CARS OF THE WORLD

Ferrari 296 GTB 2022.

The new Ferrari 296 GTB 2022 supercar: the first model with a V6 engine.

So downsizing in all its glory got to Ferrari. Until the mid-seventies, road cars of this brand were equipped exclusively with V12 engines, then the younger models with V8 engines became an integral part of the model range.

Ferrari produced relatively inexpensive sports cars with six cylinders only under the subsidiary brand Dino, and then only for a short period from 1967 to 1974.

However, if you look into the motorsport part of Ferrari’s history, the company began using V6 engines already in 1957! And at first, the six-cylinder cars also carried the Dino brand, and the first was the Dino 156 F2 racing car, which had a V6 engine with a 65-degree block camber.

But later, Scuderia ceased to be ashamed of the six-cylinder traction, and in 1981 was the first to bring a car with a turbo six to the Formula 1 track. Well, since 2014, 1.6-liter V6 engines have become the standard in Formula 1.

Now a new era begins for road Ferraris. It opens with a mid-engined coupe Ferrari 296 GTB, and this is by no means a «budget model», as Dino cars were in their time.

That is why the company did not begin to revive the almost forgotten sub-brand. Before us is a rechargeable hybrid, which in temperament will still give odds to traditional cars with V8 engines.

However, a proper name for the car will not hurt. Because the 296 GTB index does not cut into memory at all and has an indistinct decryption.

The first two digits are cut off from the engine displacement, although 2992 cubic centimeters would still be correctly rounded to the number «30».

The third number indicates the number of cylinders, but GTB is the traditional for Gran Turismo Berlinetta.

The V6 3.0 engine of the F163 was developed from the ground up by Ferrari, and it breaks all the canons of Ferrari engines not only in the number of cylinders.

The aluminum block has a camber of 120 degrees, while the company makes V8 engines with a 90-degree camber, and for V12 engines it does 65 degrees.

And two IHI turbochargers are installed not on the sides, but in the collapse of the block. Moreover, compact and lightweight «turbines» are conventional single-flow, with a fixed geometry of the guide vanes.

Accordingly, the intake manifolds are now located not in the collapse, but on the sides of the cylinder block.

The six-cylinder biturbo engine has a short-stroke geometry and is 30 kg lighter than the V8 engine. And yet it produces 663 hp. and 740 Nm.

That is, the specific power is 221 hp. per liter of working volume. The company calls this a record figure for production cars. And the cutoff is triggered at 8500 rpm.

While the Ferrari SF90 Stradale hybrid has four-wheel drive and three electric motors, the new 296 GTB coupe is simpler.

Here, rear-wheel drive (with an electronically controlled differential) and only one electric motor, which is installed between the gasoline engine and the eight-speed preselective «robot».

Its output is 167 hp. and 315 Nm. And the peak power of the hybrid system is 830 «horses».

At the same time, an additional dry clutch is installed between the electric and gasoline engines: the electronics open it so that the supercar can move on pure electric traction. In this mode, the eDrive coupe can travel up to 25 km or accelerate to 135 km / h, although, of course, it will not be possible to achieve two parameters at the same time.

The capacity of the traction battery located transversely behind the seats is only 7.45 kWh.

But the ultimate dynamic characteristics of the hybrid are good! The acceleration time to 100 km / h is 2.9 s, which is comparable to the classic petrol model Ferrari F8 Tributo (V8, 720 hp).

And acceleration to 200 km / h takes 7.3 s versus 7.8 s. The maximum speed is over 330 km / h. Moreover, the dry weight of the hybrid is 1470 kg versus 1330 kg for the F8 Tributo model.

But it is not only the power plant that is remarkable for the Ferrari 296 GTB hybrid coupe. For example, it has a new braking system «by wire», that is, without a mechanical connection between the pedal and the brakes: the electronics itself calculates the degree of recuperation and the intervention of conventional brakes.

And the new ABS — with the innovative 6w-CDS system, which includes six sensors: they monitor not only the speed of rotation of each wheel, but also their vertical movement and angle of rotation, allowing even more accurate dosing of the braking force.

As a result, from 200 km / h, the hybrid stops in just 107 meters — this path is 8.8% shorter than that of the F8 Tributo model.

Designers and engineers have done without complicated aerodynamic tweaks. The only active aerodynamic element is the aft spoiler, which, when raised, increases downforce by 100 kg.

The new version of the eSSC (Side Slip Control) assistant control in sliding — with an additional electric motor in the steering gear, which generates a «prompting» steering effort.

Following the SF90 supercar, the junior hybrid has a «touch» interior. The climate control panel, the buttons on the steering wheel spokes, and even the mirror adjustment unit are made like this.

The devices are, of course, completely painted. But the family switch of driving modes on the steering wheel remained mechanical!

Like the older hybrid, the new coupe has four presets: eDrive, Hybrid, Performance, Qualify.
For a surcharge, the track package Assetto Fiorano is offered.

It includes a suspension with racing Multimatic shock absorbers, additional aerodynamic elements, racing seats and Michelin Sport Cup2R tires, and expands the use of carbon fiber and other lightweight materials in the structure.

Deliveries of the Ferrari 296 GTB supercars will not begin until the first quarter of 2022. Prices in Europe — from 269 thousand euros for the base model and from 302 thousand for a car with the Assetto Fiorano package.