Here's why the Ferrari 488 Pista is so special

From 3.9 litres it makes a blinding 711bhp. The Fiorano lap time of 1m 21.5s is eight seconds faster than an F40, two seconds faster than a 458 Speciale or 488 GTB, and only 1.8 slower than a LaFerrari. And this was tested in winter. They say with a warmer track there's more to come.

The 0-62mph time is a claimed 2.85 seconds. From 0-125 it's a crazy 7.6 seconds.

Weight is 90kg down from the regular 488 GTB, making the fuelled kerb weight 1,385kg. A McLaren 720S, a more plush machine but carbon-tubbed, is 1,419kg.

The front radiators are tilted back, for the first time. That means heated air, once through, exits and stays low along the side of the car, so it doesn't go up into the intercooler inlets ahead of the rear wheels. So those holes ingest cooler air. The intercoolers are bigger too – they no longer share intakes with the actual combustion air. Combined effect? The air going into the engine is 15 degrees cooler than in the GTB, improving its density and allowing all that extra power.

The actual engine air intakes have moved to the upper rear surface of the car. The rear spoiler has been shaped to pressurise this, ramming more in.

It's derived from the 488 Challenge car's V8. That means a flywheel with fewer counterweights, and lighter too, making it more responsive, if less smooth. Con rods are now titanium, 43 per cent lighter than steel – but it's an expensive material made yet dearer by the fact they come from the team's F1 supplier. The valve gear is new and lighter, acted on by more aggressive cam profiles. The compression ratio is 9.6 to one, insanely high for a turbo engine.

As in the 488, the turbos' rotating parts are ultra-light, thanks to titanium in the compressors. This time they also have, uniquely for a petrol engine, direct measurement of their rotational speed – up to 160,000rpm – so engine control is more finely honed. It can compensate for altitude, for example.

Oh my, and how. The new exhaust manifolds also come from the F1 team's supplier, beautiful welded-up items made of the resistant alloy Inconel. Its equal-length tracts make the sound purer. Also it's much lighter than the unequal-length cast item the GTB uses. And there's less sound insulation between engine and cabin.

As Ferrari has been doing since the California T (McLaren too since the 675LT), the engine doesn't give full mid-rev boost in the lower gears. By withholding its maximum torque, it shapes the the power curve so that it feels worth your while running to the spine-tingling 8,000rpm limit.

Oh and don't feel short-changed. With any more boost, it'd simply spin up the tyres in third gear, even in the dry. That gear will accelerate at 0.9g, anywhere from 3,000rpm up.

The engine is a whole 18kg lighter. About half of that is down to the Inconel exhaust manifolds. Most of the rest is in things that reciprocate or rotate, so their being lighter makes the engine snappier to the throttle pedal.

In the body, there's a carbon fibre engine cover, and carbon fibre front and rear bumpers. Those bumpers are actually made in-house at the Formula 1 workshops. You'll have noticed how this composite stuff removes weight that's far from the centre of gravity, helping agility.

Ferrari's first carbon fibre wheels are an option, too.

The 'Dynamic Enhancer' is a new function built into the side-slip control electronics when the traction control is turned off. For the first time it adds gentle individual-wheel braking to its control of engine power and the e-diff. Says Ferrari, it "thus gives drivers extra confidence so that they can more easily handle even lengthy oversteer situations". Nuff said.

Also new, when you're downshifting into a corner, the rate of clutch engagement is electronically modulated. That keeps the rear tyres just off the point where they'd cause instability by over-braking. Details details. Even the throttle map is deliberately different between bends and straights, so that it makes it easier for you to smoothly open the taps out of a corner.

The discs are the same as the GTB's, but the servo's new, so the pads clamp the discs faster when you jump on the pedal. Plus, the new bumper shape sends more cooling air over the discs, fade-proofing them better. Also, they're slightly heavier underfoot, matching the new, heavier, steering.