FERRARI 296 GTB

Pivotal and potent; a new era for Maranello

- ANGUS MACKENZIE

ENGINE 2992cc V6, DOHC, 24v, twin-turbo

POWER 610kW @ 8000rpm

TORQUE 740Nm @ 6250rpm

0-100KM/H 2.9sec (claimed)

WEIGHT 1470kg

PRICE $551,800

LIKE: Balance; versatility; depth of engineering; truly potent performance

DISLIKE: Styling divides opinion; front-end push at limit; we need a local drive

AN EPIC YOWL fills the cabin, the intensity rising in sync with the unrelenting surge of acceleration. The readout on the digital speedo flickers past 270km/h. The 250metre braking marker flashes through the peripheral vision as the first blue shift light appears on the steering wheel. Wait a heartbeat...now! Grenade the brake pedal just at the 200-metre board. The nose dips and the shoulder belts of the four-point harness bite, but the Ferrari 296 GTB tracks straight and true. The entry to the sharp right-hander is looming fast. Too fast.

Keep the left foot hard, hard on the brake. Work the left-hand paddle and wait for the late turnin. There! Crank the steering wheel and, counter-intuitively, stay hard on the brakes. The front-end bites and the Ferrari dives into the corner, the rear axle obediently following. Off the brakes at the apex and onto the throttle, opening the steering. Torque and power arrive in one seamless rush. There's a slight wiggle at the rear, tamed with a touch of counter-steer, as the tacho needle sweeps around to the 8500rpm redline. Then the Ferrari grips and slingshots down the straight at a rapid pace.