- The 2026 Ferrari 296 Speciale arrives as a more special version of the Ferrari 296GTB.
- Along with increased power, Ferrari meticulously shaved weight and added downforce to create the Speciale.
- The new 296 is already sold out, and Ferrari hasn’t said how much the U.S. model will cost, but it will likely approach $500K.
When you visit Ferrari, it seems that you hear the word “passion” in every sentence. That’s because Ferraris must create an emotional response for a customer to fork over the price of a house for one of the company’s sexy Italian rolling rockets. It’s not about an objective analysis of dollars per horsepower or seconds of faster lap time. Moreover, Ferrari is masterful at creating a wide variety of cars—all of which are highly customizable—to provide owners with their own individual slivers of the Rosso Corsa high-performance experience. Part of the formula that makes this work is that the cars come in various versions. Ever since the Challenge Stradale debuted in 2003 as a hotted-up version of the 360 Modena, Ferrari fans have come to expect special editions of the mainstream mid-engine sports cars a few years after the models are introduced. That time has now arrived for the 296GTB.A More Special GTBThe 296 Speciale follows in its predecessors’ footsteps by offering genuine performance upgrades. For this new one, Ferrari engineers and designers have worked their magic on every aspect of the exotic sports car’s performance envelope.This is no easy task, as the standard 296GTB, with its 819-hp hybrid V-6 powertrain, is the quickest rear-drive car we’ve ever tested, one of the shortest stoppers, and no slouch in the cornering department either. It helped that the 296GTB we tested was enhanced with a variety of performance options, including a $42K Assetto Fiorano package that included various track-oriented features such as titanium suspension springs, Multimatic spool-valve dampers, and a 33-pound-lighter Lexan rear window. And we wouldn’t want to forget the $34K carbon-fiber wheels, which save 18 pounds of unsprung weight. It even had titanium lug bolts. The challenge for the new Speciale was to do even better.That required major improvements in all areas of the car, starting with the powertrain. A 3-psi increase in boost pressure for the 3.0-liter 120-degree V-6 raises peak power from 654 to 691 horsepower while bumping torque from 546 to 557 pound-feet. Seems easy, but the newly elevated combustion pressures required reinforced pistons and titanium con rods from the upcoming F80 hypercar. Along with a lighter crankshaft, these bits saved 4.8 pounds. The Speciale engine also uses a new F1-derived knock-control system that is claimed to do a better job of keeping combustion closer to the maximum without risking engine meltdown. The knock, by the way, is sensed using the ionization current used by the spark plugs rather than by knock sensors mounted on the engine.More weight was shaved—2.6 pounds from the block and heads—by machining off unnecessary material from the otherwise standard 296 castings. Titanium fasteners and cylinder-head mounting studs cut another 4.2 pounds. And the turbos shed 2.6 pounds by using more efficient insulation for the turbine housings. These turbos are otherwise similar to the ones on the 296GTB, with rpm sensors and a maximum speed of 180,000 revs. All told, the Speciale engine is 19.8 pounds lighter than the 296GTB version.The electric motor also gets a boost from 165 to 178 ponies with torque unchanged at 232 pound-feet. The extra power—available above 6500 rpm with the manettino set to “qualifying”—comes from improved motor cooling. All told, the combined output of the Speciale rises from 819 to 868 horsepower, while torque rises slightly from 546 to 557 pound-feet.The eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox from the 296 carries over to the Speciale, with shift times reduced by about a third. The logic was not clearly explained. But apparently, by hitting the clutches with a jolt of torque from the electric motor just before the shift, the shift time is reduced and “driver engagement” is maximized. Improving an Already Impressive CarFerrari’s next order of business was to enhance the Speciale’s aerodynamics, with emphasis on increasing downforce. Starting at the front end, the first thing you notice is a vent in the hood just before the windshield. Called the aero damper, it is connected to a duct that snakes from a prominent air intake above the middle of the splitter. It’s derived from the 296 Challenge race car and serves to reduce the aerodynamic variability normally induced by changing ground clearance at the front of the car. New inlets near the headlights feed brake cooling ducts, and the openings that feed air to the radiators are 12 percent larger to provide sufficient cooling for the elevated engine output.At the rear are new “Gamma” wings, which are short side wings that increase downforce, reduce drag, and improve cooling flow to the inverter and the oil cooler. Between the two stubby horizontal wings is the movable rear spoiler, which is essentially a long, thin slab that rises nearly vertically from the tail. On the Speciale, it can rise to its maximum height of 2.75 inches in a half-second, down from nearly a full second on the GTB. There’s also a new intermediate position to use when less than full downforce is needed.The aerodynamicists also reworked the underbody to direct more air to the diffuser, which has a wider center part. The Gamma wings increase upward flow and further enhance the diffuser’s effectiveness. In addition to the inlets near the headlights, there are underbody ducts to provide cooling for the front and rear brakes. The small scoops on the rockers ahead of the rear wheels direct air to help smooth the flow around those wide wheels.All told, these changes produce 959 pounds of downforce at 155 mph. That’s a huge increase from the roughly 650 pounds of the base 296GTB and over 20 percent more than the 794 pounds with the Assetto Fiorano package. And this is achieved with basically no drag increase.FerrariThe chassis also gets attention with a new ABS system that uses something called a 6D sensor. The idea is to compare the individual wheel speeds to the speed of the car’s center of gravity and more precisely tailor the brake force applied to each wheel under all driving conditions.The ride height is reduced by 0.2 inch, there’s a 0.2-degree increase in camber all around, the springs are 15 percent stiffer, and the anti-roll bars are beefier. The result is reduced body roll, which helps the performance of the newly developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, which are related to the ones on the F80. Though tire and wheel sizes are unchanged from the 296GTB, maximum grip is claimed to be about 4 percent—0.04 g—higher.There’s considerably more carbon fiber used in the construction of the 296 Speciale, including the body and the interior. The door panels, for example, are carbon fiber, but nicely sculpted rather than simply being flat slabs. They house speakers but no grilles. The CF panels are simply drilled with an array of holes to release the sound. All told, the Speciale’s weight is said to be 132 pounds lighter than that of a 296GTB equipped with all the weight-saving options.The 296GTB we tested, which seemed to have all the lightweight bits, weighed 3532 pounds. With its 819 ponies, that meant each horsepower was carrying 4.3 pounds. If we apply the weight savings to the Speciale, it should come in at 3400 pounds even. With its 868 horsepower, that means 3.9 pounds per horsepower—almost a 10 percent improvement.Combined with the aero and suspension improvements, the Speciale can lap Fiorano at 1 minute and 19 seconds—2.0 seconds quicker than a 296GTB with the Fiorano package and equaling the time of the much more powerful and expensive SF90 Stradale. Top speed remains unchanged at 205 mph, but we expect the car to scorch the quarter in about 9.5 seconds at 154 mph.A Street Car That’s More ExtremeFor all of this performance, Ferrari’s chief product development officer, Gianmaria Fulgenzi, insists the Speciale is intended as a street car that delivers “extreme driving pleasure.” He says it rides reasonably smoothly and is perfectly civilized at normal speeds. The car is even covered by Ferrari’s standard seven-year maintenance program.The Speciale will arrive in the U.S. in coupe form during the first quarter of 2026, with the Spider version coming about a quarter later. Our prices won’t be announced until closer to availability, but in Italy, the base price is about $130K more than the regular 296. Ferrari has also said that it will absorb the 25 percent import tariff on this and other lower-cost models. We expect a base price around $500K.Of course, if you want a Speciale, you’re out of luck, because they are all sold out. Only existing Ferrari clients—defined as people who have purchased a new or used Ferrari in the past five years—were allowed to order one, and they all got the word via the jungle drums before we did.Such attention goes part and parcel with the driving passion that motivates Ferrari and its owners. That and deep pockets!Related StoriesCsaba Csere joined Car and Driver in 1980 and never really left. After serving as Technical Editor and Director, he was Editor-in-Chief from 1993 until his retirement from active duty in 2008. He continues to dabble in automotive journalism and WRL racing, as well as ministering to his 1965 Jaguar E-type, 2017 Porsche 911, 2009 Mercedes SL550, 2013 Porsche Cayenne S, and four motorcycles—when not skiing or hiking near his home in Colorado.
Source: caranddriver.com
