212 MPH IN A PISTA

exoticcardreamer · Mar 12, 2020

REALZEUS said: ↑

Other cars can reach those (indicated) speeds also. A LF for example. Unlike the Chiron these cars can also turn...
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ummm, twosherpaz has a laf aperta and fxxk. In fact he has everything and yet he specifically mentioned his Chiron...

John117 · Mar 20, 2020

Video on YouTube has been posted

FordGTDriver · Mar 21, 2020

Ah, it’s cool to see it from that perspective!

article, (not written by me) https://www.motor1.com/news/405376/ferrari-488-pista-top-speed/

AlfistaPortoghese · Mar 21, 2020

Excellent video and article by the OP. Congratulations on what must have been a memorable experience!

I once went 339kph (odo value) briefly on the 458: never been more focused and scared in my life. The car was perfectly tight and happy travelling at that speed, the problem was the driver: not used driving at that speed (I don’t track and never had access to a runway), I had to change my underwear.

Your Pista is absolutely gorgeous. Keep enjoying in good health!

Kind regards,

Nuno.

richie458 · Mar 21, 2020

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AlfistaPortoghese · Mar 21, 2020

richie458 said: ↑

without comment View attachment 2910616

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That’s a 488? The highest top speed I’ve ever seen on any 488 was 345kph that was tuned to 780 horsepower:

364kph is even faster than a 812 Superfast:

Maybe something’s off?

Kind regards,

Nuno.

richie458 · Mar 21, 2020

AlfistaPortoghese said: ↑

That’s a 488? The highest top speed I’ve ever seen on any 488 was 345kph that was tuned to 780 horsepower:

364kph is even faster than a 812 Superfast:

Maybe something’s off?

Kind regards,

Nuno.
Click to expand...

OK it was a joke, 364kph was from my 812.

My former 488 did only 350kph
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REALZEUS · Mar 22, 2020

AlfistaPortoghese said: ↑

364kph is even faster than a 812 Superfast:
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Don't take youtube videos at face value. A small incline can make a big difference, not to mention atmospheric conditions, fuel quality etc, etc.

Edit: Just saw that the 364 kph run was in an 812.

richie458 · Mar 22, 2020

REALZEUS said: ↑

Don't take youtube videos at face value. A small incline can make a big difference, not to mention atmospheric conditions, fuel quality etc, etc.

Edit: Just saw that the 364 kph run was in an 812.
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You are right with the incline. The street I did the this is an Autobahn that goes slightly downhill which is close to my home. In both (364 in 812 and 350 in 488), I did not hit the limiter but the turn at the end of the straight. Both could go faster, at least downhill.

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Booker · Mar 23, 2020

John117 said: ↑

Video on YouTube has been posted

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And motor1 did an article, shared here https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/news/watch-and-listen-as-ferrari-488-pista-beats-its-own-top-speed.1469/

richie458 · Apr 25, 2020

Todays „attempt“ in my new Pista Spider with the roof down... Image Unavailable, Please Login

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manta22 · Apr 25, 2020

Now are you going to take it to Bonneville where you get a world-recognized time slip?

richie458 · Apr 26, 2020

manta22 said: ↑

Now are you going to take it to Bonneville where you get a world-recognized time slip?
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Good idea but too far away for me

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DefunctNeurons · Apr 26, 2020

richie458 said: ↑

Todays „attempt“ in my new Pista Spider with the roof down... View attachment 2930372

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Um, “with the roof down”?!? Wow, what was that like?

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richie458 · Apr 26, 2020

DefunctNeurons said: ↑

Um, “with the roof down”?!? Wow, what was that like?

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loud

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DefunctNeurons · Apr 26, 2020

richie458 said: ↑

loud

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Ha ha I bet!

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FordGTDriver · Apr 6, 2021

Hard to believe its been over a year since I had this adventure...seems like yesterday. Nearly a year and a half later and the Pista remains among my favorite cars of all time. I just got a GT3RS, and while I am really diggin' it, the Pista is a true keeper. I'm sneaking away from the office this afternoon to hit the canyon and let that Ferrari howl echo off the cliff walls. Very special car

Pis7a2020 · Apr 6, 2021

FordGTDriver said: ↑

Hard to believe its been over a year since I had this adventure...seems like yesterday. Nearly a year and a half later and the Pista remains among my favorite cars of all time. I just got a GT3RS, and while I am really diggin' it, the Pista is a true keeper. I'm sneaking away from the office this afternoon to hit the canyon and let that Ferrari howl echo off the cliff walls. Very special car
Click to expand...

I feel the same way about my Pista. I ended up getting rid of my GT2RS, which was a bad ass ride, but didn’t do it for me like the Pista.

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TAM340R · Apr 6, 2021

Whatever is the price level now ....I like my pista!
I did not buy it like an investment.

tam

FerrariCognoscenti · Apr 6, 2021

Has a 458 or 488 GTB ever run there? What were those speeds?

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spyderman · Apr 6, 2021

TAM340R said: ↑

Whatever is the price level now ....I like my pista!
I did not buy it like an investment.

tam
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From what I’m seeing in Canada the Pista’s are selling for over list price on the coupes. There seems to be a great interest in the Pista’s which is a little surprising considering that the difference between the Pista coupe and F8 is approximately $250,000 Canadian. I personally know of a corsa red coupe that just sold to a friend of mine for 655 K CDN. The dealer was asking 679 k for it. The list was under 540K.

The Pista spiders are selling in the 850 k for cars with an MSRP of 580-630 k.

Coincid · Apr 7, 2021

Very few Pistas for sale in Canada and still asking $250- 275 CAD above a new F8.

JHNurse · Apr 7, 2021

FordGTDriver said: ↑

View attachment 2882611

THE V-MAX PROBLEM

Okay, so tell me if this sounds familiar: you stop for fuel in your shiny exotic, and a friendly bystander walks over to chat. Here are the standard 3 questions you are likely to hear. 1. How much did it cost? 2. How fast will it go/how fast have you driven it? 3. What do you do for a living?

While you are on your own as to questions 1 and 3, question 2 is rife with trouble and woe. How many tall tales have you heard about Uncle Eddie in his souped up Camaro who did 200 mph? Making the whole thing even more complicated is that sometimes a guy thinks he went 200 because his speedo told him so. Fact is, this is rarely the case.

As Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean once said, “it ain’t braggin’ if you can do it”. So, several years ago, I decided that it would be cool to stand there and answer, “yea, I’ve been 208 in it.” And while the guy listening would be sure that I was lying like everyone else, at least I’d drive away knowing I spoke only truth. This led me to begin a quest to hit a legitimate 200 mph.

The top-speed-run thing is complicated, especially if you live outside of Germany. At 200 mph, you are traveling at about a football field per second. It is supremely difficult to find a smooth, open stretch of road to make the attempt. Even more difficult is the fact that it takes some very serious horsepower to bridge the gap from 190 mph to 200. The laws of aerodynamics dictate that only a tiny fraction of cars have the horsepower to make that happen in the real world. Finally, you need some form of independent verification that you really did it. Nothing will quiet a Doubting Thomas quicker than a speed slip from a verified timing system (just ask the drag racing crowd).

The easy solution is to find a runway. But even that has its problems; many municipal airports are way too short, and most are difficult, if not impossible, to arrange for non-aircraft use. Some are not especially smooth, and they are often covered in sand and gravel that eats your car alive at those speeds. In the West, we had the Mojave Air and Space Port, and I ran there at 4 events. The runway is long, smooth, and we usually had a good tailwind (critical). The elevation (2800 ft) however, reduces horsepower. In fact, it was at Mojave that I got my first time in slip showing a 200+ run. (They shut Mojave down to speed runs last year.) I’ve also seen 200+ in my cars at the Sun Valley Road Rally, now known as the Tour De Force. This is on a downhill, public, two-lane road. Super fun, but it only happens once a year and you get only one run per donation. The donation certainly ain’t cheap.

That leads us to the balmy Space Coast in Florida. NASA built a vast runway for the Space Shuttle to land on, and its not only long and smooth, but it’s at sea level and is squeaky clean by runway standards. A fine gentleman named Johnny Bohmer conducts straight line aerodynamic testing there. This allows many manufacturers, Indy and NASCAR teams to test in a pristine, safe and very private environment. (It’s on NASA grounds, so participants have to obtain officially issued badges to even gain access to the facility). It also allows a few lucky enthusiasts with proper safety gear and lots of safety briefings to test the aerodynamic and straight line speed capability of their privately owned cars. Johnny runs a very organized, safe and professional operation. He limits attendance, so participants get as many testing runs as they desire. By the end of the day, everyone goes home exhausted but having well and truly scratched the speed itch.

View attachment 2882630

ENTER THE PISTA

The thing about taking a car to a speed event is that you really don’t know what a car will do...until you know. I’ve seen bone stock Hellcat Chargers that run 200 MPH consistently, and new Porsche Turbos that don’t. I’ve seen heavily modified tuner exotics that make it half way down the runway, abort, and then don’t run again for the rest of the event. The timing system is cold, hard, and totally unsymathetic. I remember a gentleman who worked all day to hit 200. He removed his wipers, he experimented with tire pressures and shift points. On the last run of the day, after the air had cooled, he made a final, all out attempt. The time official radioed back his speed to control central: 199.998 MPH. Now, had I been the timing chief, I may have been tempted to put my thumb on the scale and send the guy home happy. Didn’t happen. Likewise is the Lamborghini driver who was ready to fist fight with the timer when his number differed significantly from the Lambo’s speedo. No 200 for you today, Mr. Raging Bull.

Flash forward to present day. When I pull up in the Pista for the tech inspection at the venue, the crowd of drivers and crew has already assembled, and much to my chagrin, my entrance is anything but subtle; its the only Ferrari in attendance, and the blood red Pista is, apparently, the first anyone in the group has seen. For me, all this attention is certainly not a good thing. I would have preferred to stay off the radar until the metal was tested, but nope, didn’t work out that way. I suddenly fear that everyone is looking at the car like it’s a prima donna. “Yea”, I imagine they are saying in their southern drawl, “that dog is purty an’ all, but can it hunt?” Well crap, so much for walking softly and carrying a big stick. Maranello, I hope your sent your A game, cause the eyes of ‘murica are upon you.

We generally start the event with a half mile run, to give the participants, especially the first-timers, a feel for the venue. We line up single file (there are twelve cars) and each take our turn. All runs are strictly one car only affairs. I pull up to the line, and wait for my signal. I set the Manettino on sport, and turn auto off. I refuse to let the car shift for me, even though I’m pretty sure that it would be faster that way. I get the nod, and squeeze the throttle in first; I’m not using launch control. I watch the LEDs on the steering wheel like a hawk; I don’t want to bounce off the rev limiter and lose momentum. Even with all the adrenaline pumping and the tunnel vision that inevitably accompanies these runs, I can feel the Pista pulling with a ferocity that is startling. In what feels like a blink, I flash through the speed trap, marked by tall flags and cones. 163.4 MPH. I’m feeling relieved and encouraged by this number in the half mile, but I keep my head down and my yap shut. “There’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip” as my good mother used to say. Or, as Han Solo more succinctly put it to young Luke, “Don’t get cocky kid.”

We move back to the mile. I repeat that same procedure, but this time I get to keep in pinned in 7th gear for much longer, and the mighty turbo engine is pulling like a freight train when I hit the speed trap. 193.5 MPH. Lot’s of approving nods now, and some of my fellow participants are taking a closer look at the Pista. I’m cautious; the big runs will come later in the afternoon, after everyone has been satiated with the mile.

The time finally arrives, and I want to be one of the first cars out. It’s 2.3 miles this time. I re-torque all the lugs, and check tire pressures one more time; I want to feel abosolute confidence when I make this first, real attempt at v-max. I set the Manettino to Race, but leave everything else manual. I don’t want no stinking computer involved now; this is a man’s business.

I stage, and my heart is thudding in my ears. Yes, I’ve seen the YouTube videos of the Pista on the autobahn, and yes, I’ve done this more times than I can count, but it still feels like staring down the barrel of a loaded gun. I have no idea exactly what to expect, for the simple reason that I’ve never done it in a Pista before.

I get the signal, and I’m off. I squeeze the pedal in first, and try to stay just a step ahead of the super short gears. Bang, bang, bang. I’ve unleashed the hounds of hell. In Race mode, the Pista pounds the gears home with authority, snapping my head back, as if to defiantly state “I came to play, how ‘bout you Mr. Driver?”. In no time at all, I’m in 7th gear, and now it’s wide open throttlle and no lift. Ever. Death before dishonor. In an effort to make the car go faster, I decide to try to push the accelerator through the floor. Focus now, focus. No death grip on the wheel, keep your head up and your vision forward, and let the car do its work, just like at the track. The car is still pulling with authority, and as the speed increases, the car starts to move around in the crosswind. No worries, let the car move. All that active aero is your friend. In the shimmering distance, I can see the flags. They are still way, way out there. The revs are nearing redline, and I begin to wonder wether I’ll rev out before the flags. This would be very bad; if the engine bounces off the rev limiter before the speed trap, it will kill my top speed. Nothing for it now but to keep it pegged and hope for the best. The magnificent Pista is still pulling when I hit the trap, and still just below redline.

At these speeds, the moment you let off the gas, the aero drag alone acts like a huge brake. The gigantic carbon brakes join the party, and they laugh off the speed. In no time at all and with zero drama, I slow, make the u-turn, and head back to the start line at a casual 170 MPH. When I arrive, a smiling gentlemen leans in my window. “210” he says, and I let out a war whoop. I thank heaven above, I thank Enzo. I hug my wife and share a multitude of hand shakes and high fives. Yes, I know its silly. I’ve gone much faster in other cars. This isn’t even what the Pista was designed to do, but this still feels like magic. Ferrari showed up and made war. Turns out that dog really can hunt. Forza Ferrari!

We move back to 2.7 miles, and I run again. Because I was so close to redline in the 2.3, I’m wondering whether I will hit the rev limiter. I don’t, and I set my final V-Max: 212.6. I probably could have squeezed a tiny bit more out of it by using power start, and by folding in the mirrors. I didn’t feel like I needed to. The advertised top speed is 211. 212.6 is satisfactory

View attachment 2882614

P.S. Johnny’s group filmed all the runs using in car cameras. They produce the videos for YouTube, so I expect that we will see the corroborating evidence of the Pista’s stupendous top speed in a few weeks. Until then, you’ll just have to um, take my word for it.
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Just read this today. Thanks so much for sharing. I really enjoyed reading your story!

Andy

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Chasing Ferrari · Apr 7, 2021

stock Cup 2 Tires? will that make a difference?

FordGTDriver · Apr 8, 2021

Chasing Ferrari said: ↑

stock Cup 2 Tires? will that make a difference?
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Yes, stock tires. Don’t think it would make any difference to a top speed run of this distance...in a half mile or less it would have an effect

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