5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE... FERRARI 296 GTS
The brilliant 296 GTB has had its roof chopped off in time for summer
1 IT’S THE GRAN TURISMO SPIDER
We’re all familiar with the 296 GTB, Ferrari’s 10/10 (as rated by TopGear) PHEV supercar, but Maranello has revealed the convertible 296 GTS just in time for summer, complete with two-piece folding hard-top roof that drops behind the
2 THE POWERTRAIN IS FAMILIAR
Believe it or not, this 2.9-litre motor from the GTB is Ferrari’s first production V6 (although its engineers have nicknamed it the “piccolo V12”) and it comes complete with a 164bhp e-motor that can power the rear wheels. The electric stuff should mean the car is good for around 15 miles on a full charge from its 7.5kWh battery.
3 IT’LL SOUND GREAT ON THE MOVE
“Of course, it’s a Ferrari V6,” you say – but Ferrari’s proud of its efforts to tickle your eardrums. There’s a symmetrical firing order, 8,450rpm redline, tuned exhaust manifolds, and the “hot tube” set-up that pipes engine noise between the seats has been redesigned to work roof up or down.
4 IT’S PUT ON A LITTLE WEIGHT
Always the danger with convertibles, isn’t it – chopping the roof off a coupe means that the car inevitably needs strengthening elsewhere. Here the chassis has been redesigned, beefed up in the sills and A-pillar. The dry weight is quoted at 1,540kg, a not inconsiderable 70kg more than the coupe. Still, cancel it out by refusing anyone a lift.
5 THE NUMBERS ARE STILL IMPRESSIVE
The combined output is 819bhp, good for 0–62mph in 2.9secs, 0–124mph in 7.6secs and a 205mph top speed. You’ll hardly be suffering if you ditch the roof, but it is apparently 0.8secs slower round Fiorano than the GTB. Most impressive is the seven-year/75,000