RE: All-new Ferrari 296 GTB is rear-drive PHEV

[MitchT]

howardhughes said:

SpeckledJim said:

This bit is causing me mild perturbation, but overall I think it's the best looking Ferrari for a very long time, with the possible exception of the Roma.

You beat me to it.

I was about to say pretty much the same.

Overall I quite like it, but the humps over the rear wheels look odd. I'd prefer a gentle, continuous curve from the top of the air intake to the rear spoiler. Also, the wheels look comically large. They need to be a little smaller with a bit more profile on the tyres. I'll reserve final judgement until I see one in the flesh though. I just hope it sounds half decent!

[MitchT]

pixelmix said:

Having straight lines and curved lines don’t work well together. It needs to be one or the other.

I've thought this since the Audi A5 was launched. Audis have always had a relatively "linear" appearance, but the way the swage line on the A5 curves upwards over the front and rear wheels looks completely at odds with the rest of the car.

[MitchT]

Also, going back to the Ferrari, I don't know if it's just me, but the design of the seats reminds me of those cheap plastic covers than they have on seats in minicabs!

[Rumblestripe]

That is a lovely clean design, a very welcome departure from over fussy blinged up tartmobiles. It still looks bigger than I would prefer. Recently saw a 308/328 in the flesh again (long time since I've seen one "in the wild") and it is tiny (and still very very beautiful).

I'm never going to own one (a large lottery win would go on the aforementioned 308/328) so to a large extent the performance is just catalogue numbers, top trumps for grown ups who should know better.

I like it (a lot)

[abzmike]

I like it, and suspect it will look even better in the metal, or fibre. One thought though - the back end looks big for a car with a small engine..l what is actually taking up all that space, or has it got a boot I missed? Lovely looking though, but not with the yellow...

[s2000db]

SpeckledJim said:

s2000db said:

What’s the performance like when it’s run out of battery after a lap or two?

I can’t see hybrid as a way forward yet for super cars imo…

Yeah, but soon enough, if you want to use a supercar for what it's actually actually for, which is 0-40 in Sloane Square many times per evening, then you'll need it to be a hybrid.

It’ll be hopeless for that, cause it won’t spit flames or make a horrendous racket! Lol…

[NSC79]

Nice enough, but I'll be keeping my 458 spider. Interestingly the section behind the cab is more like the 458, 488 and F8 spider design, which are a nod to the 250LM rear window and buttress design.

[TyrannosauRoss Lex]

s2000db said:

SpeckledJim said:

s2000db said:

What’s the performance like when it’s run out of battery after a lap or two?

I can’t see hybrid as a way forward yet for super cars imo…

Yeah, but soon enough, if you want to use a supercar for what it's actually actually for, which is 0-40 in Sloane Square many times per evening, then you'll need it to be a hybrid.

It’ll be hopeless for that, cause it won’t spit flames or make a horrendous racket! Lol…

Have you heard of regenerative braking and engines charging the battery with hybrids? Been around for many years now.....

[twinturban]

Exquisite. Ultra wide angle V6, getting on for a flat 6.

I'll have a GTS please. In my dreams.

[ajprice]

abzmike said:

I like it, and suspect it will look even better in the metal, or fibre. One thought though - the back end looks big for a car with a small engine..l what is actually taking up all that space, or has it got a boot I missed? Lovely looking though, but not with the yellow...

'Small' engine is a 120° V with the turbos on top, so that's going to be fairly wide and tall, then the electric motors and battery pack in there too takes up a chunk of space. Images from the 296 website https://www.ferrari.com/en-ZW/auto/296-gtb

[DeltaEvo2]

Lovely and this: "the highest specific output of any road car in history: 663hp from 3.0-litres is 221hp per litre." Mamma Mia!

[pauloroberto]

I’m surprised the pure electric range is just 6 miles. An i8 will do that and is a much older car.

i8s aren’t much good for tracks either because the battery drains after a few laps. Wonder if this will have the same problem.

Edited by pauloroberto on Thursday 24th June 20:11

[9k rpm]

Beautiful car but can you imagine the bill when it goes wrong!?

[BorkBorkBork]

Everything has been going backwards since the 458. Styling has definitely taken a very strange turn at Maranello. That’s wrong on some many levels. And don’t get me started on the power train.

Porsche are the only sports car company worth looking at for me. Their ability to produce enough electrical and hybrid vehicles to allow them to produce cars with NA engines and manual transmissions is turning out to be a huge stroke of luck with the EU regs. Granted, getting your hands on a GT3 isn’t easy, but GT4, Spyders and 718 GTS’s are easier.

[LM240]

Looks lovely… but you must be annoyed when your new pride and joy is labeled the ‘junior’ ferrari when it has 800+ bhp and 250-300k to purchase!

[TyrannosauRoss Lex]

LM240 said:

Looks lovely… but you must be annoyed when your new pride and joy is labeled the ‘junior’ ferrari when it has 800+ bhp and 250-300k to purchase!

I don't think I'd be remotely annoyed

[anonymous-user]

Rocket. said:

There is a bit of '250 LM' type styling going on at the back there but not sure it all gells together very well

That's what it is! Couldn't put my finger on it. I agree. I strongly suspect, like a lot of recent low and wide cars, it will look great in the flesh but not so much in 2d.

[thecremeegg]

Would be lovely if it had a V8

[Manic Street Sleeper]

thecremeegg said:

Would be lovely if it had a V8

It's called the Ferrari SF90 ... been around for nearly 2 years

[btdk5]

Manual GT3 touring every day instead of this.

I can see these half way house models absolutely haemorrhage value. Too much power, not great looks, DCT so slick it might as well be fully electric. Where is the future appeal?