Supercar showdown: Ferrari 488 Pista VS Lamborghini Huracan Performante

Ferrari and Lamborghini have been the main competitors in the supercar industry since the very beginning.  This rivalry has allowed us to see some truly stunning and powerful machines produced by either side. Now we review the newest additions as once again they tackle each other head on.

Let’s start with specifications…

Ferrari 488 Pista:

Price: £250,000

Power: 711 bhp

Torque: 568 lb-ft

0-62: 2.8 s

Top Speed: 211 mph

Lamborghini Huracan Performante:

Price: £210,000

Power: 630 bhp

Torque: 443 lb-ft

0-62: 2.9 s

Top Speed:  201 mph

So in terms of specifications, this one has to go to Ferrari. It will do everything faster and has a lot more power to deliver to the floor. The 488 uses a twin turbo V8 whereas the Performante uses a naturally aspirated V10 engine. In a standing quarter mile the Ferrari does it in 10.1 seconds, the Lamborghini does it in 10.3 seconds.

Styling:

The Lamborghini has a very in your face design which expresses ludicrous angles and absurd lines, curves and vent placements that scream aggression. On the other hand, the 488 looks like a 458 just beefed up with a more aggressive flair to it yet the styling is more subtle than the Lambo lunacy. For beauty and elegance, the Ferrari is what you pick, but for sheer supercar nuttiness, go with the design of the Lamborghini.

Interior:

Both of these cars have one thing in common, an overcrowded steering wheel. There are just way too many buttons and it takes away the elegance of a what a supercars interior should be about -true quality and stunning leathers blended with alcantara. Unfortunately these over the top plastic filled wheels look too ‘jet fighter’ and do not suit the car. The centre console is a bit too large on the Lambo whereas the Ferrari has a much smaller centre console which doesn’t eat up too much of the cabin.

Driving:

The 488 uses a RWD system whilst the Performante uses AWD. The 488 is sharper in the steering area but the Lamborghini’s AWD system allows it to take on huge amounts of grip and mad levels of speed in and out of corners. The Performante doesn’t have the steering capability or communication it needs to beat the Ferrari. On a track the Huracan is the true beast here. This is proven with its obscenely quick time on the Nurburgring of 6:52, the standard 488 did the lap in 7:21, almost 30 seconds slower.

Sound:

The Lamborghini easily takes this one, a naturally aspirated V10 will sound much more monstrous than the whistle from the smaller turbo powered V8 Ferrari engine. The 458 would have won this challenge because of that glorious V8 engine note and arguably the best ever V8 made

Conclusion:

There is no outright winner here. Both of these cars are phenomenal and are the peak of supercar perfection.  At the end of the day if you want a bonkers Italian car that will emit deafening roars of thunder and rip apart B-roads for fun, then go for the Lamborghini, if you want something that represents beautiful Italian design, style and will turn heads with its flawless appearance, go with the Ferrari.