These days, Ferrari gets the bulk of its attention from its recent run of road-going supercars, but the Italian performance car maker doesn’t want enthusiasts to forget that they still have a very strong focus on dominating the race track. To prove this point, the company has decided to unveil its latest race centric effort, the Ferrari 488 GT Modificata.
488 GT Modificata Is A Race Focused Gem
Ferrari claims that the 488 GT Modificata is a carefully crafted mixture of traits from both the 488 GTE and the 488 GT3, with select features from each of these racing entries being very evident in some elements of its execution. However, the Modificata still has a distinct flavor baked into it, with the company calling it a “perfect synthesis” of the fore-mentioned models. This is evident in its aggressively sculpted front end with the nose being slathered in bold grey paint. As your eye makes its way towards the end of the car, the gray fades away and is dominated by a bright yellow hue with grey dots being splashed along it. The rear is typical 488, but a massive rear spoiler helps provide plenty of downforce to help keep the car planted during aggressive track driving. This and other changes allow up to 2.2 lbs of downforce to be present at 142 mph which is generous for a race car.
Shedding weight was also a key goal of the 488 GT Modificata, and the body is mostly made out of carbon fiber. The lone exceptions are the aluminum roof and some select elements of the vehicle’s structure. Ferrari did not exactly reveal just how much weight was shed in the process, but we suspect that it will be a noticeable difference over a road going 488.
Other goodies include beefed-up brakes which were developed by Brembo and actually use the same ABS system as the 488 GT3 EVO. However, the software has been tweaked for use on the Modificata.
Ponies Under The Hood To Match Its Prancing Horse Good Looks
In addition to having track-focused styling, the 488 GT Modificata also has the performance to back up the checks written by its wild bodywork. Ferrari engineers have added some key upgrades to the twin-turbocharged V8 engine, and that includes removing the pesky power-sapping components that are associated with the FIA’s Balance of Performance Regulations. The end result is a massive volcano of power, with Ferrari claiming the boosted eight-cylinder makes 700 hp. All of this raw muscle is channeled to the rear wheels through a heavily modified transmission that can be tuned to a wide range of ratios and also comes with a carbon fiber clutch.
But buyers looking to mute the engine’s soundtrack in a cocoon of sound-deadening materials and acres of premium leather will not find it here in the 488 GT Modificata. This is a race car after all, and all of those frills have been pitched for the sake of functional simplicity. Instead, you are greeted by a minimalist paradise, with a race-prepped steering wheel bringing many controls to the driver’s fingertips. The rest of the switchgear is found in the center stack and the whole unit is canted towards the driver to help keep those controls within easy reach.
But just because it’s a back to basics approach doesn’t mean that Ferrari is forcing drivers to go backward in time either, with engineers retaining the digital instrument cluster as well as a small screen mounted on top of the dash. That small screen operates a rear-facing camera which compensates for the lack of a formal rearview mirror and also gives drivers a sense of security when navigating tight paddock areas or even loading the car onto a transport truck.
Can You Buy a Ferrari 488 GT Modificata?
Ferrari did not reveal final pricing for the 488 GT Modificata but we’re confident that it will be a very noticeable premium over tamer road going 488 models. This model will also have exclusivity on its side too, with Ferrari revealing that it will not only have a limited production run, but the car will also be only available to drivers that recently participated in either Ferrari’s Competizione Series or the accompanying Club Competizione GT Series.
Could We See Some Modificata Genes In Street Models?
That’s the biggest unknown here, but it’s no secret that Ferrari and countless other firms do take lessons learned from the race track and apply select technologies to road-going vehicles. In the case of the 488 GT Modificata we suspect that while some of the wilder track-focused enhancements won’t make it to a street legal model due to various factors, perhaps some of the core material will be used in a future performance model. That includes elements of the weight shedding regimen as well as the engine borrowing some race technology from its track-focused siblings.
To find out even more about the Ferrari 488 GT Modificata be sure to check out the car’s official website HERE.
