AAnother record year: Ferrari was able to sell more than 11,000 supercars last year. In 2008 sales amounted to only 6500 units. There are half a dozen models today, prices start at around 200,000 euros for the 2+2-seater Roma. V8 and V12 cylinders drive the racers from Maranello, and the SF 90 also has three electric motors for its 3.4-liter V8.
In early summer, the portfolio will be expanded to include the Ferrari 296 GTB, powered by a 3.0-liter V6 with electric assistance. Ferrari is thus offering a model with a V6 engine for the first time in its 75-year company history. Otherwise Ferrari always had V8 or V12 machines, the Dino from the seventies with his V6 never wore the Ferrari emblem.
296 GTB stands for 2.9 liters displacement, exactly 2992 cubic centimeters. GTB stands for Gran Turismo Berlinetta. A berlinetta is a small sports coupe, literally “little saloon”. The two-seater with rear mid-engine sends the power from the two machines, which together generate 830 hp and 900 Newton meters of maximum torque on the crankshaft, exclusively to the rear axle. The two banks of cylinders in the V6 are at an angle of 120 degrees, 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 a glass flap.
Ferraristi can rely on a number of electronic helpers.
:
Image: manufacturer
The electric range of 25 kilometers is made possible by a 7.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, and it is indeed disconcerting at first when a Ferrari silently creeps away after the start. But that has charm, but the most fun is the tight coupé with its 4.57 meters in length and the short wheelbase of 2.60 meters when both engines are allowed to work together. Then it says 663 plus 167 hp.
It can sprint 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 the electric drive, the 296 takes many bonds from the SF 90, but there are differences. The SF 90 reverses purely electrically, its transmission has no reverse gear, but that of the 296 does.
Like no other Ferrari, the V6 Ferrari offers itself as an everyday car. The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission shifts smoothly and automatically, two people can sit comfortably, and two suitcases, the charging cable 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.
Made a virtue out of red: Fresh Ferrari 296 GTB
:
Image: Manufacturer/Schmidt
Ferraristi can also rely on a number of electronic helpers. Mentioned are the reversing camera with 360-degree all-round view, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control or traffic sign recognition. However, some additional charges are required. In addition to the “Manettino” on the steering wheel for the various driving programs, which is usual at Ferrari, there is a second switch for everything electrical. Here you can choose purely electric driving, hybrid or two sports programs. In these, the motor also recharges the battery to a certain extent, and the braking energy always flows back into the traction battery anyway. On our test drives on winding country roads, a battery that ran empty in hybrid mode was relatively quickly back to a range of 15 kilometers. This level is then more or less maintained.
It can sprint to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds.
:
Image: manufacturer
With a weight distribution of 40.5 percent on the front axle and 59.5 percent on the rear axle, the almost 1.5 ton 296 GTB is surprisingly neutral to drive. He was able to show what he’s made of on a racetrack. The engine revs up to 8500 rpm, the high-pitched singing of the machine is reminiscent of a V12. But it never gets incredibly loud.
If you go to the dealer and want to invest 266,701 euros, you need patience. The order books have been open since June 2021, and the waiting time for a 296 GTB is currently at least a year and a half. Then 2025 is not far away either. This is the year that the first all-electric racehorse is set to leave the Italian stable.