Slim. Fast

Meet the lighter, quicker 296 Speciale... guaranteed to give driving satisfaction

- TOM FORD

NO ONE, AFTER DRIVING FERRARI'S 818bhp 296 GTB hybrid, comes away saying, “What that needs is a bit less weight and a bit more power.” Not a single person. Except, it seems, Ferrari engineers. Because the new Ferrari 296 Speciale has dropped 60kg and increased horsepower to 880bhp. OK, so they're relatively modest increases on what was an already very powerful 'baby' Ferrari, but probably more pertinent is the fact that Ferrari is talking about the Speciale being more fun – and intense – to drive.

The horsepower uplift is largely inconsequential for a turbocharged hybrid, 37bhp soothed from the engine via different boost strategies for the turbos – inspired by the 296 Challenge car's mapping – and a whole host of forged pistons and titanium crankshafts. The electric motor sandwiched between the 3.0 V6 and the 8spd gearbox is now rated at 180bhp, giving that 880bhp total, a modest 50bhp more than the GTB, but that's a motor that now provides a little torque boost to the box for faster and more 'emotional' shifts.