A tuned single-coil inductor is implemented between a signal driver output and external contact of an ESD-protected integrated circuit (IC) die and more specifically between the parasitic capacitances of the signal driver and the contact-coupled ESD (electrostatic discharge) element to form a Pi (π) filter that enhances signaling bandwidth at the target signaling rate of the IC die. The signal driver may be implemented with output-stage data serialization circuitry disposed in series between source terminals of a thick-oxide drive transistor and a power rail to avoid explicit level-shifting circuitry between the relatively low core voltage domain and relatively high I/O voltage domain.