The second plug-in hybrid model in the range after the 1,000 hp SF90, the new 296 GTB becomes the first Ferrari to have so few cylinders. With 830 cumulative hp, its hybrid V6 nevertheless brings this berlinetta (and the sports car in general) into a new era. Explanations.
At the start of the interminable straight line of the Monteblanco circuit, I stop the 296 GTB and remind myself of the instructions of the Ferrari monitor: ” To activate Launch Control, brake with your left foot, select TC off mode, push the L button between the seats and accelerate fully. When you’re ready, contract your muscles and release the brake pedal. Good luck ! » Engine speed stalled at 3,000 rpm, the Ferrari 296 GTB gathers all its forces then delivers them like a superpower. The takeoff takes my breath away. My gaze blurs. Three seconds later, already 100 km/h, the V6 insists, the turbos whistle, the gears slam like gunshots, four seconds more, already 200 km/h, the thrust barely subsides, the landscape liquefies, the speedometer already displays 270 km/h, the hairpin so far away is already there, the braking mark too, I crush the left pedal. Stop. The tour will end in slow motion, the time to regain my senses. And to think that I underestimated the first six-cylinder road Ferrari…
It is true that the technical data sheet for the new V6 3.0 biturbo does not really evoke the entry level: 663 hp and 750 Nm of torque alone, a maximum speed increased to 8,500 rpm and record specific power for a standard engine with 221 hp per litre. As if that weren’t enough (for who exactly?), Ferrari backed it up with an electric unit delivering 167 hp and 315 Nm of peak torque. At the arrival, the 296 GTB spits out 830 hp and 900 Nm of cumulative torque provided you engage the “Qualify” mode dedicated to maximum performance. Do you remember the Enzo supercar, whose V12 6.0 peaked at… 660 hp?
The little 296 GTB is not nearly insolent, its 7.45 kWh battery allows it 25 km of electric range once recharged (in 4 hours on a domestic socket or barely 20 minutes while driving), lowering its consumption homologated at 6.4 l/100 km and its CO emissions2 at 149g/km. Clear ? This rocket on tires receives a micro-penalty of €900, less than a three-cylinder Ford Fiesta ST. And very far from the 40,000 € ecotax of the Ferrari F8 Tributo (with V8 biturbo 720 hp) invoiced… 40,000 € less in the catalog. For the same final price, it remains to be seen whether you prefer to reward the talent of the Prancing Horse or fill the coffers of the French State.
Price Ferrari 296 GTB and Assetto Fiorano
In France, the price of the 296 GTB is set at €271,114. For the record, this price does not include the Apple CarPlay connection (€3,000), reversing radars (€1,968) or leather-Alcantara floor mats (from €600 to €4,200). All are lost in a long list of options covered in carbon fiber, which incorporates classic elements: steering wheel, seats, air extractor, etc., but also less common such as the interior of the trunk, the ignition key box or the rims charged at €24,000 for four (see complete list and prices on next page). Circuit driving enthusiasts can then opt for the Assetto Fiorano pack at 32 400 €, which accommodates a passive suspension with titanium springs and a new aerodynamic configuration (blade under the front bumper and fixed rear wing bringing downforce to 360 kg at 250 km/h).
The removal of the controlled damping and the carbon fiber coverings (storm doors, engine compartment) reduce the total weight by 12 kg, which loses another 3 kg with the Lexan windows at €3,600. An option reserved for customers of the famous Assetto Fiorano pack, such as the two-tone stripes (additional €18,800) or the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R (€3,600), developed specifically for the 296 GTB and whose manufacturing process has enabled save 500 g per tire (i.e. 2 kg in total on the unsprung masses). But enough of the numbers…
The 296 GTB on the road
Before another session on the track at the wheel of the Assetto Fiorano, we spin at the wheel of a classic 296 GTB on the winding Andalusian roads. The missile glimpsed earlier then metamorphoses into a pleasant coupé, handy thanks to its light steering, easy to identify despite its pretty width and surprisingly comfortable. via its piloted suspension. From a pressure on the manettino at the wheel, the shock absorbers even soften a new notch to better climb the speed bumps. Raising the muzzle of the car as they approach seems superfluous (an option at 4,080 €) thanks to a ground clearance that is quite livable on a daily basis.
Battery charged, the 296 GTB often evolves in electric mode (possible up to 135 km/h), to the great astonishment of passers-by, worried about having become deaf as this faithfully red but curiously voiceless Ferrari passes by. On board, the rolling noise of the wide tires prevents you from completely imagining yourself in a Renault Zoe, especially when the V6 comes back to life, without the slightest jerk of operation but with a hell of a break in the sound environment. It surprises sometimes, it always makes you smile.
Further on, the road winds more, and you switch from docile Hybrid mode (favouring electric propulsion to lower consumption) to Performance mode (which recharges the batteries using the energy of the V6 to always have the power of both motors). The accelerator pedal becomes much more reactive, and we find the catapult of our first meeting. Well almost. Impossible here to exploit the full extent of the tachometer or to accelerate more than three seconds without ending up beyond 200 km / h between two hairpins and four cyclists.
At low load and without familiarity with the red zone, we still take advantage of the endearing sound of the V6 and its sufficient thrust (mild understatement) to glimpse the limits of the chassis. Though. Turn that closes, bump in full support, spots of humidity in the shaded areas, nothing disturbs the trajectory of the 296 GTB which, arrived at its distant limits of grip, ends up sketching a progressive understeer but not a ounce of oversteer despite our best efforts to provoke his butt. However, it puts on its standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4S with a road profile, much less efficient than the Pilot Sport Cup 2R adapted to the circuit. So let’s test them…
The 296 GTB Assetto Fiorano on the circuit
After our breathtaking initial standing start, we set off again for a brief circuit session at the wheel of an Assetto Fiorano version. On the program: two fast laps with the famous Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R, mounted at the optimum temperature and pressure. Very similar to competition rubber, these tires must be warmed up and then slightly deflated to work properly. If the 13 kg difference with the classic 296 GTB is obviously not obvious, the much firmer typing of its uncontrolled shock absorbers makes the car more bouncy. And still more impressive.
The supernatural reminders come back to my good memory and, less intimidated than in the early morning, I dare to engage the manual mode of the robotic double-clutch gearbox. New slap: the quickness in the rise of speeds recalls a racing car. No, better, the 296 violently engaging the higher gear even before the steering wheel paddle reaches the end of its travel! In this washing machine where the senses lack bearings (uninformative direction, brake pedal slightly disturbed by regenerative braking), I praise the presence of an instructor opening the track with a twin car.
The bugger goes up a gear where I would have crushed the brake pedal, plunged into the hairpins at far too high a pace (in fact no, it turns!) and reaccelerated five meters earlier than I would have dared. In CT off mode, which is supposed to deactivate traction control, all you have to do isaccelerate fully by simply managing the counter-steering while the anti-skid avoids any runaway of the rear wheels synonymous with spinning. The most bluffing here comes from the finesse of the electronic interventions, never intrusive and yet very present… given the much more generous commas at the hairpin exit when you end up completely deactivating the ESP.
Identical remark concerning the ABS “Evo”, whose jolts in the brake pedal are completely erased and which makes it possible to preserve the directional power even when arriving too quickly in a hairpin. With or without driving experience, you therefore feel invincible at the wheel, like a driving simulator in which you would have left the assistance activated. Be careful though because the damage cannot be neutralized…
On board the 296 GTB
Competition Ferrari 296 GTB
At 830 cumulative horsepower, the Ferrari 296 GTB makes everyone agree. Sister F8 Tributo (720 hp), Aston Martin V12 Vantage (700 hp), McLaren 765 LT (765 hp), all multiply the cylinders but fail to match the power of a small news force-fed by hybridization. Enough to surpass them in terms of performance without panicking the penalty, as promised by the only other rechargeable hybrid sports car in the segment: the McLaren Artura. Announced more than a year ago and still not marketed, the replacement for the 540/570 family also swaps a biturbo V8 for a rechargeable hybrid V6 but will be “limited” to 680 hp of cumulative power. As a faithful McLaren, however, it announces a lower dry weight of 88 kg and a feeling clear driving. Enough to thwart the 296 GTB phenomenon? We hope to give you the answer one day.
Discover the results of the test, the technical sheet and the price-equipment of the Ferrari 296 GTB on the following page.
