The special one returns: this is the new 868bhp Ferrari 296 Speciale

No one, after driving Ferrari’s 819bhp 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 868bhp. 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.

So what else is new? Well, downforce is apparently up 20 per cent (at 150mph, but that’s not insanely fast on track), it rides lower and corners faster than the standard car, brakes and steers with even more precision, and contains more titanium than an Airbus A380. And it also comes as a convertible. Albeit a convertible that’s 50kg heavier than the coupe.

It’s the coupe that will be for the purists. And there’s a storied family tree to refer to - this is the 296-generation’s expression of such luminaries as the 360 Challenge Stradale, the F430 Scuderia, 458 Speciale and 488 Pista. Not a single one of which you’d kick out of a dream garage. And the recipe is largely cribbed from those cars; lighter, faster, more. But definitely cranked in the direction of driving satisfaction.

The horsepower uplift is largely inconsequential for a turbocharged hybrid, 36bhp 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-litre V6 and the eight-speed gearbox is now rated at 177bhp, giving that 868bhp total, a modest 49bhp more than the GTB, but that’s a motor that now provides a little torque boost to the ‘box for even faster and "more emotional" shifts.

As far as the weight loss, it’s not entirely baked-in. Carbon bumpers, engine cover and wheels (lightweight forged wheels are standard) are options, but liberal use of titanium for the engine internals, head studs, all fastenings, the springs (on Multimatic shocks), exhaust and various other bits save quite a bit, while the engine block and crankcase have been shaved to remove excess metal. Even the turbo is lighter. But as with any Ferrari, it’ll cost a little more to save all the weight possible to get the car to the 1,410kg dry weight (1,460 for the Spider).

It looks different, too. The front now features an 'aero damper' which channels air from the front bumper under the car to the top of the front bonnet and over the windscreen, mostly for stability purposes. There are pressure-relieving vents over the front wheelarches and vestigial batwings aft of the rear intakes on the rear three-quarter panels, themselves voiding air from the back wheels.

Those aerofoils not only stabilise the back of the car and provide extra downforce, but work in conjunction with the active rear spoiler, which operates in a similar manner to the GTB, but now with a ‘mid’ setting to go with the low-drag mode and high-downforce/airbrake position. So there’s a Goldilocks moment in there somewhere.

The whole point here isn’t necessarily the numbers. Ferrari reckons there are five quantifiable parameters that should increase driving satisfaction if you dial them up. So there’s lateral and longitudinal acceleration, shifting, braking and sound. All of which are increased to varying degrees in the 296 Speciale. Though the numbers themselves aren’t to be sniffed at - zero to 62mph in 2.8, more than 205mph top speed, a Fiorano laptime of 1min 19s where a GTB manages 1min 21s. That’s not a small amount on such a small track.

There’s also a new mode called ‘Qualify’, which manages the boost from the e-motor when exiting corners to help cull lap times. The control systems can trim the boost to always deliver a shove that can be maintained without boiling the system - and there’s a specific display on the right-hand side of the the rev counter that displays how many extra boost bursts are left. And it’ll learn the circuit to make sure: at Fiorano, for instance, it uses 14 hits over two laps, while at the Mugello track, the function allows for 15 boost bursts over one.

The good news is that this isn’t a limited-run car, either. Though there’s a limited time for production (which limits numbers inherently) and you have to be what’s called an ‘active customer’ for Ferrari - so you have to have bought some sort of Ferrari in the past five years. And then be far enough up the waiting list. So if you have €407,000 for the Coupe or €462,000 for the Spider, you’re in luck - with prices varying according to local tax (and tariff) needs.

Still, if the 296 Speciale drives like previous special editions, turning this one up to 11 might just need a whole new dial.