Photo: Ferrari
Cover Photo: Ferrari

The new Ferrari 269GTB redefines the concept of fun behind the wheel, guaranteeing pure emotions not just when pushing the car to its limits, but also in day-to-day driving

Italian luxury sports car manufacturer Ferrari has just revealed its latest mid-rear-engined, two-seater Berlinetta the 296 GTB. The new model ushers in an authentic revolution for Ferrari as it puts a new engine type to flank the highly acclaimed, award-winning 8 and 12 cylinder power units: a new 663cv 120° V6 coupled with an electric motor capable of delivering a further 122 kW (167cv). 

This is the first 6-cylinder engine installed on a road car sporting the Prancing Horse badge; it unleashes its massive 830 cv total power output to deliver previously unthinkable performance levels and an innovative, exhilarating and unique soundtrack.

To give a little background, the model's name combines its total displacement (2992 l) and the number of cylinders chosen. The addition of the GTB (Gran Turismo Berlinetta) acronym in the finest Ferrari tradition, was also added to underscore this new engine’s epoch-changing importance to Maranello.

The 296 GTB’s plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system guarantees an incredibly usable car as well as cutting pedal response times to zero; it also promises to deliver a 25km range all-electric, e-Drive mode.

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Above Ferrari 296 GTB has a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system.

The car’s compact dimensions and the introduction of innovative dynamic control systems, as well as meticulously honed aero, ensure that the driver will instantly experience its astonishing agility and responsiveness to commands. Its sporty, sinuous design and extremely compact dimensions also visually underscore its exceptional modernity, brilliantly referencing the likes of the 1963 250 LM, the perfect marriage of simplicity and functionality.

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What's New?

The 296 GTB is the first Ferrari road car to sport a V6 turbo with a vee with an angle of 120° between the cylinder banks, coupled with a plug-in electric motor. This new V6 has been designed and engineered from a clean sheet by Ferrari’s engineers specifically for this installation and is the first Ferrari to feature the turbos installed inside the vee. Aside from bringing significant advantages in terms of packaging, lowering the centre of gravity and reducing engine mass, this particular architecture helps deliver extremely high levels of power.

The result is that the new Ferrari V6 has set a new specific power output record for a production car of 221 cv/l. As the V6 turbo is integrated with an electric motor at the rear, the 296 GTB’s combined maximum power output is 830 cv, putting it at the top of the rear-wheel-drive sports car segment as well as making it extremely flexible. This is true both in terms of day-to-day contexts (the 296 GTB has a full-electric mode range of 25 km) and in driving enjoyment (accelerator pedal response is instant and smooth at all engine speeds).

The powertrain assembly comprises a V6 turbo ICE, with the 8-speed DCT and E-Diff, and the MGU-K located between the engine and the gearbox.

Meanwhile, a clutch is set between the ICE and the electric motor to decouple them in electric-only e-Drive mode. There is also a high-voltage battery and an inverter that controls the electric motors.

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The 296 GTB bursts into the mid-engined berlinetta sports car range, with several radical and innovative solutions.
Above The 296 GTB bursts into the mid-engined berlinetta sports car range, with several radical and innovative solutions.

Let's Talk About The Engine

The new Ferrari 296 GTB prides itself on having a 663 cv and 221 cv/l. It also highlights the 296 GTB’s ICE that sets a new specific power output record for a production road car. The architecture is also ideal in terms of combustion sequence and the integration of the intake plenums and the engine supports on the intake sides of the cylinder heads.

It is also safe to say that the engine is lighter and more compact because of the elimination of the plenums and exterior supports, while the fluid dynamics benefit from the reduction in volumes, boosting intake efficiency. The 120° vee architecture, which offers more space between the cylinder banks than a 90° vee, meant the turbos could be installed centrally, thus significantly reducing the unit’s overall size and the distance the air has to cover to arrive in the combustion chamber, maximising the fluid dynamics and efficiency of the intake and exhaust line ducts.

To obtain this specific power output, the pressure in the combustion chamber had to be pushed to new heights— boosting the pressure in the chamber demanded exceptional development from both a thermal-fluid-dynamic and structural point of view without compromising on engine weight and reliability.

To that end, Ferrari poured all of its significant expertise in alloys, dimensioning and components into engineering the aluminium engine block and cylinder heads. Both components are new and specific to the new V6 architecture.

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Photo: Ferrari
Above Photo: Ferrari

Ferrari 296 GTB On The Outside

The Ferrari 296 GTB’s design is the result of the desire of the Ferrari Styling Centre to redefine the identity of the mid-rear-engined two-seater Berlinetta by giving it an extremely compact line with an original, modern look. Thanks to its short wheelbase and its monolithic, sculpted structure, the 296 GTB is indeed the most compact Berlinetta to emerge from Maranello in the last decade.

The typical Berlinetta fastback configuration has been abandoned in favour of creating a cabin architecture that visually seems set into an imposing volume – the combined effect of the short wheelbase and the composition of elements, such as very muscular wings, the visor-style windscreen, robust flying buttresses and a new vertical rear screen. These forms produce a highly original cabin silhouette that dominates the overall perception of the car.

When Will It Be Released To The Market?

As of this writing, Ferrari has yet to confirm the delivery date for its 269 GTB; however, early examples of the new model may begin to reach customer's hands by early 2022.

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