We’ve got all the info on Ferrari’s V6 hybrid 296 GTB, plus the career and cars of designer Julian Thomson, and why HSV’S 7-litre Monaro never saw the light of day
All-new 296 GTB puts the emphasis on driving enjoyment and continues Ferrari’s move to an electric future
THIS IS THE 296 GTB, FERRARI’S LATEST mid-engined supercar, with a brand new plug-in V6 powertrain, compact aluminium chassis and a fresh new look. Don’t mistake the first Ferrari V6 road car in decades for a junior Dino-style entry-level model, though, because with a combined power output of 819bhp and a price point expected to be the thick end of £230,000 when it reaches customers in March 2022, it’s anything but.
With a key mantra to be the most engaging and enjoyable Ferrari to drive, it doesn’t have to chase ultimate top speed or acceleration times in the same way as its SF90 hybrid big brother. It also differs from the more expensive SF90 by having its drivetrain power the rear wheels only, doing without an electrically driven front axle, thus removing weight, inertia and complexity from the package.
Yet performance is hardly compromised, with 0-62mph in 2.9sec, 124mph in 7.4sec and a top speed of 205mph. It laps Fiorano in 1min 22sec, 3sec behind the SF90 and only 2.3sec behind the Laferrari. Weighing 1470kg dry, it’s 100kg lighter than the SF90, but 140kg heavier than the V8-engined F8 Tributo – the 296 GTB sits between the two in Ferrari’s line-up. It’s also 75kg heavier than the carbon-tubbed Mclaren Artura, which has a similar V6/electric powertrain, albeit producing 138bhp less. Despite its hybrid tech, the 296 is 46mm shorter, 21mm narrower and 19mm lower than the F8, and 50mm shorter in the wheelbase. This reduction in size is in part thanks to the smaller V6 engine, which is mounted 50mm lower down in the chassis.
In a similar vein to the SF90’S Assetto Corsa pack, the 296 GTB can be specified with an Assetto Fiorano package (expected to cost around £25,000), which reduces weight by a further 12kg thanks to extended use of carbonfibre inside and out, a composite rear screen and carbonfibre bucket seats. The pack also includes revised aero and race-derived dampers from Multimatic – replacing the standard magnetic units – while a further 7kg can be lost with carbon wheels.
Now, for the full technical rundown, turn the page.
AERO
In a departure from most recent midengined Ferraris, the 296 GTB uses an active aero device not to manage drag but to generate extra downforce. A Laferrari-style active rear wing sits concealed beneath the trailing edge of the rear deck between the rear lights when not in use. When active, the wing produces up to 100kg of additional downforce at 155mph, contributing to a maximum of 360kg in high-downforce configuration with the Assetto Fiorano package. Thanks in part to clever underbody aero, even in low-drag configuration the car is said to deliver more downforce than previous comparable models.
CHASSIS
The 296 is underpinned by the most compact mid-engined Ferrari chassis in a generation, 50mm shorter in the wheelbase than the F8 Tributo. The car’s centre of gravity is 10mm lower than the F8’s, and the structure is a massive 60 per cent stiffer too, all to the benefit of agility. The construction is of aluminium rather than the more de rigueur carbonfibre as found in rivals from Mclaren and indeed the Maserati MC20, with doublewishbone suspension at both ends and Ferrari’s impressive magnetorheological dampers. There’s also the usual suite of electronic aids, including Side Slip Control.
DESIGN
Ferrari claims to have redefined the identity of the mid-engined berlinetta with the 296, citing its shorter wheelbase, muscular wings, visor-style windscreen, prominent flying buttresses and near-vertical rear screen. The new aesthetic draws inspiration from the 1960s 250 LM – particularly in the sinuously muscular rear wings, rear screen and Kamm tail – but also takes elements, including the wraparound front windscreen, from strictly limited edition models such as the J50 and the one-off P80/C. Combined with a low scuttle and relatively deep glasshouse, the effect is to slim down the side bodywork, which aside from the single air intake is otherwise largely free of complex surfacing.
ELECTRIC MOTOR/BATTERIES
The rear-mounted electric motor adds 165bhp and 232lb ft of torque to the mix, giving a total combined power figure of 819bhp at 8000rpm, with 546lb ft of torque available at 6250rpm, and making the 296 GTB significantly more powerful than Mclaren’s 681bhp Artura. The electric motor is connected to the engine via its own clutch pack, capable of disconnecting it entirely from the combustion engine in EV mode, and is fed by a 7.45kwh battery pack that sits beneath the cabin floor. The 296 GTB can be driven for up to 15.5 miles on electric power alone. The motor and battery weigh 22kg and 77kg respectively, the latter a 2kg saving over the identically sized pack in the SF90.
ENGINE
The combustion engine is a brand new 2992cc twin-turbo V6 that’s 40mm shorter than the F8’s V8 and all-in weighs 122kg. Despite a similar displacement to Maserati’s new Nettuno engine, Ferrari’s V6 is in fact completely unrelated and features a wider 120-degree bank angle, a hot-v turbocharger layout and no clever pre-combustion tech. ‘Designing and developing our own new engine provides us so many more advantages than adapting an existing engine or partnering with another brand,’ says Michael Leiters, chief technology officer.
The V6 delivers 654bhp at 8000rpm (the red line is at 8500), which gives it the highest specific bhp-per-litre of swept capacity (219bhp) of any production engine aside from the V8 in the Koenigsegg Jesko (which doesn’t quite count as production, yet). Other impressive details include an incredibly high compression ratio of 9.4:1, a new aluminium alloy for the block, and a 350bar injection system feeding fuel into the cylinders. Power is sent to the rear wheels via an eightspeed DCT and e-diff.
INTERIOR
The cockpit follows the lead of the SF90 Stradale with a largely digital interface that sees most conventional controls replaced with touchpads plus screens that only spring into life when the Start Engine button is pressed. As with other Ferraris, the passenger gets their own display of key data.
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