Novitec unveils custom Ferrari 488 Pista with 800 HP, carbon kit and more

Renowned German car tuner Novitec has launched a range of upgrades for the Ferrari 488 Pista. Let us see what is on offer for those who are able to afford the Italian automotive's finest.

The super sports coupe made its first public appearance early last year, powered by the marque's strongest 3.9 V8 to date. Its 720 hp (530 kW) and 770 Nm (568 pound-feet) of torque were unsurpassed until the Ferrari SF90 Stradale debuted in May 2019. The hybrid hypercar sourced 780 hp (582 kW) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) from its 4.0 V8 alone, making it the new flagship.

Today, Novitec addresses that by putting the 488 Pista on par with the SF90 in terms of sheer engine power. The Stage 2 kit, which is obviously the only one we would be interested in, squeezes 802 hp (598 kW) along with 898 Nm (662 lb-ft) out of the 3.9 V8 mill. The performance per liter thus rises from 184.5 hp/l to 205.5 hp/l, which is better that the SF90 can do (195.5 hp/l).

In fact, few engines exist in the world that exhibit this level of raw efficiency: the Mercedes-Benz AMG A 45 S and CLA 45 S both squeeze a superb 211.5 hp/l from their turbo-fours, and the Koenigsegg Jesko hypercar leads the ranking with 1,600 hp total (1,120 kW) and 316 hp per liter.

As always with Novitec, there is a whole range of other upgrades, including a stancing kit (-35 mm / -1.4” ride height), hydraulics that can temporarily lift the car by 40 mm (1.6”) to drive over speed bumps, an extensive carbon aerodynamic kit, and a new exhaust system with an impressive soundtrack. Customers may also choose from 30 different kinds of wheels ranging between 21 and 22 inches in diameter.

The standard sprint occurs 0.15 seconds faster with the Stage 2 kit, and the top going speed rises from 340 to 345 km/h (211.3 to 214.4 mph). In terms of acceleration performance (2.7 seconds 0-100 km/h), the Novitec 488 Pista still lags behind the SF90 Stradale (2.5 s), but compensates for that with the higher maximum speed. The Italian hybrid-powered flagship stays firmly ahead with its 1,000 hp (745 kW) combined performance rating.