Ferrari's new 296 GTB hustling into the hybrid era
The famed Italian sports-car brand's 296 GTB has both power and emotion
It’s kind of hard for a sports-car company to stick to its purist ideals nowadays. Take Ferrari, which until a few years ago refused to make turbocharged engines because they weren’t part of its zeitgeist. Now it makes some of the best turbo engines around.
Then the Prancing Horse long resisted entering the SUV corral, even as rivals such as Porsche, Bentley, and Lamborghini raked in the profits from their “off-road” sports behemoths. And now, the Ferrari Purosangue, with its four seats and raised ride height, is imminent. Ferrari has learnt that when the tides shift, you have to go with the flow, even if it means selling your soul. And now for the famed Italian sports-car brand, this means electrification. After all, everyone’s rocking down to electric avenue as part of the planet-saving imperative, including Porsche, Lamborghini, Lotus et al.
The new Ferrari 296 GTB (Gran Turismo Berlinetta) is a petrol-electric hybrid that slots in under the company’s V8-powered F8 Tributo. And no, it isn’t Maranello selling its soul exactly, as it’s made hybrids before: the SF90 Stradale plug-in hybrid of 2019, and the LaFerrari launched in 2013. When they were zooming around at more than 340km/h while still hearing a wailing V8 or V12, customers probably didn’t care that volts were involved in the creation of the horsepower. And Ferrari’s hoping customers of the new 296 GTB plug-in hybrid won’t mind either, even though it’s a downsized 3.0-litre V6 (yes, turbocharged) pairing up with an electric motor this time.
The 296 refers to the engine’s 2 992 cubic capacity and number of cylinders, and it’s officially the first six-cylinder in a road car sporting the Prancing Horse moniker. (The Dino built in the 1950s-1970s had a V6 engine but not a Ferrari badge). The 296 GTB may have Ferrari’s smallest engine, but it’s endowed with both power and emotion. We’ve yet to drive it, but videos reveal the mid-engined car emits the goosebump-inducing vocals expected of a Ferrari, and the numbers certainly impress.
Under the sleek, aluminium Italian skin is a total system output of 610kW at a high-revving 8 000rpm. It sounds like a recipe for driving thrills, and Ferrari claims a top speed of 330km/h and a 0-100km/h sprint of 2.9 seconds.The rear-mounted 122kW electric motor provides a full-electric mode range of 25km, suitable for soundless commuting when you don’t wish to wake your neighbours in St Tropez or Clifton. The electric motor can be topped up through a home wall box or public charger.