Ferrari has just launched their first V6 production car since 1974, and also their second plug-in hybrid vehicle. It’s called the 296 GTB., and it is a replacement for the new F8 Tributo. Hang on a minute, that doesn’t make any sense at all does it? The Ferrari F8 Tributo is the new Ferrari supercar that replaces the 488 GTB, which was only launched two years ago. When it comes to these Ferrari flagship mid-engined supercars, there is usually a five-year gap between each model. For example, the Ferrari 360 was launched in 1999 and was replaced in 2004 by the F430.
The F8 was launched in 2019, and it will be replaced in 2022. Meaning its lifespan is two years less than its predecessors, being just three years. However, Ferrari is in the process of completely redesigning their lineup therefore, the new 296 GTB will be the entry-level Ferrari supercar that rivals the McLaren Artura or Maserati MC20. If you want a mid-engined V8 Ferrari supercar now, you have to spend more and get the SF90.
The 296 GTB has been expected for a few years now. It was around 2019 or 2020 when Ferrari said they were making a V6 entry-level model which would rival the R8, the 570s, and the Porsche 911 Turbo S. We all thought that this would sit under the F8 Tributo but things have changed.
The cars Ferrari wanted to rival with their V6 supercar have changed massively. The new 992 Turbo S has 640hp, the new Mclaren Artura has 671hp and the new Maserati MC20 has 621hp. Furthermore, all of these cars are so much more expensive than their predecessors. Therefore, Ferrari has to push a hell of a lot harder if they want to keep up with these new rivals. Both the Roma and Portofino M are slower than these three cars, so a new car is needed.
The “entry-level” supercar market is very competitive and also very popular. Most new supercars nowadays come from this category. So how do you stand out in this niche then? Do you make your supercar more usable like Porsche? Make it great on the track like Mclaren? Make it a great value-for-money car like the C8 Corvette? Or do you make it look as jaw-dropping as the McLaren MC20? Well, Ferrari has decided to do something a little different. They have decided to give the new 296 GTB a lot more power in comparison to its rivals.
The 296 GTB has a lot of power. How much? Say 700? Nope. 750? Nope. It has 819hp which is absolutely incredible. The 3.0 twin-turbocharged V6 pushes out 645hp which is a record 218hp per liter. The electric motors push out 164hp, therefore, the combined horsepower total is 819hp, which is 109hp more than the F8 Tributo. The combined torque output is 546 lb-ft. With that much power, the 0-60 time must be something crazy. Could it be 2.6 seconds? Maybe even less? Well, that is where things get a little disappointing.
The new 296 GTB hits 60 in just 2.9 seconds which is fast, but it’s not all that for a car with 819hp. The 490hp C8 Corvette does a 0-60 in a similar time and the 640hp cheaper 992 911 Turbo S does a 0-60 time of 2.7 seconds. Flat out the 296 GTB will also do 205 mph which again is a little disappointing for a car with this much power.
How does this car stack up then? Well, let’s find out.
One Of The Smartest Ferrari’s Ever Created
Any supercar that is a plug-in hybrid is pretty smart. No doubts about that at all. The 296 GTB can run for 16 miles on fully electric mode with a top speed of 84 mph. It isn’t much, but for city driving, it does make sense and of course, the engine can charge the battery. Very similar then to the BMW I8, just smarter.
The engine is where the real intelligence is at. As mentioned, it is a twin-turbo V6. Maserati and McLaren both use a twin-turbo V6 and Porsche uses a twin-turbo Flat-6. Ferrari is in good company then, but their engine has a trick up its sleeve. It is a completely new engine, and the twin-turbocharges, which can spin up to 180,000 RPM, sit in between the cylinder banks. This makes the engine a whole lot more compact which reduces engine mass and allows it to be placed lower in the car which reduces the center of gravity. Furthermore, because the engine block’s wide-angle is 120 degrees, the turbocharges can sit in the center which reduces the distance to the combustion chamber. This makes things such as turbo intake so much more efficient thus making the car faster as a whole.
Ferrari engineers actually call this new V6 a “little V12” due to how it sounds and the power output. It revs up to 8500 rpm which is very similar to the V12 Ferrari 812 Superfast. Therefore, this little engine actually sounds very similar to a big V12 which in our eyes is a success because the Ferrari V12 sounds incredible. Call this a good compromise then.
Changing The Supercar Market Forever
The Ferrari 296 GTB is a very powerful car at 819hp. Regardless of whether it’s slower to 60 or so than other cars, it is more powerful. Ferrari has proved that hybrid technology is the way forwards with supercars. Previously, you would have needed many cylinders to get that sort of power. Now, it’s been achieved by a car with only six cylinders, two turbos, and an electric motor.
Supercars can now only become faster (and more expensive). Lamborghini is set to launch a few supercars in the next few years including an Aventador replacement. I just wonder how fast that would be considering the Ferrari SF90 flagship has over 1000hp. It was only 16 years ago, the million-dollar upwards Buggati Veyron came along, being the first production car with over 1000hp.
We all know that one day all supercars will be electric. It’s bound to happen in the next decade, and then they will be producing absolutely stupid figures. The electric motor is the way forwards if you want speed. The new 296 GT absolutely crushes the F8 when it comes to performance figures and all-around technology.
The F8 was sort of like an interim car between the 488 GTB and the new 296 GTB. In fact, Ferrari has changed its lineup so that the new 296 GTB is the entry-level supercar. Other cars like the Roma, 812, and Portofino are GT cruisers and the F90 Stradale is the flagship.
There are bound to be many faster supercars to challenge the 296 GTB. Maserati is working on an all-electric MC20 which should have a similar or even higher power output. Porsche could too and Aston Martin are in the works for a mid-engined hybrid V6 supercar.
Could this be the end of the glorious V8? Well, I think so with many supercar manufacturers turning to the new 6-cylinder twin-turbo hybrid setup in their cars. It is only a matter of time though that they all become electric.