Durban April 2022- Celebrating the debut of the new 296 GTB, the latest evolution of Maranello’s mid-rear engine two-seater berlinetta in South Africa. The 296 GTB redefines the whole 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 situations.
The 296 GTB ushers in an authentic revolution for Ferrari as it introduces a new engine type to flank the marque’s multi-award-winning 8- and 12-cylinder power units: a new 663 cv 120° V6 coupled with an electric motor capable of delivering a further 122 kW (167 cv). 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. The car’s name, which combines its total displacement (2.992 l) and number of cylinders was chosen, with the addition of the GTB (Gran Turismo Berlinetta) acronym in finest Ferrari tradition, to underscore this new engine’s epoch-changing importance to Maranello.
It is not
simply the living, beating heart of the 296 GTB, but it also ushers in a new V6 era that has its
roots deep in Ferrari’s unparalleled 70-year-plus experience in motor sports.
The very first Ferrari V6, in fact, featured a 65° architecture and debuted on the 1957 1500 cc
Dino 156 F2 single-seater. This was followed in 1958 by bigger displacement versions on the
front-engined sport prototypes – the 196 S and 296 S – and F1 cars, such as the 246 F1 which
powered Mike Hawthors to the F1 Driver’s Championship title the same year.