much more skilled come when things settle down with current events in the world to take some great shots of the car.

    I want to thank the forum contributors for helping to get so much great information out there. I will post my spec if anyone is curious as well.

    Without much further ado!


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    jerrym, Chizz, F140C and 57 others like this.
  2. xBox

    xBox Formula Junior

    Aug 16, 2018
    515
    The Emerald Isle
    Quite an intricate colour scheme on the stripe and with the gold wheels, but the overall look is amazing.

    Well done!!
     
    Chizz, SECRET and Boomhauer like this.
  3. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 25, 2012
    14,209
    Arizona
    So awesome!! Congrats!!
     
    SECRET likes this.
  4. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax F1 Rookie
    BANNED

    Jun 10, 2016
    4,066
    Australia
    Looks fantastic Secret. Very nice spec! A huge congrats all-round and I must say very wise move putting the Forza on at pre-delivery. Once you put a few miles on her you will realize just how much of a wise a move it was. Now if only they had one when I took delivery I wouldn't have had to suffer the disappointment of the lack of interior sound. I honestly do not know how other Pista owners put up with it sounding like such a mouse tbh. It's seriously like a freakin lexus off throttle. Disgracefully quiet! Ferrari really let themselves and their customers down there, big time. The car should have had a controller as standard equip at the VERY least.

    I'm still toying with the idea of doing a Kline to put the icing on the cake. I know another Pista owner with one and he's very very happy with it. He has a Speciale as well. Anyway will keep you posted if I pull the trigger and will give feedback but for now at least the car sounds more proper and with a few miles it gets a bit louder as well.
     
    SECRET, Shack and 458-Italia like this.
  5. exoticcardreamer

    exoticcardreamer Formula 3

    Dec 9, 2014
    1,051
    usa
    Full Name:
    doesitmatter
    When are we going to laguna Seca ?
     
    SECRET likes this.
  6. Bas

    Bas Four Time F1 World Champ

    Mar 24, 2008
    41,299
    ESP
    Full Name:
    Bas
    love that! Blue looks fantastic on Ferrari's.
     
    SECRET likes this.
  7. Mamich

    Mamich Karting

    Mar 29, 2020
    75
    UK
    Full Name:
    Zed
    Beautiful there is no other word to describe it apart from
    Amazing
    Piece of Art
    Phenomenal
    Gorgeous
    Elegant
    etc, etc, etc
    Very Sexy

    enjoy and Congrats!!
     
    SECRET and hs355 like this.
  8. Lukeylikey

    Lukeylikey F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 3, 2012
    3,053
    UK
    Looks great in that blue!
     
    SECRET likes this.
  9. Surfah

    Surfah F1 Rookie

    Dec 20, 2011
    3,135
    Blue looks nice. Big congrats
     
    SECRET likes this.
  10. Shack

    Shack F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    May 2, 2005
    2,503
    Earth
    BIG congrats and awesome spec - use safely
     
    SECRET likes this.
  11. IPO1

    IPO1 F1 Rookie

    Dec 23, 2015
    3,575
    Congrats and love painted shields.
     
    SECRET and LVP488 like this.
  12. tickerhound

    tickerhound Formula Junior

    Sep 17, 2016
    362
    IL
    Full Name:
    Mark
    Just wow!
     
    SECRET likes this.
  13. LVP488

    LVP488 F1 Rookie

    Jan 21, 2017
    4,839
    France
    +1 :)
     
    SECRET likes this.
  14. Art138

    Art138 Formula 3
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 22, 2007
    1,488
    Ft. Lauderdale
    Very nice,did you have paint protection installed before you took the pictures?
     
    SECRET likes this.
  15. uhn2000

    uhn2000 Formula 3

    Oct 15, 2011
    2,108
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Joe
    I am huge Ferrari blue fan, last 2 have been that. Can you share your exterior spec (colours of paint and livery). Amazing by the way, mine is still status 70 and almost done. Hopefully the specs match but you never really know :) I have used Capristo valve controls in my Lusso and it works, does anyone think Forza is a better option?
     
    SECRET likes this.
  16. FordGTDriver

    FordGTDriver Formula Junior

    Jun 9, 2007
    423
    WOW! What a magnificent final result. You nailed it, and how. Now the fun really begins. May it bring lots of smiles and satisfaction. I'm pretty sure it will :)
     
    SECRET likes this.
  17. Scudmsl

    Scudmsl Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 12, 2014
    837
    USA
    Beautiful! You will love it. Thanks for sharing.


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
    SECRET likes this.
  18. Sargepug

    Sargepug Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 23, 2020
    878
    NYC
    Auguri! Madonna, lei e belissima! Buona Fortuna! Hope you speak Italian, based on your "arrivata" comment. lol
     
    SECRET likes this.
  19. SECRET

    SECRET Formula Junior
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 19, 2007
    934
    Awesome! Would love to know if you pull the trigger there! I may stay stock to try to see if I can pass sound at Laguna.

    Once PPF is on and it's broken in, I'm ready!

    Thank you! I am glad that I ended up inserting that into the spec last minute!

    Not yet, but it is with the PPF team now! Should be a few weeks before I see her again.

    First off, congrats! Once it's status 70, you're almost there! I used the time to do some research on the valve controller etc before the car came. The Forza controller is a good one. I used the Forza controller on my Speciale for 4 years without issues. I am pretty sure Capristo makes a great product as well. The nice thing about Forza is the owner is a regular here and is quite accessible. The system was co-developed with a forum owner that has a Pista as well.

    As for the exterior spec, here you go!

    · EXTC - Exterior Colors - Extracampionario
    · PNT0 - 2 Layer Special Paint - Blu Elettrico
    · PNT3 - Two-Tone Stripe - Extracampionario
    · LIVD? - Outer Pinstripes - Oro
    · LIVDO - Outer Stripes - Nero Stellato
    · LIVDI - Inner Stripe - Canna Di Fucile
    · RGCI - Gold Forged Wheels
    · CALC - Blue Brake Calipers
    · ALOG - Painted Shields
    · FLAG — Tricolore
    · CEFS — Carbon Fiber Front Flaps
    · CEXG — Front Airvents in Carbon Fiber
    · CEIS — Carbon Fiber Air Splitter
    · CEL2 — Engine Covers in Carbon Fiber
    · CEXS — Carbon Fiber Underdoor Cover
    · CEXD — Rear Diffuser in Carbon Fiber
    · CGAS — Carbon Fiber Gas Cover
    · GDRC — Carbon Fiber Rear Molding
    · EXAT — Titanium Exhaust Pipes​

    Grazie mille!
     
    uhn2000 likes this.
  20. SECRET

    SECRET Formula Junior
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 19, 2007
    934
    Thank you! I was a little bit nervous about things getting mixed up, but I think the sales team at the dealership is top notch, and they clearly knew [from my repeated texts, emails, and visits leading up to 10G] that I was desperately seeking confirming that every single thing we specced was reflected properly in Modis Factory.

    You don't know how long I was following your posts while I was waiting for my car. I lived vicariously through your experience as you started to enjoy your car! Much thanks to you as it was great to get me through all the waiting!

    Totally agreed! I probably would have not normally picked blue, but after seeing so many people take the plunge, esp. in recent years, it gave me a lot of comfort to do it!

    Thank you my friend!

    Thanks, I was pretty blown away even when the factory photo came in!

    Thank you sir!

    Thank you, and yes I shall! This one is a keeper for me!

    Same reaction I had when I stepped into the dealership and saw it in person! Only wish they did the full silky red covering reveal that you see on YouTube! Still was a special moment for me! A kid's dream come true!

    Grazie!

    You sir, are a hero to all Ferrari owners and esp, 488 Pista owners! Your threads have also kept up that excitement level for me for the Pista. Along the way, esp. as one waits so long for their car to be built, other news, videos, and even rants start to sometimes make you wonder if you made the right call. It's especially true when you know how much $ your pouring into a vehicle. Then there's videos and write-ups like yours on VMax, Doug DeMuro's on the Pista, @rmitchell248's videos, autocars review, and even the WheelsBoutique videos that are just exciting to see. I'm thankful to be able to be part of the Pista story and to be written down in the books as one of it's owners along with the Speciale. Cheers!

    Oh, I can't wait to drive it. It's off getting some PPF love, but after that, I will be gently breaking it in, then driving it like it's meant to be driven!
    Here's a quick photo of her earlier today while they shuffled cars around at the PPF shop.
     

    Attached Files:

    NürScud and SoCal to az like this.
  21. congrats, well done
     
    SECRET likes this.
  22. Sargepug

    Sargepug Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 23, 2020
    878
    NYC
    Prego signore! Dov'e sei nato, qui o in Italia? Sono nato qui, ma mia famiglia venuta di Napoli!
     
  23. NürScud

    NürScud F1 Veteran

    Nov 3, 2012
    7,273
    Congratulations! Very well specced and beautiful!
     
    SECRET likes this.
  24. Jelial

    Jelial Formula Junior

    Mar 25, 2017
    354
    Wonderful car!! really really awesome!!! Enjoy!!!
     
    SECRET likes this.
  25. SECRET

    SECRET Formula Junior
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 19, 2007
    934
    Alright guys, back online with my own thread and update for you all.

    Paint Protection Film (PPF):
    I just got my car back from PPF. Given the general state of affairs in the world, it hasn't been as painful of a wait. The car was there for 5 weeks.

    We covered it from head to tail in PPF by the good folks at Premier Protective Films in Fremont, CA (Prestige ClearGuard Alpha, in case you guys are curious) as well as ceramic coating on all panels + engine bay + wheels (Modesta BC04).
    • Full Hood
    • Full Front Fenders
    • Lights
    • Mirrors
    • Front Bumper
    • Full Doors
    • Rockers
    • Full Rear Qtr Panels
    • Full Roof
    • Rear Spoiler
    • Rear Bumper
    • Rear Diffuser
    • Interior CF Door Panels
    I also did a light tint on the car.
    • Spectra Photosync Sides - SPH45 -- 45% Transmission
    • Spectra Photosync Front Windshield - SPH70 -- 70% Transmission
    General Impressions Driving Home
    The drive from the PPF shop to my home was the first time I really took the car on the road. I took it for a quick spin when it was delivered, but it was a very short drive (by my choice) to prevent the risk of chipping the front of end of the extremely expensive paint!

    I have a few immediate impressions with respect to a few topics. They're interesting to have first hand versus what I've heard/read on the forums over the past weeks w/o the car. I call tell you that my recollection from my short drive 5 weeks ago was bad/inaccurate/limited.

    Is the Pista boring?

    Not by a long shot. BUT the issue is that the Pista is just incredibly fast for pedestrian driving. I was going 70mph on the freeway, and it felt like I was going 35mph. I'll touch on exhaust/sound issues later. The incredible, and dramatically improved handling combined with the incredible power feels like leaps ahead of the previous generation V8 speeds. I found myself literally exclaiming things as I was hauling it up the mountain roads. Mind you this is gingerly driving <5k rpms as well. As I parked up top of the mountain, I thought... the effortlessness in the Pista is funny in that it made me realize what would make people that are complaining about the car [aside from sound] happier:

    The power on boost is nearly electric. Because it is a turbo ICE power plant with a reasonable number of gears [unlike an electric car], the scary levels of acceleration are not only amazing, but they are nearly endless. Other electric cars tend to lose that pull at higher speeds as fluid dynamics start to explain shapes matter. Can't imagine with a SF90 will be like.

    That said, the fix I'm thinking would be to employ the same technique the Ferrari uses to manage power delivery and torque: Modify or dial down torque delivery by gear but do so even furthermore than it is today in a unique *new* Manettino setting. Think of it as a "nostalgic" mode or something.


    You could still get "instantaneous response" for the road while limiting the total power out to make the drive more "fulfilling" to those who want to feel like they're really wringing the s**t out of the car to get to 60mph or 100kph. In this most the exhaust valves could be wide open and the ECU can program the engine to run a tad rich to get the pops, bangs, and raucous that people seem to want. It wouldn't take away from Sport or Race modes either.
    All joking aside, it would be that simple to tune down the fuel map, turbos, and throttle body behavior and make the car less "fast" for everyday use. I personally wouldn't enjoy that as it would be appeasing an audience that I think will always be resistant to change until it's no longer unfamiliar. That said, I feel like I might be onto something here. :D

    In my area, I am fortunate enough to live near a broad set of twisty windy California roads just minutes from our home. Anytime I feel like I need to stretch it's legs a bit, it's a place where cars like this can really shine.​
    Exhaust
    I can see why people would feel like the car was not exciting from a sound standpoint as soon as I hit the road. I have the Forza flap regulation controller, but my silly brain forgot to grab the remote for it from the cabinet at home before I left to go pick up the car. I thought I had left it attached to the car key, but I was wrong.

    Therefore, my drive home was very much the "stock" experience. While idle is nice and deep, it's fairly tame within the car at stop lights. As some of you know, I had the fortunate joy of owning a Speciale with 200 cell high flow cats (HPS), IPE Ti F1 muffler, and Forza flap regulation controller. The combination of those with the 4.5L V8 was pretty damn sweet for the typical pedestrian drive. You sound like an absolutely @** everywhere you go at every rev range and every possible throttle position. It's pretty funny, and fun. In comparison, the Pista definitely feels quieter at idle from inside the car. It's a bit of an unfair comparison given that I don't have high flow cats or a muffler swap on the Pista, so we'll see what exhaust makes sense to do on this car.

    Once on the road, the Pista exhaust does something really strange [no doubt for a performance related reason]. If you hadn't read this already, picture this.

    At idle, in gear, the exhaust flaps are fully OPEN unlike a 458. So the idle is, in fact, at it's loudest. Therefore any flap controller you add will not affect how the car sounds when idling. On a 458 [Italia/Spider/Speciale/SA], a flap controller can make your idling Ferrari sound much better, because it opens flaps that are usually closed.

    As soon as you touch the throttle, the exhaust flaps CLOSE. Yeah... It's weird. You go from a nice, deep exhaust to a nearly dead silent car until you either get high enough in the revs and/or you press down the throttle hard enough. In the 458 where the flaps are closed at idle, they stay closed as you start to move. Once moving, it appears the behavior of the exhaust flaps is similar between the 458 and Pista. It's just that awkward shutting of the flaps that sounds really weird.

    If the flaps are open at high rpm/throttle and you let off the gas, the flaps slam shut. Yep, that's weird too. The car goes silent again.
    This is the stock behavior, and I was glad that I was able to experience it for an extended period of time. My exhaust controller is already on the car (installed at PDI by my supportive dealership), so the next drive will DEFINITELY be with the controller remote on FLAPS OPEN. I'll report back ;)
    Audio/Sound System
    ***Please skip this section if you're going to be a jerk about the concept that someone might actually like to listen to music while cruising in a Pista. I'm a bonafide track rat, so go ahead and kiss my *** :p


    The factory radio is a bajillion times better than the Speciale!!! They say set your expectations low, and you'll be happy. Well Ferrari played the long game with me on this one. Expectations were damn near in the gutter after 5 years in the Speciale. Resisting the temptation to modify the audio system in that car was tough, but I feel like it paid off from an expectations standpoint getting into the Pista.

    All kidding aside, if you're coming from a 458 Speciale, the Pista audio system is leagues above it. I turned off the engine so I can do a fair comparison without feel like the exhaust on the Speciale added a "noise floor" to my aural sensory measurements.

    · Clearly, it has a much higher-power amplifier as you can actually hear it while driving
    · The speakers themselves are much more responsive at frequencies <80Hz -- they're not bad at all
    · I'm not sure how many speakers there are in the car, but the sound stage is much fuller

    For those complaining about it, I think compared to my McLaren that has the B+W option system, the base system in the Pista is actually no slouch. You DO need to go into audio settings for the equalizer and turn up the mids and lows a bit.

    One complaint: I'm not sure if this is because the car's computer/radio is trying to get all synced up, but I found the volume knob has a HUGE delay before it actually adjusts the volume. It's like literally 5-10s after I turn the knob before the volume changes. Almost blew my eardrums out because if it while on the road. Anyone else have that experience?
    TLDR; I'm generally pretty ecstatic with the Pista so far.


     
    BCHOW, Shadowfax, Gh21631 and 3 others like this.

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