aAnother record year: ferrari Was able to sell over 11,000 super sports cars last year. Sales in 2008 were only 6500 units. Today there are half a dozen models, prices for a 2+2-seater Roma start at about 200,000 euros. V8 and V12 cylinders drive racers from Maranello, and the SF 90 also gets three electric motors for its 3.4-liter V8.
Beginning in the summer, the portfolio will be expanded to include the Ferrari 296 GTB, which is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 with electric assist. In this way, for the first time in the company’s 75-year history, Ferrari is introducing a model with a V6 engine. Otherwise Ferrari always had V8 or V12 machines, the dino of the seventies never wore the Ferrari emblem with their V6.
296 GTB means 2.9 liters of displacement, exactly 2992 cubic centimeters. GTB stands for Gran Turismo Berlinetta. A Berlinetta is a small sport coupe, literally meaning “little saloon”. The rear mid-engined two-seater sends power from two machines, which together generate 830 hp and 900 Nm of maximum torque on the crankshaft, specifically to the rear axle. The V6 has two sides of the cylinder at 120-degree angles, with the two turbochargers sitting on top. Everything about the engine is new, including the oil pump. The work of art in the rear can be admired under the glass flap.
The 25-kilometer electric range is made possible by a 7.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, and it’s really distracting at first when a Ferrari crawls quietly after starting. But it does have the charm, but the funniest is its tight coupe with 4.57m in length and a shorter wheelbase of 2.60m when both engines are allowed to work together. Then it says 663 plus 167 hp.
It can accelerate to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of around 330 km/h. Purely electrically it is 135 km/h. In electric drives, the 296 SF takes many more bonds than the 90, but there are differences. The SF90 is completely electrically reversed, with no reverse gear in its transmission, but the 296 does.
Like any other Ferrari, the V6 Ferrari pitches itself as an everyday car. The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission shifts smoothly and automatically, can seat two people comfortably, and two suitcases, charging cables, and a small bag fit under the bonnet. Shopping or driving to the office is done electrically. The suspension is a good compromise between comfort and sportiness.
The Ferraristi can also rely on a number of electronic assistants. Reversing cameras are mentioned with 360-degree all-round view, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control or traffic signal recognition. However, some additional charges are required. Aside from the “Manetino” on the steering wheel for various driving schedules, which is common in Ferraris, there’s a second switch for everything. Here you can choose purely electric driving, hybrid or two sports programs. In these the motor also recharges the battery to some extent and the braking energy always flows back to the traction battery anyway. On our test drives on windy country roads, the battery was relatively quickly back to a range of 15 kilometers when running empty in hybrid mode. This level is then more or less maintained.
The nearly 1.5-ton 296 GTB is surprisingly neutral to drive, with a load distribution of 40.5 percent on the front axle and 59.5 percent on the rear axle. He was able to show what it was made of on a racetrack. The engine revs up to 8500 rpm, the high-pitched rendition of the machine reminiscent of the V12. But it never gets incredibly loud.
If you go to the dealer and want to invest 266,701 euros, you need patience. Order books have been open since June 2021, and the wait time for the 296 GTB is currently at least a year and a half. Then 2025 is not far away either. This is the year the first all-electric horse racing is set to leave the Italian stable.
