Elite Traveler Fall 2022

etr li at ve eler FALL 2022 103

When the Maranello house of speed makes a move, there’s always an audience

Ferrari 29 6 GTB Everything about the Prancing Horse alludes to power. The classic red. The moniker. The tap of the throttle. When the Maranello house of speed makes a move, there’s always an audience. The new Ferrari 296 GTB, a mid-engine 3.0-liter Berlinetta with a twin-turbo plug-in hybrid V6, stands as equal parts statement and testament. Without question, this two-seater oozes Ferrari. From the fl exed rear haunches and intakes inspired by the peppy 250 LM of the 1960s, past the transparent engine cover and down to the wide-mouthed front, the 296 GTB checks all the heritage evolution boxes. Haters will fi nd a way to critique the hybrid powertrain and 7.4-kWh battery. The 296 GTB can maintain maximum output, 819 hp, for two laps around the technical, quick and positively stunning Circuito Monteblanco outside of Seville before falling to 779 hp. That alone was plenty of time to rethink one’s pre-track meal choices. Thankfully, the exhaust notes rumble louder than any human stomach, EU vehicle-noise standards notwithstanding. Mounted on the steering wheel is a duo of selectors, one for the hybrid powertrain (eDrive, Hybrid, Performance, Qualify) and another for the chassis. It’s a new type of choice the driver must make. As with any transitional technology, compromise and compliance could have fl ummoxed engineers and hindered the 296 GTB. It may have been forgiven. Thankfully, that’s not the case. Ferrari 296 GTB from $317,986, ferrari.com

Photo Kelly Serfoss