The times they are a-chargin’. With an eye into the future, Ferrari has introduced its first six-cylinder engine on a road-going model since the seventies, the new 296 GTB. Designed to slot into the range above the F8 Tributo, Ferrari says it’s ‘the most fun to drive car in our product range’.
Called the 296 GTB, the new car swaps the F8’s turbocharged eight-cylinder engine for a hybridised V6, making this Ferrari’s first six-cylinder sports car since the Dino 246 (which didn’t actually wear Ferrari badges). It will cost € 269,000 (US$ 321,000/£ 231,000), and the first cars should be with European customers in early 2022, with U.S. cars arriving later that year.
But if you’re worried about the loss of two cylinders resulting in a drop in performance, you can rest easy. The 2.9-liter 120-degree V6 gasoline engine alone makes 654 hp, giving 218 hp per liter, which, says Ferrari, is the highest specific output of any production car on sale. Add in the electric motor and you’ve got combined total of 819 hp and 740 Nm of torque, making the 296 substantially more powerful than the 710 hp F8 Tributo, or 671 hp McLaren Artura hybrid. Ferrari says that’s sufficient to get the rear-wheel drive 296 to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds and to 124 mph in 7.3 seconds. For reference, the F8 Tributo needed 2.9 and 7.6 seconds to reach the same speeds. Find enough space and keep the right peal pinned and you’ll see 205 mph on the all-digital gauge pack. Ferrari says the 296 can lap its Fiorano track in 1 minute 21 seconds, a 1.5-second improvement on the F8.
Externally, the 296’s design borrows extensively from the bigger SF90, and also Ferrari’s classic 250 LM racer from the 1960s, but to our eyes, looks even better than either. An active rear spoiler contributes to a total of 794 lbs (360kg) of downforce at 155mph while keeping the overall design cleaner, and clear separation between the B pillar and roof panel means it’s not hard to see how the inevitable Spider version will look.
The interior is similarly restrained, and very definitely driver focused, with no sign of the large console-mounted touchscreens fitted to most modern cars. Even the shape of the dashboard – a long horizontal form almost unconnected to the transmission tunnel – is reminiscent of the original V6 Dino’s dashboard from the 1970s, and the retro-look gear selector lifted from the SF90 mimics the looks of a classic open-gate shifter.
So what about this new hybrid system? It comprises a single 164 hp, 232 lb ft electric motor mounted between the ICE motor and the eight-speed transmission, and a 7.45 kWh battery pack mounted under the floor. As with the larger all-wheel drive, three-motor SF90 hybrid, and McLaren’s new Artura with which the 296 will compete, there’s a dedicated EV mode. Ferrari quotes an electric range of 15.5 miles, which is 3 miles less than McLaren claims for the Artura. You can expect to see more of this hybrid powertrain, or at least some version of it, in Ferrari’s upcoming Purosangue SUV.
Like McLaren, Ferrari has worked hard to limit the amount of weight added by the hybrid hardware. Apart from dropping two cylinders, the 296 is 46 mm shorter than the F8 Tributo, and measures 50 mm less between the axles. The 296’s 1470 kg dry weight in its lightest configuration is only 35 kg heavier than the old F8 Tributo, though McLaren will be pleased that the Artura undercuts its new rival by 35 kg.
But there’s the option to go a little lighter with your 296 if you’re prepared to make your wallet lighter at the same time. As with the SF90, the 296 is available with an optional Assetto Fiorano handling package. Multimatic dampers, carbon body parts, a composite rear screen and sticky Michelin Cup 2 R rubber help reduce weight by 12 kg, and you can carve out another 7 kg if you go for the optional carbon fiber wheels. Ferrari hasn’t released U.S. prices for the 296 GTB or the Assetto Fiorano package, though you can forget any notion that its six-cylinder powertrain means this is going to be a baby Ferrari bargain. But with looks like this and 819 hp driving the rear wheels, whatever it costs it looks like money well spent.
