Ferrari 296 Speciale review

Pretty much everything in the world these days is controlled by algorithms. But is it possible to determine driving pleasure empirically? Ferrari thinks so. The 296 Speciale has been developed according to strict metrics, the primary focus of which is lateral and longitudinal acceleration, gear shifting, braking performance, and the soundtrack. Like Coca-Cola, though, the exact recipe remains secret.

Metrics and algorithms, eh. Sounds sexy.

C’mon, this is Ferrari we’re talking about, though things are certainly more complicated. Never mind forced induction polluting the blood-line, this one’s also a hybrid. So in addition to the chassis Manettino switch, there are four hidden-till-lit buttons on the opposite side of the (very busy) steering wheel. Like the regular car, the Speciale starts in e-mode, using the MGU-K for a silent getaway and neighbourly behaviour (don’t Ferrari owners have sprawling and humidified undergound garages?). The range in this setting is about 15 miles.

But you quickly yearn to hear the combustion engine. So engage hybrid mode for a mix between the two and get on with it. Performance is more interesting still; it keeps the engine running and emphasises battery charge over efficiency. All the power is there, all the time.

And there’s a new one for the Speciale, Qualify mode, similar to the function in the SF90 XX Stradale, and supplier of an extra 177bhp from 6,000rpm on corner exits. The system is so clever that it keeps an eye on the engine’s thermal stress level and meters out the extra grunt accordingly. A yellow strip on the main instrument read-out tells you how much you’ve got left.

You mentioned wet weather. Surely this is a car for a nice dry road. Or indeed track…

On the face of it, yes. But as the first half of our test drive is done in torrential rain, this turns into a real world – and UK-useful – test and no mistake. Big globules of water are bouncing off the road in a way that’s semaphoring the word ‘aquaplane’. Despite assurances from one of Ferrari’s test drivers that the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s (305/35 ZR 20s on the rear) are impressive in these conditions, better to dial into things carefully. The ‘bumpy road’ and wet setting on the manettino are fully engaged.

A super-polished ride quality has been a Ferrari signature since the 458 Italia, but the way this latest incarnation ‘breathes’ down the road is insanely good. Italy doesn’t do potholes quite like the UK but it is earthquake country so there are unpredictable surface changes, odd cambers and nasty ridges. The Speciale simply refuses to run out of answers – or damping. Its Magneride is magic.

That helps promote confidence. Leave the manettino in ‘wet’ mode and you’d swear you had toasty tarmac under the wheels. Ferrari’s mastery of the hardware is a given these days, but its software guys are geniuses, too. The car just doesn’t blink. Notice now that the steering is calmer, that the 296 Speciale is another new Ferrari that you drive using your fore-arms rather than wrists. It feels meatier, less skittish than some of its predecessors. It also turns in beautifully and is supremely agile in all three cornering phases.

And if you go faster?

Switch to ‘race’ mode, which makes things significantly more interactive but keeps the traction guardians in play – up to a point. Even so, in these greasy conditions you need to dial in corrective lock pretty swiftly or face eternal damnation by YouTube. That said, the Side Slip Control software has reached v9.0 and it’s now so good, it’s surely only a few stops away from turning the Ferrari into a fully sentient being. It analyses the car’s slip angle in real time and compares it to a target value. It’s incredibly clever at translating steering and throttle inputs into meaningful activity on the road.

Finally, with the rain subsiding, we cycle through Race and CT Off to get a feel for things as the road dries out. Lively, is the answer, as you’d expect, but not untenable.

How about the gearbox?

It’s astonishing, really. A new upshift profile on the eight-speed dual clutch transmission means even faster shift times than before, the electric motor filling in during the millisecond gap between ratios. It revs to 8,500rpm and the hybrid tech gives you torque-fill so there’s no interruption. The Speciale sounds better than before, too. Acoustic ducts pump up the sound of the V6 and there are twice as many in the Speciale, tuned for maximum mid- to high-frequency response. It’s angrier, but still sonorous.

Did you get track time?

Yes. It’s almost dry by the time our slot comes round, although the darkening skies do release a sprinkling halfway through. The track cars are fitted with Multimatic’s single rate shock absorbers and titanium springs – similar to the 296 GT3’s spec – and this passive damping set-up makes an immediate difference.

Even on this smoothly surfaced track you’re aware of extra oscillations, a bit of jiggliness that wasn’t present before. But it deepens the connection with the surface even more. It’s so good you’ll swear you can feel the rubber beneath you expand and contract. When we talk about steering feel, it’s actually what the tyres are doing that we’re really trying to quantify. The 296 Speciale positively overflows with feel, energy and response.

Is there a highlight among all the highlights?

It’s difficult to establish a hierarchy of brilliance here. It could be the chassis, the sheer level of control the Speciale serves up. It’s crystal clear. Or maybe it’s the gearshift, a process that’s now so cosmically fast you fear for the well-being of the mechanical bits tasked with carrying it out.

Or it might actually be the braking. The Speciale is dramatically undramatic, allows you to go deeper into the corner, bleeding off the brakes as the car hooks up for the next challenge. Ferrari’s ABS Evo controller software uses a 6D sensor to expand on the oversight it has on the dynamics, and optimises the brake distribution on each wheel with uncanny precision.

The discs are 398mm carbon ceramics upfront, 360mm at the rear. The combination of feel and repeatability is terrific. The boost function in Qualify mode apparently works 14 times over two laps of Fiorano. Honestly, this might be verging on overkill for our tastes, but when the rest of it is so good we’ll let them off.

An unequivocal technical knock-out, then?

Again, it all depends on your perspective. Talking to various members of the development team, it’s clear that the aim was to create a track-focused Ferrari with greater dynamic bandwidth than ever. It’s civilised enough that you wouldn’t think twice about hammering the 296 Speciale round Silverstone and then driving it home. Even if home was in Spain. But a Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a more visceral experience overall. You pays your money, etc. Can we have both, please?