Ferrari has been filmed testing the GT3 racing version of the 296 GTB at Fiorano, roughly a month after the car was previewed through a couple of detailed sketches. A series of obvious visual and aerodynamic modifications have been made to transform the 296 from a road car to a race car that can fight for wins and championships. At the front, for example, Ferrari has developed a new bumper with a large splitter and canards. The race car also features a bespoke hood and has large air louvers on the front wheel arches which aid in aero.
Elsewhere, we can see that this prototype
is rocking center-locking wheels and has different wing mirrors than the road
car. Changes have also been made to the bodywork on the side of the car, including
the fitment of small NACA ducts just in front of the rear wheels. Modifications
continue at the rear with a towering swan-neck wing, a central rain light, and
a bespoke diffuser.
Ferrari will also make a series of
mechanical changes to get the 296 ready for racing. Most notably, it will have
to ditch the hybrid system of the road-legal model to comply with racing
regulations. This means it will be powered solely by a 2.9-liter
twin-turbocharged V6 which, in the road car, pumps out 654 hp. Coupled to this
engine will be a racing transmission. The Italian car manufacturer has
confirmed that the 296 GT3 will be assembled in France by Oreca and that its
design takes inspiration from the 1963 250 LM. It’s not yet known when the 296
GT3 will make its racing debut, but we suspect it will be ready to compete in
championships around the world in 2023.
