Ferrari’s special series mid-engined supercars have always been rather enticing things in their own right, characterised by each generation’s unique distinctiveness – from the almost directly race car derived Challenge Stradale and gloriously raw, gritty 430 Scuderia that benefitted from Michael Schumacher’s development input, to the 458 Speciale melding its soulfully pure 9000 rpm V8 soundtrack with a scalpel-honed, precise chassis balance, and 488 Pista which channeled its competition relatives’ turbocharged power and motorsport driven technology. Now the 296 Speciale has been conceived to set entirely new benchmarks of driving thrills and engagement in the supercar segment.
Its illustrious forebears have left big footprints for the 296 Speciale to fill indeed, yet Ferrari are convinced it’s up to the task with enhanced aerodynamics, more power, reduced weight, and even more astonishing handling agility tempered with a sense of intuitive predictability and stability, making it usable for even the most hardcore Ferrarista as they go in search of those inimitably thrilling driving sensations. For the record, it now makes almost 900 hp, hits 200 km/h from rest in a claimed 7 seconds, reaches a purported 330 km/h all out, and reportedly laps Fiorano 0.7 seconds quicker than the LaFerrari hypercar.
There can be no denying that this is a good looking car, building on the 296 GTB’s 250 LM and 246 Dino inspired aesthetics with all the added visual sporting dynamism that can be expected of a special series Ferrari. It’s not just for looks either, with significant work having gone into improving the aerodynamics while showcasing the technically functional forms in close cooperation with the Ferrari Centro Stile led by Flavio Manzoni.
Its front end is more noticeably aggressive and expressive, featuring an ‘aero damper’ derived from the 296 Challenge that essentially ducts airflow from the front undertray to the front bonnet and upper surfaces, increasing the undertray’s maximum downforce generation while helping the vortex generators work more efficiently. This makes it less pitch sensitive even with variations in ride height during straight line acceleration, preventing undesirable aerodynamic instability.
A suspended wing-shaped front splitter element visually widens the car’s stance at the front while integrating airflow more closely with the front undertray’s vortices. On both sides of the splitter, three lateral slits enable greater venting of hot air from the front radiators. These are visually and functionally echoed with triple louvres integrated into the top of each front fender, serving to negate excessive wheelarch air pressure build-up that would compromise steering feel and agility on corner turn-in while also improving downforce.
The side sills’ trailing edges feature new air intakes that duct air for a blown effect into the rear wheel housings, cleaning up the airflow in areas that are particularly crucial for wake management while also giving the 296 Speciale greater lateral visual dynamism. Round the back, its most instantly recognisable feature is the set of FXX K-style winglets sprouting up on either side of the tail. They’re more integrated here than on Ferrari’s iconic extreme track hypercar, curving geometrically around the 296 Speciale’s rear corners to increase downforce while minimising wake drag. The winglets also help improve the active spoiler’s efficiency, featuring an improved actuator management strategy that extends it more quickly into the High Downforce angle, while integrating a new Medium Downforce mode for better rear stability at speed.
Further down, the rear diffuser has been significantly widened to increase rear airflow expansion and enable the three extractor venturis to work at maximum potential even with the active spoiler in Low Drag mode. The undertray’s vertical vortex generators optimally split airflow between the center and lateral venturis, working with the side winglets’ upwash to both increase rear downforce and ensure the right aerodynamic balance in all spoiler configurations. The diffuser’s more prominent central section also visually compliments the cleaner, more technically formed exhaust tailpipe surround inspired by that of the F80. Total peak downforce production is 435 kg at 250 km/h, 20% more than the 296 GTB.
A significantly upgraded version of the standard GTB’s Tipo F163 120-degree 3 liter V6 also powers the 296 Speciale, boosted by twin turbochargers mounted between the cylinder banks in a ‘hot-V’ configuration for the best throttle response. Its output has been increased to 700 hp, thanks mainly to a 7% uptick in combustion chamber pressure and new boost management strategy. To help it cope with the increased pressures, it gets stronger pistons along with the F80 hypercar’s connecting rods.
Ferrari has also paid great attention to reducing the engine’s weight by 9 kg, accounting for 15% of the 296 Speciale’s total weight reduction. Drawn extensively from the marque’s racing experience, these measures included machining excess metal from both the block and crankcase to save 1.2 kg, and turbochargers lightened by another 1.2 kg. A lighter nitrided steel crankshaft joins the 35% lighter titanium F80 con-rods to make up a rotating assembly that altogether boasts 2.2 kg less mass, for quicker throttle response. In a technological breakthrough for road cars, another 1.9 kg has been saved by using race-type titanium fastener screws and stud bolts for the blocks and heads. The 296 GTB’s acoustic ducts have also been doubled up for the Speciale, channeling even more of the engine’s soundtrack into the cabin while fully expressing its mid to high frequency aural harmonics.
The MGU-K electric motor mounted between the engine and 8-speed dual-clutch transmission also supplies greater outputs thanks to an improved cooling strategy: it now produces 180 hp, for a total combined system output of 880 hp. Most of the additional grunt plus 232 ib-ft of peak electrical torque are delivered between engine speeds of 6000 and 8500 rpm in the Speciale’s new extra boost mode with the eMannetino set to Qualifying. This boost setting also has the ability to deploy electrical power to slingshot the car out of corner exits, strategically doing so at the most beneficial sections of any given racetrack while monitoring the system’s thermal limits to ensure it can sustain enough accelerative bursts over a full lap. It can be used 14 times over 2 laps of Fiorano for example, while being able to provide 15 boost bursts throughout a single lap of Mugello. In concert with the 296 Speciale’s more immediate and engaging character, the 8-speed DCT features a quicker upshift calibration for 1st to 7th gears, while the hybrid system also improves driver engagement by torque filling to further reduce the slight acceleration difference during every gearshift, resulting in a more emotive and immediate gearchange.
Ensuring that the 296 Speciale has the handling dynamics to match its increased power and downforce, its chassis has been reworked comprehensively in both mechanical and electronic terms. A dedicated set of Multimatic suspension dampers adopted from the 293 GT3 race car incorporates stiffer lightweight titanium springs and optimised linkage geometries, giving 13% less roll with improved camber control. Teaming up with an already impressive array of digital chassis assistants including the E-Diff and Side Slip Control 9.0, the ABS Evo system now includes a ‘6D’ sensor and dynamics estimator to ultra-precisely detect the car’s effective speed and ideally tailor each wheel’s applied braking force according to various grip levels, ensuring consistent braking performance and traction throughout varying surface conditions. Really clever stuff.
As with all special series Ferraris, the cabin has been pared back in the interest of saving weight, as well as focusing both driver and passenger more fully on the driving. The seats are carbon fiber-shelled with strategically attached padding, the center console is fully formed from the same lightweight composite, and the floors are bare aluminium. Specific inner door panels are beautifully sculpted from single pieces of carbon fiber, adding to the racy atmosphere with their exposed fasteners and hi-fi speaker holes cut directly through them just ahead of the gorgeously integrated grab handles. Tifosi who weren’t in favor of the previous fiddly haptic steering wheel controls for media & navigation can rejoice – these have now been replaced with physical buttons as on the F80, even if they could have been better executed in finishing terms.
Launched alongside the €407,000 296 Speciale, the Speciale A spider hardtop convertible will be priced from €462,000 and boast the same 435 kg of downforce. Its aerodynamics have been particularly honed to minimize interior buffeting when the roof is retracted, with seat headrest flaps that channel airflow over the rear tonneau cover. Word is that the 296 Speciale will be offered with greater availability than previous Ferrari limited editions: apparently one simply needs to be a Ferrari ‘active client’ who has purchased a new or pre-owned Prancing Horse via their official channels within the past 5 years to qualify for an allocation. Production will be limited by time rather than production volume, with fewer Speciale As to be produced and having ‘different qualification rules’ than the coupes according to Maranello. Only time will tell if this latest special series Cavallino Rampante can truly live up to its talented predecessors’ great legacy.
