Rosso F1 2007 in the sun it’s just lovely. Pics barely do it justice. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
One was for sale for a long time recently. Same spec as far as color and stripes. Looks great in the pics.
Do you still have your Pista? Any thoughts after seat time behind both comparing the two? If already posted, apologize
Hey hey. I have both and love them equally. However if one had to go it would probably be the Speciale. Quick feedback.......... Looks: they are both beautiful in my eyes. but the Pista just looks a little more aggressive and i prefer the lines more, especially that front bumper and S-duct build quality: No question the Speciale wins here. The pista feels more plasticky. if that makes sense. when i pull the door handle inside or outside the Pista i feel like i can break it off by just pulling a little harder. the Speciale feels like a tank compared. just more solid feeling and the noise when you open/close the doors and pull those handles tells me one is "hollow" and one is not. Same goes for all panels inside the car, and the steering wheel and buttons. It just feels the 458S was built better and out of more expensive materials than the Pista, or sourced from better suppliers, or made with higher quality requirements. its more solid. Perhaps it was just a different ethos in the factory at that time. its just what conclusion my mind has drawn from living with both for a while. sound: Pista has a tune and sport cast + bypass. Speciale is stock. i love both sounds but they are polar opposites. like both equally. but i think if i did a bypass on the speciale it would edge out. The pops and crackles of the Pista are insane, and i do not have one of those stupid BMW burble tunes. just a little drama. Performance: So the pista is faster, way faster, and that means something to me. The power and torque are really something. i love the speciale and its charming and engaging to drive, but most of us are driving around where we live on the weekends and I'm sorry, but its frustrating being on the highway in the speciale and not being able to overtake a 4 door Benz that doesnt want to let me in. if were on the backroads i find both enjoyable. the turbo lag in the pista only bothers me if i am not prepared and living in the high RPMs. if i know i need more responsiveness, just keep RPMS up and the Pista delivers and reacts quickly to inputs but not as responsive as the speciale. you just have to drive the Pista differently. in the Speciale i mash the throttle a little more. in the Pista you have to lay into it. i also prefer the turn-in of the speciale. i feel a little more connected to the road with the 458. The Speciale transmission seems a little dated now, but honestly for a decade old its amazing. Definitely not aging like the Scud box. Anyways, thats a quick recap from a guy who knows nothing about cars! Just is one lucky bastard and is making the most of life and has formulated some opinions about his things.
I've DRIVEN Pista, but I OWN Speciale. Yes Pista faster and overall better track weapon. But far less entertaining. It lacks the excitement of Speciale, as to me, it's overly-refined. Obviously less sound. It doesn't punch you in the back at gear shift as does Speciale. Nor does the engine vibration hit a certain resonance frequency via seats that transmits fury to your body as does Speciale. Nor does it rev to 9000 rpm! Nor does S-duct look nearly as cool as dual-snorkel hood on Speciale. Nor is it based on Pininfarina design. And there is a perceptible turbo lag that interferes as a syrupy delay-layer between car and driver. If I wanted a track weapon, I'd just buy 488 Challenge car. They can be had very reasonably at present. But I want an entertaining, engaging, analog-feeling, hair-on-fire street car that makes me feel like entire body is plugged into an electrical socket. THAT's the Speciale. The harder you drive a Special, the more it gives. Driving it thru S-curves in the Alps is heaven. It gets up on it's toes and emotionally delivers in scalding fashion. Nothing else compares. Including the Pista. What a machine! And what an engine! 14:1 compression ratio - highest ever! A true high watermark. Never to be repeated. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I watched this one for a long time. Rosso F1 2007 is one of the few reds I haven't owned. It looks amazing. I had just bought my Speciale, so wasn't in a hurry to pay tax again. Otherwise it was one to have!
I never did sport cats in the Pista. My disappointment was that after about 4k, the sound went away. Does that apply with your exhaust? In the opposite manner, the Speciale comes alive above 4k, and that's what i like most about my swap.
appreciate that! Love the color. It’s my first red car and I have been through lots of cars. In person and in the sun it’s deep and interesting.
With the bypass plus sport cats it is very aggressive and loud throughout the RPM range. Downshifts really let you know what’s happening. I guess at the end of the range it fades a little but it’s not significant. You can hear the car and never need to look at the RPM gauge and it’s a hoot to drive. I have Soul brand in there and couldn’t be happier. It’s louder and more aggressive than the speciale. Not even close. Speciale has valves pulled. That’s it
A few pics including a throwback to when my car was still at the factory. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
yup agree100%…I’ve also driven the Pista and have owned 3 Speciales at different times (keep coming back to it). This machine is so well balanced with superb power to weight ratio. It’s a car you can extract all the power and slide in a turn and still feel well controlled. Steering and handling is nimble and light. NA motor spools up in linear fashion so very predictable. The only thing I strongly suggest is opening up the exhaust (it sounds meager stock)…I have IPE headers back, and it sings gloriously.
It's that linear spool-up that I really appreciate, especially versus Pista. This is particularly liked while delicately modulating throttle thru high-speed curves, for example.
