Ferrari have unwrapped higher performance version of their "mainline" mid-engine sports coupe and convertible - the 296 Speciale and 296 Speciale A.
It has been a while since previous "special" mid engine Ferrari - 488 Pista. 7 years to be exact. It took 5 to go from 458 Speciale to 488 Pista and 2 extra years this time can be explained by the unexplained omission of special version for Ferrari F8. Maybe Ferrari viewed F8 more of an evolution or, dare I say it, a "refresh" of the 488 - the similarities between the two are both visual and substantial.
296 GTB was far bigger departure, at least as big as going from naturally aspirated 458 to twin-turbo 488, and it was not surprising that Ferrari had extra performance ready to be extracted from the radically new hybrid powertrain.
The 296 Speciale is stronger in both combustion and electrical side - V6 twin turbo now produces 37 extra horsepower and electric drive adds another 13. Peak torque is up 15 Newton meters. Independent tests of base 296 GTB however reveal much higher torque numbers than officially advertised, presumably because Ferrari only report torque of combustion engine, not the total system torque.
Regardless, Speciale will have stronger propulsion throughout the RPM range and this will be further augmented by reduced weight - Ferrari claim 60 kg weight savings.
Speciale is also visibly more "aerodynamic" with FXX-K style rear winglets and more aggressive side skirts, splitter and diffuser. It produces 435 kg of downforce at 250 kph - 20% more than base model. Ferrari did not publish 250 kph downforce for 296 GTB but I did take liberty to calculate it and add it to the GTB page, based on the advertised 20% delta.
435 kg at 250 kph puts Speciale in decent company - between Koenigsegg Regera (450 kg) and AMG GT Black Series (400 kg). Ferrari SF90 is lower (390 kg), while titans like Ferrari F80 and McLaren W1 are said to produce eyebrow rising 1000 kg - not too far off from ability to drive upside down. These cars will become very popular in Australia I am sure.
The open top version 296 Speciale A has received the same mechanical and visual upgrades as coupe. Although 296 is not advertised to be fully carbon fibre built car, its body shell is very rigid, compared to open top supercars from decades prior, and performance degradation is likely to be minimal.
296 GTB was received as excellent performer and exceeded most expectations. Speciale is faster still but will also face tougher competition - Lamborghini now have a 920 horsepower base model and Corvette ZR1 is even more powerful and no less aggressive aerodynamically in its "ZTK" form.
The list of not-yet-properly-tested supercars has grown painfully long. Second half of 2025 seems to be backloaded with lots of exciting magazine "super tests" and eventual "crystallization" of the new performance hierarchy in this transitional era from internal combustion to full electrics.
Who knows, this may be the last "Speciale" with internal combustion engine, given that it will be at least 5 years before we see the next one.
