SPIECIALE

Ferrari has taken its 296 and added some extra spice. The result takes it to a level its competition can't handle

- WORDS JASON BARLOW

The world is governed by algorithms. But is it possible to determine driving pleasure empirically? Ferrari, not always the epicentre of rational thought, says that it is. The 296 Speciale – priced from £359,779 – has been developed according to strict metrics, the primary focus of which is lateral and longitudinal acceleration, gear shifting, braking performance, and the soundtrack. Get these right and sheer driving satisfaction should follow. Like Coca-Cola, though, the exact recipe remains secret.

The Speciale – dusting down a name previously used on the epochal 458 Speciale, Ferrari’s last nat asp V8 – is not a car into which you just jump and hit the go button. Not least because there are so many buttons inside it takes time to figure out which does what. There’s also a surfeit of power, 868bhp all told, fired exclusively through the rear wheels. And those are wrapped in bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. Aren't they generally a bit temperature sensitive?

So what you want is a lovely warm day. Instead, a leaden sky is disgorging globules of water that are bouncing off the surface in a way that’s semaphoring the word ‘aquaplane’. Having figured out how to operate the wipers, I can tell you that right now is no place for a mid-engined 868bhp Italian supercar. We press on.

Despite assurances that the Cup 2s (305/35 ZR 20s on the rear) really are versatile, easy does it. The 'bumpy road' and 'wet' setting on the manettino are fully engaged; the hero to zero margin is wafer thin today. But the surprises arrive swiftly, and you'd swear there's toasty tarmac under the wheels. Ferrari's mastery of the hardware is a given these days, but its software guys are geniuses, too. The car doesn't blink, even when I mash the throttle pedal. It just warps forward with barely a shimmy, conjuring traction where none should really exist.