Ever since the early 2000s, Maranello’s mid-engined special series Ferraris have always been revered among driving focused tifosi as some of the brand’s finest road cars. From the Challenge Stradale to 430 Scuderia, 458 Speciale and 488 Pista, each succeeding generation has brought with it enthralling new levels of sensual driving pleasure & engagement; both for the marque’s production range along with the entire supercar segment as a whole.
Building on that incredible legacy, the 296 Speciale now brings its incredible lineage to unprecedented levels of responsive agility and stability right here in Malaysia. By bestowing it the same moniker as the hugely admired 458 Speciale, already established as an iconic driving benchmark by which all other razor sharp track honed supercars are judged, the people at Maranello have certainly given this latest 296 variant rather big shoes to fill. Fortunately, everything they’ve put into it certainly seem to have made it more than capably up to the task. Building on the 296 GTB’s already impressive performance, the Speciale embodies an even more direct sense of connected intuitiveness to satisfy the Ferraristi for whom nothing but the sharpest, most fun & stimulatingly engaging driving experience will suffice.
The formula here is a familiar one, executed with Ferrari’s unmatched flavour of uniquely Italian panache – less weight, less insulation between the driver and the action, but of course with more power, more efficient aero downforce, and an enhanced dynamic envelope to match. From the outset, this more sporting nature is immediately evident in the 296 Speciale’s more aggressively expressive looks.
Viewed from the frontal angles, what immediately strikes you is the more pronounced front bumper housing a suspended wing-formed front splitter that integrates airflow more closely into the front undertray’s vortices. Centrally integrated with it is the 296 Speciale’s first aero party trick in the form of the Aero Damper, an evolution of Ferrari’s patented S-Duct evolved with know-how gained from the 296 Challenge. More directly angled than in previous versions, this channel suctions air from the front undertray before ducting it out behind the bonnet and over the car’s upper surfaces. In essence, it helps the undertray generate even more ground effect downforce while increasing the vortex generators’ efficiency. This results in the car being less pitch sensitive & more stable, whether when braking or accelerating in a straight line.
Triple louvred vents integrated into the top of each front wheel arch hint undeniably at more aero work beneath the skin. Lift up the 296 Speciale’s front bonnet, and it becomes immediately apparent what they do – beneath each set of louvres, a large duct vents excess air out of each wheel arch & blows it upwards, achieving the dual effects of further increasing downforce while negating undesirable lift pressure build-up that would compromise steering feel and overall agility especially when turning into faster corners.
Another point of note is the Aero Damper’s intelligent integration which smartly manages airflow without impinging on the Speciale’s frontal storage area. This should be music to the ears of those unimpressed by any number of other hardcore contemporaries that have chosen to sacrifice this underbonnet area entirely in the name of downforce. Even if you like to spend your weekends sharpening your track driving skills, this is a car that will happily accommodate your helmet, gloves and other paraphernalia without complaints from either itself or anyone you wish to bring along to share the experience.
New air intakes are also built into the side sills’ trailing edges, ducting a blown airflow effect into the rear wheel housings that is then channeled out the back to reduce drag via a better managed wake flow. From here, glance up around the 296 Speciale’s rear end and your eyes absolutely won’t miss the 296 Speciale’s most distinctive aerodynamic feature: those ‘Gamma’ tail side winglets. Developed from the FXX K Programme track hypercars’s signature ‘candelabri’ rear wings, their vertical & horizontal elements further reduce wake drag while increasing downforce respectively. Just as their track borne inspirations do, they also serve to make the active rear spoiler more effective, especially as it now deploys more quickly through a new intermediate position into the High Downforce mode during hard braking and cornering.
Even further below that, the rear diffuser’s venturi tunnels are further optimized with new undertray vortex generators to more effectively split airflow between central & side channels. Combined with the tail winglets’ upwash effect, this increases rear downforce while providing the most stable aerodynamic balance in all spoiler configurations. The nett result of all these detailed measures are a 20% increase in total downforce to 435 kg at 250 km/h with no drag increase – something that reportedly impressed Ferrari’s current design chief Flavio Manzoni.
Of course, a Speciale wouldn’t be special without increased power & reduced weight either, and in these regards the 296’s Tipo F163 120° twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid powertrain has been treated to further re-engineering too. Combined power output is now up to a staggering 880 hp, while the E-motor is now better synchronized with the 8-speed DCT to torque fill during gearshifts, leading to quicker & more engaging upshifts from 1st to 7th gear. Various lightweighting measures including a nitrided steel crankshaft and titanium con-rods borrowed from the F80 help cut overall engine weight by 9 kilos, further sharpening throttle response while supplying an impressive 15% of the 296 Speciale’s 60 kg overall mass reduction.
Look deeper into those front wheel arch ducts, and the uniquely enticing gleam of its lighter, stiffer titanium springs catches your eye. Coupled to the 296 GT3-derived Multimatic fixed-rate dampers, improved E-Differential, Side Slip Control 9.0, and ABS Evo system with a 6D sensor & dynamics estimator, it all adds up to 13% less roll with 4% better lateral acceleration over the 296 GTB – likely resulting in even more sharply engaging driving character without compromising on feel or stability.
Slipping into the 296 Speciale’s rather excellently supportive new bucket seats, you find yourself instantly ensconced in another great special series Ferrari cabin that puts its lighter, harder edged nature unashamedly on show – and ends up feeling even more special for it. Alcantara trim surfaces do their part in adding up to a 20 kg overall interior weight saving, along with those gorgeously denuded carbon fiber door panels that are a definite personal favourite. With the door handles beautifully sculpted into the panelling itself while integrating the speakers, here is a bold yet measured reminder that lightweight engineering can indeed look good when intelligent design is the order of the day.
Duty inclusive pricing starts from RM 4,288,000 for the Speciale & RM 4,888,000 for the Speciale A convertible respectively, before optional extras, registration and insurance. Production is reportedly sold out for this Prancing Horse’s run however; word on the street is that 25 confirmed Speciale orders have been allocated for Malaysia’s market, with the first customer cars expected to arrive on our shores by the end of next year.
