A case of – Would you like some shaved truffle with them fries. Meet Ferrari’s new berlinetta brothers.
Although the Ferrari 296 GTB and its convertible 296 GTS sibling have been touted as one of the best modern Ferraris ever made, the brand still thought there was room to make the pair a little more “special”. Enter the 296 Speciale and 296 Speciale A, where weight-saving, added power and aerodynamics result in greater driving thrills in the form of five parameters: longitudinal acceleration in terms of throttle input, lateral acceleration in the form of steering input, shifting, braking and sound.
The 296 Speciale is now the latest to join the 360 Challenge Stradale, 430 Scuderia, 458 Speciale and 488 Pista in the lineage of lightweight and track-focused Ferrari berlinetta models.
Through the 296 Speciale line, Ferrari aims to become the forerunner for driving engagement and thrill, not just within Ferrari, but throughout the entire supercar segment.
The 296 Speciale receives an evolution of the 296 GTB shared plug-in hybrid architecture, which fuses a rear-mid 120° twin-turbo V6 and an electric motor. This results in a 50hp increase to a staggering 880hp, making it the most powerful rear-wheel-drive production Ferrari to date. Ferrari has also claimed that this revised V6 has gained a louder and more intense engine note, which will definitely be music to purists’ ears.
If you told me that a car with a 3.0-litre V6 hybrid could do a century sprint of 2.8 seconds and achieve a top speed of 330km/h, I wouldn’t believe you either, but here we are.
Although the same eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox is retained, a revised upshift management profile from 1st to 7th gear results in reduced shift times, as well as faster paddle input response times. Additionally, the Speciale incorporates the extra boost control strategy from the SF90 XX Stradale, which utilises the electric drive system to deliver a temporary performance boost when set to ‘Qualify’ mode.
Weight-saving is also at the core of the 296 Speciale, which has been made 60kg lighter than the 296 GTB by incorporating carbon fibre bodyshell parts and titanium engine components. Moreover, it features Multimatic® single-rate shock absorbers used in the 296 GT3 racecar, as well as lightweight titanium springs. This results in an optimal power-to-weight ratio of just 1.60 kg/cv.
And no, Ferrari has made sure that no one will mistake your new 296 Speciale for a “regular” 296. The front bonnet has been inspired by the 296 GT3, which features two pairs of louvres located at the sides. These reduce pressure in the wheel housing while improving both drag and downforce.
Move on to the back, and the sharp-eyed will notice that the rear bumper has been heavily inspired by the 296 Challenge racecar. And instead of settling for a regular rear wing, the car incorporates otherworldly-looking side wings last seen on the track-only FXX-K hypercar. The wings’ horizontal surfaces generate maximum downforce, while the vertical fins work to reduce drag. Moreover, the wings’ positioning ensures optimal cooling of the car’s rear radiators.
And yes, the convertible 296 Speciale A receives all the same aforementioned frills as the 296 Speciale. Although it’s 80kg heavier, it isn’t any slower than the coupe to 100km/h, and the already amplified engine note is sure to tingle your senses even more with the roof down.
The respective prices for the 296 Speciale and Speciale A haven’t been released yet, but expect the 296 Speciale to be launched on our shores during the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix weekend.
Text: Tan Kai Wyn
Photos: Ferrari Singapore
