When Ferrari says ‘speciale’, it MEANS special

Ferrari has unveiled its latest special series models, the 296 Speciale and 296 Speciale A.

They have more power, more downforce and weight savings learnt from the Italian “prancing stallion” marque’s race teams.

And, of course, they are beautiful.

The cars both have a hybrid powertrain that has a combined output of 647kw (880 horsepower). The 296 Speciale A is agile and responsive, with a rear-mid 3-litre, 120 degree V6 twin turbo engine and an electric motor, a short wheelbase and innovative dynamic control systems.

A Ferrari spokesperson says the drivetrain delivers that combined power output of 880hp, 50 more than the 296 GTS and a record for a rear-wheel-drive production Ferrari.

The spokesperson explains: “To make these results possible, Ferrari drew extensively from its experience in motor sports. The internal combustion engine borrows from the powerplant of the 296 Challenge in terms of engine management maps and boost strategy, and boasts titanium connecting rods, reinforced pistons and a lightened crankshaft. All these elements, together with a knock control system derived from Formula 1, have raised the power output of the V6 to 514kw (700hp) — 27kw (37hp) more than the model this special version is based on.”

And the sound? It comes from “the pure harmonics of the 3rd, 6th and 9th combustion orders”, explains the spokesperson.

The electric motor has also been uprated, to deliver 132kw (180hp) in its new “extra boost mode”.

The eight-speed dual clutch transmission makes use of additional torque during shifts to shorten shift times.

296 SPECIALE

Agility, turn-in responsiveness and stability. The terms used in describing the Ferrari 296 Speciale tell its story on the road. And this car of previous great berlinettas — the Challenge Stradale, 430 Scuderia, 458 Speciale and 488 Pista (to put it in a top five). It sits in a lineage.

The engineering design team focused on weight saving, and shaved 9kg off the engine’s castings, con rod and piston assemblies and engine studs, by learning from Ferraris’ racing experience.

The Ferrari spokesperson says: “Employing the same approach used for the engine of the 499P, which won the 2023 and 2024 editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, both the engine block and crankcase were machined to trim excess metal, offering a weight saving of 1.2kg over previous iterations of this engine.

“An additional 1.9kg has been saved by introducing titanium fastener screws and stud bolts for the cylinder blocks and cylinder heads.

“This is a solution usually reserved for race engines and debuts here for the first time ever in a road-going application.”

At the same time, they increased combustion pressure by seven per cent, compared with the 296 GTB’s engine.

296 SPECIALE A

The convertible 296 Speciale A has a retractable hardtop.

The car generates 435kg of downforce at 250km/h with the roof up, partly thanks to the aero damper built into the front bonnet and the vertical fins on the rear bumper which incorporate new side wings.

Overall weight has been reduced by 50kg compared with the 296 GTS, by using carbon fibre for some body parts and titanium for engine components in the engine.