Ferrari has announced a new version of the 296 GTB that can only be purchased by the Scuderia’s customer racing drivers.
Appropriately, the Piloti Ferrari 296 Speciale made its debut on the eve of this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, where, it was in fact, the AF Corse customer racing team that beat the factory drivers.
Robert Kubica, Phil Hanson and Yifei Ye took their number 83 Ferrari 499P Hypercar to victory, and now, presumably, they’ll all be allowed to buy this new Piloti 296.
What they, and other Ferrari privateers, will get is a 296 Speciale with a livery inspired by the Hypercar. Rosso Scuderia, Blu Tour De France, Nero Daytona, and Argento Nürburgring are the color options for the main bodywork, with Giallo Modena striping, hand-painted WEC logos and the racing number 51 on the hood and flanks.
That number belonged to works drivers Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinaz who won Le Mans with the 499P’s debut in 2023. This year made it three wins in a row for Maranello—the first time that’s been achieved since the 1960s.
The Piloti Ferrari 296 Speciale gets thermoformed race seats trimmed in black Alcantara, along with plenty of exposed carbon fiber and sheet metal for a suitably sporty feel.
Otherwise the spec is the same as the standard Speciale, with 880-hp from a hybrid powertrain that comprises a three-liter twin-turbo V-6 driving the rear wheels, and an additional electric motor on the front axle. There’s 20 percent more downforce than a regular 296 GTB thanks to rear gamma wings, suspended splitters, and a bigger diffuser. Extra boost software deploys full power to maximize lap times.
After this weekend’s win at Le Mans, Ferrari might wish to consider another color and number option to honor Kubica and company.
Report by Nik Berg
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