Ferrari 296 GTB by Ferrari N.V. - plug-in hybrid V6 pushes a new era

The Ferrari 296 GTB rolls into the pit lane with its low nose almost scraping the painted concrete, V6 rasp echoing off the barriers before the hybrid system cuts in and the car glides almost silently toward the garage. A mechanic opens the thinly padded door and you catch a whiff of warm rubber and hot carbon fiber, the cabin still ticking from heat soak. This is Ferrari 296 GTB territory – mid?engined, plug?in hybrid, but still brutally analog in its sensations.

Compact V6, serious numbers

Ferrari 296 GTB sits in the brand’s portfolio as the first road?going Ferrari with a 6?cylinder engine in decades, built around a 2.9?liter twin?turbo V6 that Ferrari internally calls the F163. The combustion unit alone delivers 663 cv (about 654 hp), at 8,000 rpm, and revs to 8,500 rpm according to Ferrari’s official data. A single axial?flux electric motor is sandwiched between the engine and the 8?speed dual?clutch gearbox, bringing system output to 830 cv.

Product chief Enrico Galliera, Ferrari’s Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, framed the 296 GTB as a bridge between pure combustion and electrified performance, an accessible way into the mid?engined range without touching the V8 icons. In technical briefings, Galliera and the engineering team stressed that the hybrid system is not there to mask weight, but to sharpen response: the e?motor fills torque at low revs and smooths shifts, while still leaving the V6’s sharp throttle character intact. On paper, the numbers follow that narrative – 0?100 km/h in 2.9 seconds and 0?200 km/h in 7.3 seconds, with a claimed top speed over 330 km/h.

Battery, electric drive and driving modes

The plug?in architecture in the Ferrari 296 GTB is built around a 7.45 kWh high?voltage battery pack mounted low behind the seats, close to the car’s center of gravity. Ferrari states an all?electric range of up to 25 km on the WLTP cycle, enough to roll quietly through a city center or sneak out of a sleeping village at dawn before letting the V6 loose. Charging uses a conventional plug?in interface; Ferrari quotes roughly 3 hours for a full charge from a domestic outlet in some market materials, though local times vary by grid.

On the steering wheel, the familiar manettino is joined by an e?Manettino selector, giving four hybrid modes: eDrive, Hybrid, Performance and Qualify. In eDrive, the car runs purely electric up to 135 km/h, the V6 shut off, leaving just a faint whine from the e?motor and tyre noise on coarse asphalt. Hybrid is the default, where software decides when to wake the V6. Performance keeps the engine running to guarantee maximum readiness, while Qualify prioritizes peak output for track use and sacrifices battery charge in the process.

Chassis, brakes and weight management

Under the sculpted body, the Ferrari 296 GTB uses an aluminum chassis with double?wishbone suspension front and rear, closely related to Ferrari’s other mid?engined platforms but revised for the shorter wheelbase and hybrid packaging. The car is compact: Ferrari lists length at 4,565 mm, width at 1,958 mm and height at 1,187 mm, with a wheelbase of 2,600 mm. Short overhangs and that wheelbase give the car a stubby, almost toy?like stance when parked, accentuated by the high shoulders and cab?forward glasshouse.

Dry weight starts at 1,470 kg with lightweight options, according to Ferrari, and around 1,540 kg in typical European specification. That number matters because the hybrid system adds roughly 150 kg versus a comparable non?plug?in V8 car, so Ferrari’s engineers chased grams everywhere else: hollow cast suspension components, thinner glass, and careful integration of the battery into the structure. Braking uses carbon?ceramic discs with advanced brake?by?wire logic that blends regenerative braking with hydraulic pressure, tuned so that pedal feel stays firm and linear even when the battery is full or empty.

Aero and design: a new Ferrari language

The Ferrari 296 GTB’s bodywork marks a clear design shift versus the F8 and 488 generation, led by chief design officer Flavio Manzoni. The nose is lower and cleaner, with a single central air intake and almost no ornamentation, while the side features a smooth, chamfered section rather than the deep intakes of previous mid?engined Ferraris. From above, the 296 reads like a teardrop, cabin pinched between muscular haunches and framed by a large rear diffuser and active rear spoiler.

Aerodynamics are integrated rather than shouted. Ferrari notes that the 296 GTB generates up to 360 kg of downforce at 250 km/h in high?downforce configuration, thanks largely to the active rear spoiler that deploys from the tail section when needed. The so?called "tea?tray" underbody creates a low?pressure area ahead of the front wheels, stabilizing turn?in. Cooling airflow is managed through carefully shaped inlets that feed the V6, turbochargers, e?motor and battery without wrecking drag. Standing behind the car in a pit lane, you feel a warm draft from the rear vents and can smell a mix of hot metal, brake dust and a faint note of unburned fuel when the V6 shuts down.

Cabin, interfaces and daily use

Inside, the Ferrari 296 GTB continues Ferrari’s fully digital cockpit direction, with a curved 16?inch instrument cluster behind the steering wheel and touch?sensitive controls spread across the rim and dashboard. There is no central touchscreen; instead, the driver interface wraps around the steering wheel, with small touch surfaces for indicators, lights and wipers, while a passenger display mirrors performance data and navigation. Ferrari’s materials mix Alcantara, leather and carbon fiber, with some cars configured with stark black racing trim and others in lighter, more luxurious tones.

Drivers in early media tests noted that the learning curve for the touch?heavy steering wheel is steep, but that the car’s basic ergonomics – seating position, pedal alignment, visibility over the front wings – still feel classically Ferrari. Storage is modest: a front trunk good for a small overnight bag, plus slim door pockets and a shelf behind the seats. The plug?in nature means owners can creep out of underground garages without upsetting neighbors, a detail that matters in dense European cities. At low speed, in electric mode, you mostly hear tyre slap and the whir of cooling fans rather than engine noise.

Assetto Fiorano: track?facing package

Ferrari offers the 296 GTB with an optional Assetto Fiorano package, named after the company’s famous test circuit. This pack strips weight and adds track?specific hardware: Multimatic dampers derived from GT racing, a fixed carbon fiber rear spoiler, lexan rear screen, and various carbon fiber body components. Ferrari says Assetto Fiorano can save around 12 kg while adding downforce and stiffness.

Visually, Assetto Fiorano cars often wear more aggressive liveries and can be specified with a stripe that echoes historic Ferrari race cars. On track, the setup allows flatter cornering and more consistent lap?to?lap performance, according to journalist test drives. The trade?off is that ride in town becomes busier, with sharper impacts over broken surfaces. For buyers who intend to use the 296 GTB mainly on circuits or fast mountain roads, the pack reflects Ferrari’s intention to keep a motorsport spine in its road?car range, even as electrification grows.

Market position, pricing and availability

Ferrari positions the 296 GTB as the entry point to its mid?engined berlinetta range, below the more extreme SF90 Stradale in terms of price and performance but above V8 models that preceded it. Official pricing varies by market and options, but reports in major European markets place the base price around €269,000 including taxes, rising well above €300,000 with common extras and Assetto Fiorano. Delivery slots in core regions – Italy, Germany, the UK and the US – have stretched as demand and production capacity find balance, with some customers facing waits of many months from order to handover.

The car is not limited by a fixed production cap in the way Ferrari treats some special series. Instead, it sits in the regular range, though Ferrari’s overall annual volume is constrained by brand strategy and factory capacity. For German buyers, the 296 GTB is available through the official Ferrari dealer network, with factory configuration and delivery routed through Maranello. For US customers, the car is distributed through Ferrari’s North American arm, with EPA?specific data slightly different but core hardware and performance unchanged.

Context and Ferrari N.V. stock

Ferrari 296 GTB matters for Ferrari N.V. because it shows how the company can fold plug?in hybrid technology into its core sports?car lineup while keeping performance and design in line with brand expectations. For retail investors, the model adds another high?margin, technically advanced product that supports Ferrari’s move toward partial electrification and contributes to the mix of limited series, GT cars and supercars that drive profitability. On Xetra, Ferrari N.V. stock is currently traded via its Amsterdam listing in euros, giving investors direct exposure to the company’s evolving hybrid sports?car portfolio.