Ferrari 296 GTB | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Ferrari 296 GTB | Test Drive

27 January 2025 Redazione News, Stories, Tested

Up and down, with the livid sky watching us over our heads and that at any moment could put an end to this roller coaster by wetting an asphalt that is dispensing pure pleasure at every turn. Yes, because on the straights it’s all a question of courage: put your foot down on the gas and it makes you shoot forward with grotesque power. But when you get to those fast curves where you can physically feel the rubber of the tires grinding the tread on the grains of asphalt.

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos S. Lomax

You feel like you’re wrapped in a cotton wool shell, a blink of an eye later you hold your breath and while you half-close your eyes as if to try to concentrate more, you hang on to that daring courage and the trust placed in the car itself. There’s no time to let your eyes pinch the speedo because the road becomes smaller and blurry. You feel light, too light. So you limit your movements on the steering wheel as much as possible and aim for the center of the road until you finally ease the pressure on the throttle and the passenger compartment is invaded by the crackling of the exhaust, the only thing that manages to break the tension built up during the previous seconds.

The end of summer means that the roads will be free from tourist traffic, especially those hidden from the more traditional and popular paths. I had already driven the 296 GTB, the berlinetta that not only replaces the F8 Tributo – a model for which I do not hide an unconditional love – but also carries forward a hybrid mission that combines an electric unit with the new twin-turbo V6 crafted in Maranello. When I tasted it for the first time I was fascinated and amazed, both for a design that remains faithful to what a two-seater with a mid-rear engine must represent, both for performance nothing short of astonishing and which, at least at first glance, seemed to be perfectly usable on everyday roads. Obviously, with the logical considerations of the case, given that we are talking about a total output of 830 horsepower.

For the first contact I needed a series of reference points and so I chose to spend almost all my time driving along a road that we often use during our pilgrimages to Maranello. A winding road capable of undermining the balance of a sports car, highlighting what is fun to drive understood as a hairpin exit with the rear sliding outwards. The ideal place to get high on curves, without however allowing the engine to pinch the red line with the thrill that goes up the spine for a speed that is still contained due to morphological reasons. This is why the time has come to raise the bar and increase the performance/involvement ratio, leaving aside the predictable Raticosa/Futa duo and preferring the wild hairpin bends of the Passo Serre. And there is no better way to drive there, if not by throwing into the mix an equally incredible combo of curves like those beyond Renno.

Everything happens for a reason, a bit like having an SS12 in perfect condition. Under a threatening sky that nevertheless grants a break from the rain, I sit where in the price list represents the pure sports car according to Ferrari, with the exception of the much more exaggerated SF90. But let’s immediately address the so-called elephant in the closet: this Rossa is not red! It is none of the thousand shades of Ferrari red, which offers the possibility of being seen – and recognized – right after you have made yourself heard. And then this Verde Bosco (Forest Green) is simply spectacular. It is in fact capable of recalling a chromatic taste coming from other times, a romantic elegance that is also mirrored in the cockpit. In short, a sort of tailor made kiss that releases good taste for a choice outside the chorus glorified by the absence of direct sunlight above its soft curves.

The 296 GTB is sharp, yet never angular. It boasts incredible aerodynamic effort that is almost completely imperceptible to the eye, but rest assured that once on the move it will be able to convey exactly what is happening as the speedometer needle reaches three digits. You travel comfortably, just a few centimeters from the ground and you immediately realize the generous dimensions of an XL-sized tail. The cockpit is – as it should be – oriented towards the driver, but the passenger is not mistreated and can in fact enjoy the passenger cockpit that takes over and allows you to intervene on almost all the controls of the car’s infotainment system as well. On the other hand, those who sit in the best place in the game, the driver’s seat, take a few moments to become familiar with the steering wheel controls, which manage all the car’s parameters such as ADAS, radio and navigator. Appropriately quicker to recall are the touch-sensitive buttons for the various driving modes (on the left) and the knob for adjusting traction control and suspension (on the right). The ignition button, touch-sensitive as well, is in the lower central portion of the steering.

Words, so many words. In the meantime, it was enough to shift down a couple of gears and push the throttle three-quarters to archive an overtaking that was all too simple to be called such. After passing Renno, it is finally time for the first proper bends. A series of hairpins (14, ed.) placed there, one after the other, with the asphalt still slightly damp after a pretty cold night. Non-existent traffic and the GTB wakes you up from the relax accumulated in the kilometers that have led us up to this point. Downhill, but the progression of the 900 Nm of torque is something otherworldly and would make you climb a vertical wall without feeling the slightest effort. Given the particular conformation of the road, it is not possible to exploit the 296 for its ballistic skills, but it is a good opportunity to once again take the measure of the available spaces when exiting the curves. The rear slides, but exactly as you intend. The grip then intervenes in a precise and punctual manner, pulling the berlinetta out of the tightest turns as if it were captured by a giant invisible fishing hook.

You play with the gearbox, an 8-speed dual clutch that can be controlled by the large carbon paddles fixed to the steering column, ideal for knowing exactly where and what to pinch with your fingers. The transmission is nothing short of lightning-fast and the higher you travel on the rev scale, the more it is able to satisfy, especially when downshifting, allowing the exhaust placed in the center of the tail to emit a pleasant crackle, showing that even with 2 less cylinders than before, nothing is missing from the recipe for fun. Where there is more space I am more aggressive on the gas and the 296 GTB rewards me by making the rev counter needle shoot up. The 305 at the rear do their best to find grip on the wet asphalt and you find yourself straightening the steering several times trying to point the emblem par excellence towards the center of the road.

The weather that does not seem to be on our side actually plays to the complete advantage of a deserted road. The Passo Serre has no living soul today, but only a prancing horse that tries in vain to blend in with the green vegetation. It is a natural playground that encourages you to discover what on a more space-sparing stretch you would not be able to evaluate. The GTB begins to find another side of itself, that power that was perceived when driving in a geographically more confined context, but which had not yet opened the doors to that myriad of sensations that assail you when you realize that an object on four wheels not only goes very fast, but does incredibly more.

Here I translate the 2.9 seconds for 0-100 kph into something tangible to the point of being physically felt. I grip the steering and while I only have time to catch the LEDs on the upper portion with the corner of my eye, I throw in two gears just before touching the limiter. The road is not a limit this time and the 296 moves pressed to the ground thanks to the aerodynamic effort given to it by those small appendages and air intakes that remind that they are not there only for aesthetic purposes. At certain speeds you perceive how the aerodynamic resistance works a miracle defying the laws of physics and letting the right foot stay down until 8,000 rpm. Strong pressure on the carbon ceramic brakes that show off 398 discs at the front and 360 at the back, tireless and precise when things get serious, at least as perfectly manageable in the city, when all this splendor is just a beautiful memory.

To think that the 296 GTB is the “tamed” version of what could arrive in the guise of a lighter variant more focused on pure performance is madness, Assetto Fiorano spec included. This car is not only capable of disintegrating a road or a circuit, but any belief in what it means to go fast with a steering wheel in your hands. It is a plane for just two passengers, one of whom is the lucky driver. Up and down, with the livid sky watching us over our heads and that at any moment could put an end to this roller coaster by wetting an asphalt that is dispensing pure pleasure at every turn. Yes, because on the straights it’s all a question of courage: put your foot down on the gas and it makes you shoot forward with grotesque power. But when you get to those fast curves where you can physically feel the rubber of the tires grinding the tread on the grains of asphalt, that’s when you have to push yourself beyond your comfort zone and understand that this Ferrari is not just beautiful and fast because it’s a Ferrari, but because it’s an engineering feat that’s difficult to match.

I take the time to store all this information that I was unable to assimilate when I have driven it the first time and I realize that I am not even halfway to what would be possible in an even safer context such as a racetrack. However, I believe that appreciating a sports car on open roads is fundamental, because this is the main intended use, as well as the one that is certainly most capable of highlighting any critical issues, precisely because we are dealing with a surface that is not always in perfect condition and because we usually do not tackle the home-work journey following the ultimate apex.

The 296 GTB is poetry, a Verde Bosco work of art that smells of history and carries on a delicate legacy like that of the Prancing Horse berlinettas. It does so in the best possible way, that is the one in which it manages to make even the most aggressive detractors forget the lack of two cylinders, the presence of turbocharging and even an electric motor, which can also be recharged from the socket in your living room, just saying. But does it really matter? Actually no, for the simple fact that in the precise moment in which you are gripping the wheel and indulge yourself in the mental equations that will allow you to tackle specific curves at specific speeds bringing the Ferrari home in one piece, all that really matters is that perfect dialogue that you manage to establish with a supercar that you could actually use to go to the barber shop, to the grocery, or to reach the cabin at the top of the mountain, perhaps parking in front of a couple of snowploughs.

Those rare moments of calm are only apparent, an excuse to get back doing things seriously, something that the 296 GTB really likes. It gulps down kilometers and curves without the slightest hint of fatigue, proving to be a sports car capable of satisfying pro drivers and even amateurs like myself. The surprising side is the complicity with which it accompanies you towards what you tend to identify as your limits, precisely because you wouldn’t dare push yourself further on curbless tarmac. That prancing horse watches you every moment you spend driving, but at a certain point you realize that it is not there to put you in trouble as happens with other sports cars. Everything is here for making the life of the driver better, everything is designed to make the driving experience memorable. The approach is different from the F8, more frenetic – at least when you pick up the pace – maybe result of a bit of extra weight due to the battery pack, but the behavior is perhaps even more precise. Compared to the 488 GTB there are substantial differences and it is inevitable that the generational and engine gap with the 458 Italia definitively marks two different eras, even if so close. The 296 GTB confirms itself as the new generation of a dream tinged with red, or should we say green, like the forest.