Speciale is Italian for “special”, but in Ferrari’s dictionary, special – unsurprisingly – just means faster. The nameplate dates back to the 1960s, but in modern times it’s really only ever used once on a production Ferrari – the 458 Speciale. Well, the special one is now back with the Ferrari 296 Speciale, with more power, more aero, and less weight, to make the mid-engine sports car even faster than before.
Does anyone really need more power than what the 296 GTB already offers? We’d argue no, but then again we also aren’t running a supercar business that has seen record sales and profits every year, so we assume the brasses in Ferrari’s boardroom probably know what they are doing with this. Anyway, we digress.
Ferrari has given the 296 Speciale improvements in almost every aspect of the car, starting with the engine. Increased boost pressure and improved boost management systems, alongside new reinforced pistons, titanium conrods, and lightened crankshaft helped raise the peak power of the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine to 700 hp and 755 Nm – 37 hp more than the standard 296, and is apparently class-leading in terms of power-to-displacement ratio at 234 hp/l.
It’s lighter too, with the “picollo V12” powertrain itself tipping the scales 6.5 kg lighter than the standard car. Together with uprated electric motors, the hybrid powertrain in the 296 Speciale now knocks out some 880 hp in total, 50 hp more than before.
It’s not a significant power bump all things considered, evident from the mild century sprint time gain of just 0.1 seconds – coming in at now 2.8 seconds (in coupe form). But Ferrari says the increased power from the hybrid powertrain has meant that its DCT gearbox can now shift faster using additional torque during gear changes, and the noise it makes is also now higher in “quality, intensity, and volume” – all to enhance driver engagement according to Maranello.
The driving feel and intensity is further aided by the 20% higher downforce (435 kg at 250 km/h). The aerodynamic upgrades are developed and tested on the 296 Challenge race car, and include unique touches like the “aero damper” integrated into the front bonnet, new vertical fins and side wings on the rear fascia that extends out of the rear wheel arches, and a reworked actuator control software for the active spoiler at the back that makes it deploy 50% faster than before.
Those are just the things you can see. Underneath, the Ferrari 296 Speciale also benefits from new claddings to direct more air to the diffuser, which now has a wider centre section; new underbody ducts providing extra cooling to the brakes, and even small scoops on the skirtings to help direct and smooth air flow around the wide rear wheels.
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The chassis has also been revamped with a suspension that’s 5 mm lower than before, with 15% stiffer springs and beefier anti-roll bars that has reduced the maximum roll angle when cornering by 13%. The latest-generation ABS EVO dynamics system featuring a new 6D sensor also help improve the Speciale’s braking precision and – more importantly – repeatability, given that it’s meant to be more track focused.
And to make sure that nobody mistakes this for a run-off-the-mill 296, it’s also embedded with a lot more carbon fibre, both inside and out, the former even including the entire door card. These, of course, also help further drop the 296 Speciale’s lower kerb weight.
The aforementioned door card also features simple holes drilled into the panel for the speakers, rather than using a separate grille for further weight savings. But for the full fat-loss regime that drops the car’s weight to just 1,410 kg dry (1,460 kg for the Spider), Ferrari expects you to be paying extra for the carbon bumpers, engine covers, and wheels (lightweight forged wheels are standard, though).
All in, Ferrari says the 296 Speciale can lap the Fiorano circuit in 1 minute and 19 seconds – 2.0 seconds quicker than the 296 GTB with the Fiorano package, and matching the time of the much more powerful (and expensive) SF90 Stradale. And consider the fact that this is still a road-legal car – they’ll even still sell you a spider version, called the 296 Speciale A. Yeah, okay fine, we get it.
Ferrari says that the Speciale won’t be a limited edition model, although it’ll only be sold in limited quantities each year, and you’ll have to be an existing Ferrari client to even be allowed to buy one. Good news, then, that pre-owned customers will be considered too.
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