The struggle for supremacy at top levels knows no moments of rest. The 296 GTB is another step forward for Ferrari and behind a latest generation hybrid V6 it shows that the storm it brings is far more threatening than the one that threatens the sky over our heads.

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos S. Lomax

 

 

 

The sky above becomes leaden as minutes pass by, the air cools in a way that is way more than perceptible. The weather forecasts have been harassing throughout yesterday, warning of probable rain and possible hail. Too late to overturn our plans, especially due to the fact that in this very moment I hold the wheel of the latest born in Maranello, the 296 GTB, the new berlinetta ready to upset the market and represent the benchmark of hybrid supercars for the years to come.

A step before compared to the exotic SF90 Stradale and without necessarily replacing the F8 Tributo, we are talking about a model that – at least in terms of price – is positioned immediately after the latter. The fact is that it does that with a smaller, albeit more powerful engine, losing two cylinders and thus becoming the first street-legal Ferrari equipped with a V6, with the exception of the Dino, which to be fair has never been considered a proper Ferrari. To flank the 2.9 twin-turbo we have a small electric motor positioned between the thermal one and the gearbox, all connected to the rear-wheel drive and capable of delivering a power of 166 hp, which added to the 663 of the petrol result in a total power of 830 horses.

 

 

 

As I continue to cruise towards the location established for the photo shoot, I try to familiarize myself with this latest generation Ferrari, a model that in its own way brings with it the same storm that separated the 458 Italia from the 488 GTB. At the time, we had gone from a naturally aspirated to a turbocharged unit, while now we are going to lose two cylinders and embrace hybrid technology. Plug-In Hybrid to be correct and this means that you can charge the batteries positioned behind the seats in about 2 and a half hours (from home), or optimize their use during the regeneration phase even while driving. The 100% charged battery pack guarantees a maximum range of just 25 km, but that’s not the point, as the electric surplus comes into play during acceleration, torque and traction, making the 296 GTB one of the most surprising Ferraris ever driven.

 

 

 

The road begins to widen and as I run along the Panaro I take the opportunity to increase the pace and battle against the threatening clouds that whiz above the large front window. The 296 GTB comes to life in Hybrid mode, letting the electronic brain better manage the two engines. On the left portion of the steering wheel we therefore have the buttons that allow us to engage the 100% electric mode – called eDrive – or Performance and Qualify, which mainly differ for a more mild intervention of traction control, going to grant the driver the maximum performance expression of the Ferrari philosophy. Traction can then be further managed using the lever located on the right, selecting between Wet, Sport, Race, CT Off and ESC Off.

 

 

 

The rush to get to the meeting point with the photographer before the rain comes is the best excuse to skip the pleasantries and take the speech where I had left it a couple of years ago during my test drive at the wheel of the F8 Spider, the closest you get to this GTB. Although you remember well how it was able to bite the asphalt and at the same time pinch your skin when exiting corners, the behavior of the 296 GTB is totally different. The feedback transmitted to the steering wheel, the ease and clarity with which you put it between the curves seems wanting to demonstrate that the extra weight carried by the batteries and the electric engine has been compensated by a smaller internal combustion engine and which is positioned close to the passenger compartment for a substantially perfect balance. Then there is something that seems to come out of an ancient manual of witchcraft to instill an unhealthy confidence and let the V6 howl at an increasingly dark sky which has now swallowed the sun behind a wall of clouds ready to unleash all of its rudeness on us.

 

 

 

We finally reach our checkpoint, a stretch of road that we consider the ideal proving ground for our pilgrimage in Maranello. 8,500 rpm and it’s time for another gear of the 8-speed dual-clutch robotic gearbox. It is not easy to pinch the red line on everyday roads, for a simple lack of space. The speed that the 296 GTB makes available is disarming and keeping the gas pedal down means being pressed to the distinctly sporty seats – among the most beautiful you could possibly get but still comfortable enough for assiduous coexistence in the cockpit – with the vigor that would put Hercules during a show of strength. The GTB emits a particular scream, it is not a typically Ferrari roar and yet it makes it immediately recognizable when you come ‘round a corner and whiz in front of the smartphones of some cheering people. The pops in release are pure devotion to that overgrown child who tries in every way to straighten out of the tightest hairpin bends, where the cyclopean 305 tires intentionally slide while the rear widens and allows that low and wide nose to point to the next apex.

 

 

 

In a fleeting moment away from the driver’s seat, I lose myself in its countless details, in that design that pays homage to the 250 LM of the 60s and that makes clean lines and a stylistic purity now increasingly rare. You can say everything, except that it is simple. This is evident from an extremely aggressive rear end, with a centrally positioned exhaust, slim lights and a huge carbon fiber diffuser. There are spoilers, but they are not easily seen: the first is placed at the end of the roof, the second is a more traditional active wing. But it is at the front that there is some other magic, with the introduction of the Tea-Tray, that is an air intake that allows the flows to be channeled and manage the turbulence to the underbody. And then the optical groups, brought out as much as possible, not only for an aesthetic reason, but to leave room for air intakes for the carbon-ceramic braking system, a very powerful and tireless system with self-ventilated and perforated 398 mm discs at the rear and 360 mm at the front.

 

 

 

The 296 GTB is a Ferrari that does not disdain a grand touring use, thanks to a passenger compartment that offers satellite navigation, latest generation audio system and an infotainment system that uses the huge digital display in front of the driver and the cockpit obtained – as optional – in front of the passenger. It loves the racetrack, especially if you go for the special package called Assetto Fiorano, but it does not just come down to its 830 horsepower or 900 Nm of torque that seem to pull you out of corners as if there were a huge spring under the seat. With a weight that barely exceeds a ton and a half and a compact body, the 296 GTB proves to be a revolutionary supercar in countless ways. It does that thanks to the latest generation engineering package that responds to the Plug-In Hybrid argument, but above all because of dynamics that are usually only appreciated after many more kilometers spent clutching the steering wheel in your hands.

 

 

 

Several hours have passed and the threats of heavy thunderstorms from the sky have remained so, while the turmoil unleashed by the GTB is real and tangible, measurable in the heartbeat that accelerates when I put everything down and try to get closer to the red line, knowing that the V6 is echoing throughout the valley and who knows how far. I lunge on the brakes and while I am only thinking about how to set the next bend, the front is already there to draw a line that is too perfect to be true. With my fingertips I pinch the carbon fiber paddles and it is a continuous ups and downs of engine revs, with the tireless prancing horse that continues to run wild and happy. It is one of those moments when the planets have probably aligned, in which you believe that you have maybe found the ultimate super sports car, yet you try to go deeper, because there is undoubtedly so much more to understand.

 

 

 

And that’s how the first timid drop of rain arrive. Enough to wet the asphalt and make the game even more serious than before, initially revealing the comfortable side of the 296 GTB and then letting the warlike side prevail, thus devouring the last corners before heading back to the factory. The way back usually happens in complete relax, offering moments of reflection and allowing ideas to be rearranged. Not this time, not with it, since every moment is good to declare war on the rubber, thanking the Michelin Pilot Sport a few kilometers later for biting properly when the tacho seems possessed and some vigorous skidding is the consequence of a road surface that begins to get treacherous.

 

 

 

It doesn’t matter where the 296 GTB goes. With a list price starting at € 273,430 and with that iconic badge on display, it had one task only to achieve. The driving involvement remains intact, indeed high due to a small electric motor that launches it towards the Olympus of powers until now reserved for the even more elite circle of hypercars. Where the GTB amazes the most, however, is not for the 0-100 kph of just 2.9 seconds, or for a 0-200 in 7.3 seconds, but in the way in which all this absurd power is made usable in the real world, on everyday roads, where a Gran Turismo Berlinetta perfectly centers its role in the automotive world: that of being the car on which you beat a storm by creating your own.

 

FERRARI 296 GTB

Engine V6 cylinder Hybrid, 2.992 cc Power 830 hp @ 8.000 rpm Torque 900 Nm @ 6.250 rpm

Traction Rear-Wheel-Drive Transmission 8-Speed Automatic Gearbox Weight 1.545 kg

0-100 kph 2,9 sec Top Speed 330 kph Price from €273.430