The Ferrari 296 is the Ferrari that answered a simple question — how much car can this badge carry? — with 663 PS from 2992 cc F163 BC 120° twin-turbo V6. It was built from 2022 to 2026, in the decade the industry is turning electric. Its designer of record is Ferrari Styling Centre under the direction of Flavio Manzoni.
How it came about
The Ferrari 296 (Type F171) is a sports car built since 2022 by the Italian company Ferrari. The 296 is a two-seater, offered as a GTB coupe and a GTS folding hard-top convertible. It is a plug-in hybrid with a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and its powertrain combines a twin-turbocharged 120-degree bank angle V6, with an electric motor fitted in between engine and gearbox.
The 296 can be driven in electric-only mode for short distances, to comply with use in urban zero-emission zones. Unveiled on 24 June 2021, the 296 is Ferrari's first stock model with 6-cylinders other than the Dino 206 GT, 246 GT and 246 GTS cars produced by Ferrari but sold under the Dino marque. Its power pack puts out a combined 830 PS (610 kW; 819 hp), giving the 296 a power-to-weight ratio of 560 hp/ton.
The hardware
Under the skin sits 2992 cc F163 BC 120° twin-turbo V6; it is rated at 663 PS. Kerb weight is 1470-1540 kg. Power-to-weight lands near 451 horsepower per tonne, which is hypercar territory, where the limiting factor is the tyre, not the engine. The gearbox is a 8-speed Magna 8DCL900 dual-clutch. The layout matters: the engine sits behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle, which puts the mass in the middle of the car and is why mid-engined cars change direction the way they do. The wheelbase is 2600 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Ferrari's history is not in doubt: the Ferrari F8 came before it; it was built at Maranello, Italy. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Nissan Z, the Volvo BZL, the McLaren Elva. Its Ferrari stablemates include the 250 GTE and the 328 GTS.