FERRARI 296 GTB

MARANELLO TOOK LAST YEAR’S BOTTOM-OF-the-table ecoty result for the SF90 Stradale with remarkable good grace and outstanding professionalism. They asked questions, of course they did. Lots of them covering every detail of our week-long test. The black listing never came and the conversation continues to flow between evo and Ferrari each time we drive one its cars.

It was the first to confirm its entry for this year’s test, eager to understand and plan for where we were heading and what we intended to do. Even when we had to change our test location from continental Europe to the north of England the same car was still made available. No lastminute changes or tweaks, only a request for the new delivery address. Ferrari still oozes confidence.

With good reason. Adam Towler, a man not easily swayed by power outputs or hyperbole, was blown away by the 296 GTB’S capability on the car’s launch, his initial messages back from that event suggesting he had driven 2022’s ecoty winner. Jethro was equally impressed when Ferrari insisted he drive it before he attended Mclaren’s launch of the Artura. There was a strong feeling Ferrari had a contender on its hands.

It is up against the strongest field of its type we’ve seen in an ecoty. The 296 not only has Mclaren’s hybrid-v6 supercar to contend with, but also Maserati’s V6-turbo MC20 and Audi’s R8 Performance RWD and its mega V10.

The most powerful car in our test, the most expensive too, the 296 GTB arrives with great expectation (as every Ferrari does), but also a quiet confidence that suggests it should more than live up to its billing.

‘NOTHING CAN PREPARE YOU FOR HOW POTENT THE 296 FEELS WHEN IT’S UNLEASHED’ – ADAM TOWLER, EVO 296