Ferrari Makes the 296 GTB Even Sportier With the New Speciale Variant

Ferrari‘s latest car wants to be the most fun you can have in a new Prancing Horse.

The marque just unveiled a new variant of its 296 GTB on Tuesday. The 296 Speciale has improved aerodynamics for 20 percent more downforce, 50 more hp than the 296 GTB, and a lighter overall weight. The twin-turbo V-6 engine combines with an electric motor to make 880 hp total, which Ferrari says is a rear-wheel-drive record for the marque.

The new 296 Speciale is based on things Ferrari learned in making the 296 Challenge, a race car version of the 296 GTB that came out last year. From that car, the marque says it improved engine management maps, and also added titanium connecting rods, a lighter crankshaft, and better pistons. Technology Ferrari picked up in Formula 1 also contributed, combining to coax an extra 36 hp out of the twin-turbo V-6.

Further, lessons in downforce in the 296 Challenge improved the aerodynamics. The active rear spoiler, for example, is able to move between low- and high-drag modes more quickly, and there is a new medium-drag mode, too, which helps push the car down to the track at higher speeds.

With weight, Ferrari says the new 296 Speciale is 132 pounds lighter than the 296 GTB, primarily by using more carbon fiber in the body and titanium in the engine. The 296 Speciale rides five millimeters lower than the 296 GTB, which the finest drivers will be able to appreciate at the limit.

The overall package is in the lineage of past Ferraris like the 430 Scuderia, 488 Pista, and the 458 Speciale, the latter car considered one of the best Ferraris of the last 20 years.

Ferrari says the new 296 Speciale, “represents the new pinnacle for the Ferrari production range in terms of driving fun,” which is its way of saying that the hybrid supercar is mostly meant for the track and spirited road driving. It is not meant, in other words, merely to be looked at, even though, like almost every Ferrari, it is a looker.

The marque did not mention North American pricing for the 296 Speciale, but Car and Driver thinks it’ll land at around half a million dollars, which is a significant premium over the $318,000 that the 296 GTB was priced at when it first went on sale in 2022. The 296 Speciale is also completely sold out, with buyers already having been identified by Ferrari, all of whom are prior Prancing Horse customers. If you’re interested, you’ll likely be forced to find one on the secondary market in a couple of years—after, hopefully, the original owner had some fun.

Click here for more photos of the Ferrari 296 Speciale.

Credit: robbreport.com