Ferrari 488 Pista Conspicuously Absent From London Reveal

When an automaker’s ready to roll out a new model, it often does so at a major auto show. And so it will be with the new Ferrari 488 Pista, slated to debut at the Geneva Motor Show in a couple of weeks.

That didn’t stop at least one dealer from holding a launch event, though, at which the car itself was not actually present. (And then putting out a release as if it were.)

Instead some 50 guests were invited to watch the webcast of the supercar’s unveiling, much as they could have done from home. But there was champagne and canapes, so we guess it wasn’t entirely a waste of time.

The event was held at H.R. Owen’s flagship Ferrari showroom in London’s swanky South Kensington neighborhood. The location was previously recognized as the top Ferrari dealer in the world.

Though not actually present for the event, the Pista is designed to dial the 488 GTB up even further. It’s powered by the same award-winning 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8, producing 711 horsepower instead of “only” 661. That’s said to be enough to propel the car to 62 in 2.85 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 211 miles per hour.

A fitting successor, then, to the likes of the 458 Speciale, 430 Scuderia, and 360 Challenge Stradale in the pantheon of track-focused, mid-engined, eight-cylinder supercars to come roaring out the gates in Maranello.

Without a doubt, Ferrari will sell a fair few of them in the UK. And we’re sure that H.R. Owen will handle some of those. But for anyone interested in actually, you know, seeing the car up close, the Geneva show will be the place to be.