Do not make the oversight of patronizing the Ferrari 296 GTS. I know it’s tempting, mainly because this $366,139 centerfold packs a V-6 hybrid setup instead than the 8- and 12-cylinder electricity plants that have manufactured Ferrari NV famed. There is a lot of pride and model identity designed into these interior combustion machines. “Ferrari doesn’t make autos, Ferrari can make engines,” as the expressing goes.
The lesser engine is not without the need of precedent. The enterprise produced highway-going V-6s in the 1970s, nevertheless it doesn’t understand individuals “Dino” models as formal, brand name-name Ferraris, even right now. It’s a lengthy story getting to do with Enzo Ferrari’s deceased son, nicknamed Dino, and some sort of bizarre machismo about how several cylinders belong in an engine ahead of it can be viewed as manly. (The designs were designed and created by Ferrari but marketed as a new, entry-level brand identified as Dino.)
Anyway. As Ferrari rolls towards its initial all-electric motor vehicle, arriving next calendar year, it helps make sense that it would also make a hybrid or two. The 296 GTS is the open up-air edition of the excellent Ferrari 296 GTB plug-in hybrid, which made its debut in 2021, following the LaFerrari moderate hybrid of 2013.
I drove the 296 GTS all-around South Beach and Miami’s Style District, around Rickenbacker Causeway, and out to Challenging Rock Stadium during the Components 1 Miami Grand Prix. It was a Ferrari-large weekend: The manufacturer was celebrating 70 several years of product sales in the US and experienced unveiled a wonderful new pair of 12-cylinder sporting activities vehicles. I tried using not to get much too distracted. Here’s what I thought.
The Essentials
The mid-motor, rear-wheel-generate two-seater combines 819 horsepower and 546 pound-toes of torque. It has seven miles of all-electric variety and 47 MPGe in combined gasoline and electrical driving. With a sleek 8-speed transmission and ultra-supple dealing with, it will get to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds and strike a best pace of 205 mph.
The Great
Arresting, uncanny attractiveness characterizes this spectacular Spider. I drove 1 in Blu Corsa, a decadent tone that accentuated its most seductive angles and highlighted its rear buttresses, worthy of a feature in Architectural Digest. This is one particular of the unusual convertibles that seems as excellent with the best up as it does with it down. (The roof folds down in 14 seconds, at speeds of up to 28 mph.) Either way, this Italian treat exists not in the realm of fashion but in the realm of design and style.
Possibly even more enjoyable, the 296 GTS is more quickly than almost anything else you can buy—but the way the dealing with, suspension and balance of the automobile handle that speed so elegantly is what can make driving it an unforgettable experience. The hybrid electric power plant excelled when I drove little by little as a result of pedestrian-significant Collins Avenue its all-electric method stored the motor vehicle blessedly silent so I wasn’t that individual with a screaming engine disturbing the joggers and cyclists as they appreciated the ocean vibes.
Cruising more than Miami’s many bridges and overpasses felt like a prospect to fly. That’s when the total electrical power of Ferrari’s exclusive motor created the auto soar. In all those exhilarating times, submitting to authorized velocity limits became my only concern.
The Bad
The inane infotainment system. The maddening setup offers a postage stamp of a haptic touchscreen on the steering wheel to control simple things such as the radio station. I had to rely on my passenger and their possess minimal dashboard-mounted management screen to change the local climate and audio and to sync my phone with the auto, which was virtually as intricate and annoying for them as it was for me. Anyone who’s tried using to explanation with the aged-world Italian mentality of time and get will get it. (An American who operates for an Italian enterprise the moment instructed me, “Italians are wonderful at producing straightforward points complex and elaborate issues easy.”) We adore them for it.
If you’ve received lengthy legs or massive feet or equally, you will come across the footbox fairly claustrophobic.
If You Don’t forget One Issue
There is a cause why Ferrari’s buy banking companies are comprehensive decades in advance, even when the typical cost of its cars is 4 periods larger than Porsche’s. The business sets the bar for attractive sports activities cars and trucks that are enjoyable to generate and that look amazing even when parked. The 296 GTS is one particular of them.
However unconvinced? Drive it all over for a working day and bask in the appreciative looks from your fellow motorists and in the sheer enjoyable of driving it, and just keep your mouth shut about what’s underneath the hood. Nobody requirements to know it is only a V-6.
