00:00I am in Marinello, Italy at Ferrari headquarters at the Ferrari Test Track, as a matter of fact, with the 296 Speciale, the new special edition of the mid-engine hybrid Ferrari 296,
00:28based on the GTB, but with more power, 868 horsepower and 557 pound-feet of torque, a tighter suspension, but more importantly, this car is designed to give a more intense driving experience, more noise, more feeling, more Ferrari.
00:47Now, there are styling differences, but they're not just intended to differentiate the car visually. They're actually functional.
00:52Take this new front end. This opening here is meant to draw air under the car, which then comes out through these vents up over the windshield, part of an effort to increase downforce 35% compared to the 296 GTB.
01:0570% of that downforce is concentrated at the front of the car.
01:08You've got the three openings in the hood here, better air ducting around new skirting, and this is one of the coolest parts, is these wraparound kind of spoilerettes.
01:18Now, this vertical section is drawn from the F80, and it's designed to set the car up for better aerodynamics through the way that the wake is managed.
01:25But the horizontal component up here not only increases downforce, but works with the pop-up spoiler, which works similar to the one on the 296 GTB, except this has a third position, somewhere between maximum downforce and minimum drag.
01:41Inside, well, you've got these lightweight bucket seats, which are part of an effort to reduce the weight of the car by over 130 pounds compared to the GTB.
01:49You now have buttons instead of touchpads on the steering wheel, and, of course, a lot more carbon fiber.
01:55But what's really neat and what really differentiates the car, which, unfortunately, you can't see, but you have to hear, is the sound, the more intense sound.
02:02They've actually added two resonators to the 3.0-liter V6, so you really get an intense, intense auditory experience when you drive this car.
02:11So here we go.
02:20This is our warm-up lap.
02:21Now, the main difference between this and the GTB is this car is designed to be more intense, so they cranked up the handling, but they also cranked up the noise with more resonators, so you can hear more of that wide-angle V6.
02:38And they re-tune the shifts, which is a really cool thing, so you get a little kick from the hybrid system when you change gears, when you change up.
02:51And it really does transform the experience.
02:54Hard on the brakes.
02:55And they re-tune the braking system, the anti-lock braking system, so you can go deeper into the corners.
03:07Real short travel brake pedal.
03:11I love that.
03:12I love that very mechanical feel of the brakes.
03:14Oh, we are hauling the mail now.
03:18Now, we have the car in the race mode.
03:20Oh, my gosh, I'm sweating, and I turned in too soon.
03:22In race mode, the car really gives you a lot of feel, but will protect you from yourself.
03:30You can also go into a mode called CT off, where it'll let you get a little power-on oversteer, which I managed to turn into a power-on spin on my last lap.
03:42Whoa!
03:46So I'm leaving that off for now.
03:48And then, of course, there's stability control off, but I'm not brave enough for that.
03:54Here we go down the straight.
03:57Oh, my God, this is fast.
03:59260 kilometers an hour.
04:03Breaking a little late there, but oh, my goodness.
04:06Oh, I've forgotten the gear of it.
04:07There we go.
04:07This is just amazing.
04:13And this is a Ferrari for Ferrari collectors.
04:17For people who know the cars and know what they're like and just want the absolute intense Ferrari driving experience.
04:26What a car.
04:28And you may say to yourself, is it really worth it spending all the billions of dollars that it costs to buy and keep one of these cars?
04:36Yes.
04:38Absolutely.
04:38So far, I wanted this to be a car that owners would actually drive and not just leave in the garage with their 19 other cars.
04:56And, you know, that's a tall order when you have something that is as intense as the Speciale is.
05:04But, you know, these shell seats, even though they're a little narrow and hard, they're actually quite comfortable.
05:08The ride is very tolerable.
05:10But there is a lot of noise.
05:14Glorious noise, though.
05:15Not just the engine.
05:16You can hear road noise.
05:17You can hear pebbles plinking off the bottom of the car.
05:19You can hear the turbo blow-off valves, which kind of have a neat chirping sound to them.
05:23Oh, I've forgotten this car has a gear shift.
05:27I'm just going to leave it in a second all day long.
05:29And the turn-in, oh, this thing is just brilliant on these curves.
05:33Light fingers and just so sharp and so responsive.
05:39It's an intense experience, but it's not an overwhelming experience.
05:46Ferrari really hit the mark.
05:47Here's a car that thrills you on the track, thrills you on the road.
05:51And here I am, on curvy roads, in Italy, driving a Ferrari.
05:59If it all ends tomorrow, I'm going to die a very, very happy man.
06:07What an amazing car.
06:10What an amazing life.
06:12For more about the 296 Special, all things Ferrari and all things automotive,
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