German tuner Novitec has given the ultimate 488 an aesthetic tweak plus a bump in power and torque

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Novitec is a tuning company that seems to walk the precarious tightrope of the modified supercar world very well. What it does to the world’s most exotic cars doesn’t usually stray into outlandish, vulgar territory, nor are its methods too subtle. Just take this Ferrari 488 Pista ‘Sport Pack’. The standard car’s blend of functionality and pin-up supercar looks doesn’t leave a lot of room for improvement, but we’re digging what’s been tweaked.

Up front there’s a new, extended splitter, plus a “tailor-made molding” for the bonnet. The side skirts are new too, while further back you’ll find an added lip spoiler and carbonfibre surrounds for the rear light clusters. It wouldn’t be a proper modified supercar without giant wheels, and sure enough, the Sports Package Pista has them. Novitec NF10 design forged rims - manufactured by US company Vossen - can be specced, upping the wheel diametre to 21 inches at the front and 22 at the rear.

Smaller wheelsets are available, and they’re probably a better bet - speccing the biggest option means you’ll lose the car’s factory-fitted Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres (since they’re not made in sizes over 21 inches) and switch to much less sticky Pirelli P Zeroes. If you want some low to go with the new wheels, Novitec will fit a hydraulic suspension system that works together with the stock dampers. It drops the ride height by 35mm, although it is possible to raise the front back up by 40mm at the push of a button, which is handy if you don’t want to obliterate that lovely new splitter on a multi-storey car park ramp.

Last, and by no means least, we arrive at the engine. In standard from the twin-turbocharged V8 hardly leaves you wanting for power, but for anyone deranged enough to yearn for more, it’s possible to liberate an extra 81bhp, giving the Pista nearly 800bhp. 791bhp, to be exact, while the torque is boosted to 662lb ft. 0-62mph happens in 2.7 seconds, and the top speed is 214mph.