Web chatter lately has prophesized that electrification will spell the tip of the right, blue-blooded supercar. That downsized engines, complicated driver help software program, and, worst of all, electrical motors will create an irreconcilable disconnect between street and driver. Scroll by on-line automotive boards, and also you’ll stroll away with the impression that the times of the frantic, loud, high-revving supercar are over.
Besides that, in actuality, the other is true. The doomers fail to grasp that, if included appropriately, electrification supplies supercar makers with larger flexibility. Virtually all over the place you look, be it Lamborghini introducing a V12 for the Revuelto or Bugatti growing a brand-new V16 for the Tourbillon, mixing in electrons has created a return to type of kinds for the fashionable supercar, a concentrate on producing powertrains that aren’t simply potent, however thrilling. It’s how we get automobiles just like the Ferrari 296 GTS.
This isn’t to say that discovering a stability between electrical propulsion and inside combustion is simple. A lot of the GTS’s success will be straight attributed to the teachings realized constructing the SF90 Stradale. Incorporating a twin-turbo V8 with three electrical motors to create a plug-in hybrid hypercar is a herculean process. As such, the 296 GTS deviates in its method, streamlining Maranello’s hybrid components.
At its core sits a brand new 120-degree 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6, an engine configuration by no means earlier than seen in a collection manufacturing Ferrari, sorry, Dino. The ample house between its banks creates a really perfect dwelling for its two single-scroll turbochargers. Twin snails smaller than the F8 Tributo’s however constructed of more durable alloys to face up to elevated increase strain. The identical is true of the block itself, which Ferrari deemed essential to make sure long-term reliability.
The GTS’s redesigned deck lid supplies solely glimpses of the engine Ferrari engineers name the “piccolo V12” or “little V12” on the depend of its firing order, mimicking the be aware of a correct twelve-cylinder lump. Look in, and also you’ll spot it recessed deep into the chassis, a feat made attainable by downsized, particular person consumption plenums built-in into every cylinder head. These, paired with shortened turbo piping, restrict the gap incoming and exiting air should journey, as does a extra direct exhaust system. The result’s a V6 that’s 66 kilos lighter than the V8 it replaces whereas nonetheless producing 654 horsepower by itself.
Engineers trimmed weight off the engine to preemptively counteract the good points related to including an axial flux electrical motor and the 7.45-kilowatt-hour battery pack that powers it. Whereas the field of cells lives within the 296’s flooring behind its seats, the remainder of the hybrid system nestles into the bell housing of its eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Just like the SF90, the Ferrari 296 GTS can journey on electrical energy alone. With its electrical motor producing 165 hp and as much as 232 pound-feet of torque, it’ll cowl as much as 16 miles at speeds as much as 84 mph.
Hearth up its V6, and also you’ll have entry to a mixed output of 818 horsepower and 546 pound-feet of torque, all of which fits completely to its rear wheels. Flat out, the Ferrari 296 GTS sprints to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds, matching the GTB’s time. Solely if you take a look at its run to 124 mph does the GTS fall behind by 0.3 seconds, finishing the run in 7.6. Maintain your foot in it, and also you’ll surpass 205 mph.
Though spectacular, these figures alone fail to convey what makes the 296 such a particular machine. Let’s revisit its V6 for a second as a result of it isn’t just a few closely turbocharged lump that banks on producing tons of low-end torque. It spins as much as 8,500 rpm, making most of its energy on the higher finish of its rev vary. Due to its intently spaced gears, it’s straightforward to remain on this Goldilocks zone with its engine howling, producing high-pitched, buzzing notes.
Whereas Hybrid and Efficiency drive modes will route some engine energy to cost the 296’s battery pack, the highest Qualifying setting drains it to briefly ship most efficiency. Absolutely unleashing an 818-hp Ferrari ought to require some bravery; it’s one thing you must must work as much as, however that’s not the case with the GTS.
As you join corners, urgent its accelerator additional, an invisible hand of finely tuned stability software program ensures that large output meets the street in a predictable and manageable approach. Coupled with a torque-filling electrical motor that creates an virtually completely linear energy curve, hustling the 296 is way simpler than anticipated.
At the same time as you dial again stability management and start to induce the occasional slide exiting a bend, once more, the Ferrari 296 GTS responds predictably. It makes you are feeling just like the superhero you aren’t with out totally taking up. Dive into the subsequent nook, and its entrance finish turns immediately with out hesitation or disagreement from its entrance tires. Due to its adaptive Multimatic shocks and a fast steering rack, the GTS feels agile and responsive, transmitting loads of suggestions by its chassis and steering.
In typical Ferrari trend, the 296’s steering is mild however exact. It makes you need to grip its leather-based and carbon-fiber trimmed steering wheel together with your fingertips, as even delicate inputs end in vital course adjustments. Equally, its carbon-ceramic brakes, with 15.6-inch rotors up entrance and a 14.1-inch set out again, reward cautious modulation. A stable preliminary chew additional instills confidence that concurrently is simple to use at slower speeds round city.
Crucially for the GTS, nothing separates it from the GTB on a twisty street. It’s simply as fast, balanced, and responsive as its hard-top counterpart regardless of lugging round an additional 220 kilos. Though Ferrari touts a 3,395-lb dry weight determine for the GTS, it’s achieved with the lightest configuration attainable, together with skinny carbon seats and composite wheels. Count on a automobile with fluids and a extra comfort-oriented configuration to weigh considerably greater than that quoted determine.
For as fast and highly effective because the Ferrari 296 GTS is, it’s a comparatively small machine. In comparison with the F8 Tributo, its plug-in successor is 2 inches shorter, an inch narrower, and an inch decrease. Alongside a downsized footprint, it sports activities a much less fussy styling with easy, elegant traces that draw clear inspiration from Prancing Horses of the 60s. You gained’t discover any brash aero bits both, with the 296 sporting solely a small energetic spoiler nestled into its rear bumper.
As an alternative, the GTS counts on delicate ducts, such because the inlets positioned slightly below its headlights to chill its brakes. As such, it might concentrate on routing cool air over its physique to chill its engine and generate downforce whereas directing scorching air to its sculpted undertray. Outfitted with the optionally available Assetto Fiorano bundle, it’ll generate as much as 794 lb of downforce at 155 mph or 574 lb with out it.
Stepping in, the Ferrari 296 GTS feels spacious, primarily as a result of it lacks a standard heart console. As such, you’ll discover loads of head and legroom accommodating even the tallest amongst us. Though supercars aren’t essentially identified for sporting cabins manufactured from the perfect supplies, the 296 is roofed in them.
A mix of uncovered carbon fiber, black, and Sabbia leather-based adorns this tester’s inside, contrasting its Blu Corsa paint. Virtually all the things you work together with feels as costly as it’s, and regardless of its haptic feedback-based infotainment remaining a degree of frustration, it’s elegantly laid out nonetheless.
Regardless of that includes a folding roof, which stows in 14 seconds at speeds of as much as 28 mph, the GTS’s cabin isn’t significantly noisy at freeway speeds. With Apple CarPlay outfitted and its stereo turned up, the 296 simply doubles as a reliable grand-tourer, a aspect of its persona supported by its compliant suspension. This stage of efficiency, type, and flexibility does come at a value, nonetheless. Though Ferrari doesn’t share precise figures, the GTS begins at round $400,000. This tester and its optionally available extras bump that determine to $500,538.
The doomers are proper about one factor. Supercars and the broader automotive trade will solely change into extra complicated over time. What they’re fallacious about, nonetheless, is that embracing expertise, significantly electrification, will finally diminish what makes a Prancing Horse, or some other unique, interesting within the first place.
The Ferrari 296 GTS is a really complicated machine. It has an inside combustion engine, an electrical motor, a battery pack, and a folding roof. But concurrently, by prioritizing the driving expertise, it makes use of its many techniques to create a way of pleasure. It could have taken Ferrari a second go to dial in its hybrid components, however this second act is nothing in need of a masterpiece. One which’s greatest loved with the highest down.
