As I exit turn 6 of the legendary Pista di Fiorano, the nose of the Ferrari 296 Speciale points skyward, climbing the blind crest and crossing the bridge over the straight below. The car hits a cross-track rut, attempting to unsettle the Speciale, yet its mid-range acceleration is utterly, eye-blurringly violent. The savagery with which the Speciale delivers its power is brutal, even scary, for the first few laps as my brain tries to catch up to just how fast this new 296 is. In the blink of an eye, I’m hard on the brakes—really hard—as I steady the nose for the tight, right-hand turn seven and the run down through the gentle eight into the hairpin nine.
In my periphery at the point of turning into seven, I notice something a little alarming. Two thick black lines head straight off at the entry to seven and on into a concrete wall where they come to an abrupt end. They are a stark reminder of technology and development finally overpowering a test track that has faithfully served the Scuderia since 1972.
The Legacy of Fiorano
Entering the grounds of the Ferrari test circuit at Fiorano, not too far from Modena, is a momentous occasion regardless of the car you’re driving. Small, humble, kissed by the urban sprawl that now surrounds it, Fiorano is a place of myth and legend. Whether you love Ferrari or not, the history of this place, its origins, the very soul of why it exists is evident in every brick, every stretch of bitumen, every sign, and every building.
You walk past Enzo’s house—currently under renovation—toward the small pit facility and event center that sits adjacent to the track. If you hadn’t passed through the security gates as you entered, you could be sitting down for a coffee in any small Italian village; it really is that unassuming. The photos, though, the tiny snippets of history, point to the significance. Schumacher, Raikkonen, Massa, Alesi, Massa, Badoer, and Perez have all set lap records here in F1 development cars.
The iconic photo of Lewis Hamilton when he switched allegiance was taken here, keen to amplify a move he had wanted to make since he was a young man.
The 296 Speciale: A New Benchmark
That’s a fitting segue too, because the 296 Speciale is—ahem—very special indeed, just like the place of its birth. If you thought a Ferrari with less than eight cylinders was a pretender, think again. The 296, with its turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 combined with hybrid sorcery, sounds and drives exactly the way a Ferrari should. That is, blindingly fast with a soundtrack to match. At speed, as it passes us halfway down the main straight, the sound wash is that of a jet taking off. If there’s a more composed RWD supercar at this level, I haven’t driven it, such is the way in which the Speciale uses its prodigious power. The 296 was already a sensational car to drive, and the Speciale raises that heady bar. Special by name, and special by nature.
The hybrid V6 powertrain combines to deliver a formidable 648kW (880hp in the old money), with a 20 percent increase in downforce over the standard 296 GTB, and weight reduced to a svelte 1410kg (dry).
The Speciale is 60kg lighter than the regular 296 GTB, and while the 0-100km/h figure is impressive enough, the 0-200km/h run takes just 7.0 seconds. These are serious numbers for a serious performance car.
Engineering Excellence
While the petrol engine will sing to a stratospheric 8500rpm, it’s the electric motor that really kicks things up, chiming in with 134kW and 315Nm of mid-range thunder, which is what really sends the 296 Speciale into a different realm. This is the most powerful powertrain ever in a rear-wheel-drive Ferrari, and it’s a fact that’s apparent every time you nail the accelerator pedal.
I ask Ferrari test driver, and my circuit guide for the track session, Fabrizio Toschi, how much development was undertaken on the track as opposed to the road. And, if you think we have the best jobs in the world at Wheels, I present Exhibit A, your Honour, a Ferrari test driver. Back to Fabrizio. “I would say 60 percent road, maybe 70 percent,” Fabrizio explains. “The track part is easy. It’s the road that is harder to account for.” His explanation makes sense; this is a street car after all. And, as we find out after our track drive—and a sensational lunch at the factory, of course—the 296 Speciale is quite the road car, too.
On the Open Road
The road drive is a stunner, leaving the factory and heading out into the hills surrounding Modena, a 200km loop that I wish would never end. The track cars we drive have non-adjustable suspension; the road cars get the optional dynamic suspension and lift kit, which is not available with the track package. You’ll want that option if you’re driving the 296 Speciale on our poor excuse for a road network.
Out of the confines of the test track, the Speciale is a glorious cruiser, comfortable, with solid visibility, and the ability to cruise through the countryside like you’re behind the wheel of a Fiat Panda if you so wish. It’s as easy as it is monstrous, as quiet as it is outrageous; not a car for shrinking violets, but capable of acting like one itself.
The steering, brakes, ride quality, and gearbox are all sensational whether you’re working them hard on a twisty mountain run or gliding through traffic at walking pace. Every drive brings with it a sense of occasion, a sense of just how brilliant this car is. I’ll have mine in Verde Nurburgring, thank you.
Valentino Rossi, fresh from one of his momentous victories, once famously exclaimed in a press conference, “after a race like this, in Italian we say ‘mamma mia’.” It’s a fitting way to describe any drive in the 296 Speciale—mamma mia indeed.
The Future of Ferrari
Ferrari faces an intriguing future, dragged into an electric world, with a fan base wanting anything but. According to the legendary Italian manufacturer, the 296 Speciale is anything but a swansong, with plenty more internal combustion genius to come. We’ve written this before in Wheels, and it’s worth revisiting here again. We should be thankful that this car, in this form, with the performance capability, exists.
