Last year Ferrari unveiled the 488 GT3 Evo, a refined and massaged version of the 488 GT3 racecar that made its debut in 2016. Per FIA rules and regulations, manufacturers are allowed to make an all-new racecar (or an Evo version of their current car) once every three years. So, if it’s not an all-new racecar, what is the 488 GT Modificata you see before you? Simple answer: it’s the newest track-day-only Ferrari. But you probably can’t buy it.
The Modificata is meant specifically for Ferrari Club Competizioni GT, a special race series hosted by Ferrari and populated by owners of Ferrari GT racing cars. That means that if you’re rich enough to own a Ferrari racecar or run a racing team that competes with a Ferrari, you can take part in this racing series, too. The 488 GT Modificata joins a list of a dozen other Ferraris (F40 Competizione, the 550 GT, the 458 GT3, etc.) that can take part in Ferrari Club Competizioni GT.
The Modificata itself is based on the 488 GT3, but according to Ferrari, the Modificata transcends “the limits imposed by technical and sporting regulations to exploit their full potential.” What that really means is, because the balance of performance rules imposed by the FIA on GT racecars don’t apply to Ferrari’s own race series, the Modificata makes a tasty 700 hp. Ferrari says the Modificata’s gearbox is just as reliable as the GT3’s, even if it has shorter gearing.
To tame all the extra horses prancing around the engine bay, Ferrari has also further refined the aero balance of the 488, making significantly more downforce—2,200 pounds at 143 mph—without adding excess drag.
Ferrari will make the Modificata in very limited numbers, and the car is only going to be made available to people who have competed in Ferrari Club Competizioni GT in recent years. Hopefully, some of the Modificata’s trick bits will trickle down to its (more) attainable road cars in the near future.
