296 VS

Has anyone sat in the new "lightweight" seat. I have in the F80, and was told its the same seat structure, not mount. In the F80 the knees are super elevated, which I love and need, but I just do not know if that is a result on how its mounted in the F80. Can anyone share how the seat felt in the Speciale vs the new sport seat.

 

FYI posted this in the F80 section, though the 296 lovers in this group would appreciate it:

I’ve owned and driven nearly every genre of Ferrari produced since 1960 over the past 25 years. Today, I still actively own and drive models from every decade except the 1950s. After putting 800 miles on my 296 in just a few weeks, I can say without hesitation, it’s the best Ferrari I currently own and likely the best in the lineup.

The car is exceptional on both the hills and highways. We took it through the Valley of Fire in Utah all the way to Vegas, we maxed the car out. It’s compact, incredibly nimble, and the throttle response is otherworldly. Ferrari’s execution of hybridization and forced induction is masterful. The idea that the brand is moving backward is simply false. Everyone I know who owns a 296 agrees, it’s magical.

Ferrari is clearly moving forward, and I’m grateful to be part of it. driving the cars, attending the events, knowing the people. It’s a full spectrum experience, technical, emotional, cultural and one I deeply value.

If the F80 delivers even 50% more than what the 296 offers, it will be nothing short of unbelievable. And I’m elated it’s not a V12. Downsizing with hybrid isn’t a compromise, it’s evolution.

As for the market. Ferrari has likely produced over 12,000 296 GTBs and GTSs since 2022. With the U.S. representing roughly 25% of global sales, that’s about 3,000+- cars for the U.S. Currently, only 200 are listed for sale on Ferrari’s site—just 6.5% of the U.S. production to date. That’s minimal. And contrary to claims that nobody wants them, I have three friends who just bought 296 GTB's, two traded their F8s, and one swapped his McLaren 720.

I have not been this excited about a Ferrari since I bought my first one, a 360. The 296 makes me feel like a first time buyer all over again. I get goosebumps when I drive the car, not so much with my 812 Competizione...

If you hate, then you do not know and I am not saying that humbly, I'm stating it as fact.

 

Just my 2c but the Azzurro Dino Mica has more range in the color and a rich depth. The Blu Corsa isn't as rich a shade and doesn't have the same depth to the color. It looks one dimensional with less flop. The Blu Corsa is more tame, not so flamboyant.
This might give some indication of the levels of color each shade represents >

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It will eventually be recognized for the great car it is. In the meantime I’m looking for another one because I am so smitten.

Yes- what you said is factual.

 

Do you mean the “best weight seats” that are also on the SF90XX? I have a few hundred km in those…I am not a huge fan as I find them too hard and I am not getting any younger . They wouldn’t be my choice for a long trip, although they’d be a perfect choice for a few laps on the track.

 

No one hates a Ferrari let alone a 296 / denies it's a great car. It is and so is the VS
Hybrid is not fancy - yes it's progressive but it's also 10k from Tesla to add a 3rd battery - the real problem is the secondary market.
The V6 F80 / 296VS - we know next next gen 296 will offer F80 hp -
Guess 25% or more of owners sold very quickly. In fact many walking from their deposit.

XX was a reward to VIP SF90 owners - not the case with VS, owners can sell at any time vs until delivery of XX.

My 296 Spider after 500 miles -145k loss, on a spider, that is massive and makes many upset. Win some lose some if "you" are receiving special editions and owning ones that heavily appreciate, but some will walk and never return. Marketing is the issue with the 296 not engineering.

 

It’s also self created by Ferrari requiring these purchases of folks who don’t actually want the car and sell immediately. It’s not a huge number but may be upwards of 20% of production. Their production management through client control has become too broad and they’re now hurting the brand, new customers and public perception of certain models because of the significant new value losses. They should dial it back a bit and let the market of real buyers speak louder on production numbers.

 

I have tried out the light weight seats in a friends XX- Im just waiting on my car, which was ordered with the seats. I didnt drive his car, which is the real test. However, based on a few minutes sitting in the seats, I thought they were far more comfortable than I was expecting, and I was worried about the seat height as they are not easily height adjustible, and I thought the height was not an issue at all. I wonder if they might be height adjustable the way the old racing seats before the lifter, with 4 different bolt locations, youd have to do it manually.

 

light weight seats are a must, you're paying a huge premium for the car to be lightweight so makes no sense to add them back in imo

 

I think we got the perfect storm head fake from the mixture of covid affects, stock market, car market, financial markets.

People thought they could come in and order 2 cars to get extra special treatment, sell one relatively quickly, get the next one (usually spider), then jump out of that for the special. Rates were very low. Ferrari wanted to grow sales. Lots of money floating around due to covid not being nearly as lethal as initially feared (not making light of the people who were severely affected or killed, just that at the beginning no one was sure of the actual death rate)…. But then, we discovered dumping a ton of “free” money into the economy was not a great idea, rates needed to be raised, and they were at a historic rate, insurance was kept artificially low for a decade or so (still catching up on that one, so prepare for more years of 8-30% insurance increases), people couldnt move for new opportunities, some lost jobs, Ferrari actually wanted people to hold cars for longer (they changed the rules a bit), oh they also wildly raised prices because they couldnt hit their numbers with only increased production, not the best differentiation from the SF90 causing some confusion in the market. As far as the owners are concerned, I think it was a lot of changes- new drive system, new styling, new interface, and new pricing structure. Some of this was bound to happen. Its a lot of change.

But I also think the 296 is a phenomenal sports car, and more so, it’s a great Ferrari. I think time will be kind to the 296.

 

George speaking of hard what is your experience like with the seats in the SP3? Those seats are an entirely different experience when it comes to lateral support and with a fixed height to.

 

I keep saying this...and its 100% true...when rates fall on car loans this market segment will be insane. The 296 is under priced....you tell me of another car like this that is priced similarly.

 

This will depend on the economic context of the next rate decline. If it's in response to weakening growth and disinflation, there will be countervailing pressures for the used car market to overcome.

 

I wish I could agree with you that rates lowering is a "when" thing. I think rates will stay about where we are for a little bit, maybe tick down a touch; but in the next few years I expect rates to move meaningfully higher. (and I would love to be wrong!)

 

In my geo (APAC) the economy is totally ****ed and companies are laying of people like crazy. It does not help we have a socialist, decisive and spending like a drunken sailor government that is more interested in sound bites than actual economic recovery. Not a recipe for high end car sales. Now people with $$$'s can always indulge but the 2nd hand market across all brands is atrocious. Stock is just sitting and people simply wont accept the prices offered until desperate to sell. IMO with AI and Robotics companies will downsize humans as fast as possible giving more headwinds. I am no doomsdayer but reality is painful and adjustments are necessary.

 

Agree - time will tell.
296VS & 296M aren't going to help the 296.
16M has tripled and 458Sp doubled - only because of turbo / hybrid.
Until the "mold" is broken these cars won't bottom out - history repeats itself.

Many models have risen and many factories sold out - it's not a Covid interest etc - it's a marketing issue. Ferrari was lucky to be late to the all electric party - very lucky and cancelling it.

 

Both of those models sold under msrp for a while. It took 6-7 years for the 458Sp to start to inch up. I regret not getting a scud when they were 175k.

 

Isn't the DCT of later models a dividing line that hurts those earlier 599 and Scuderia models? Yes the GTO and 16M will have carved out a niche but they are limited production comparatively and only available to a few as many are held long term.

 

I was one of the first to drive the 296, before the cars left for the 1000 Miglia. We are not all sensitive to the same things: speed, the excessive power on open roads, the pre-electric era functioning of the car, the immature video game aspect of the displays (I'm no longer 15 to watch a 3D synopsis of the car spinning on my screen...), the cheapness of the materials (they even went so far as to remove the springs that gave the 'click' when pressing the paddles in favor of a dull, low-quality 'clack'), the steering where you can't feel the front end, the complexity of the hybrid system that is at least equivalent to a NASA satellite, the lack of nobility of the TT... I could go on this list for another 10 lines... In summary, this is not my thing at all, and I feel 'no emotions' in this car. What I look for first in a Ferrari is the emotion. Lap times, I'll leave that to racing drivers for whom it is a profession, I am just an enthusiast who doesn't need more than 850 hp to be happy on an open road... We are many who think this way. All well argued opinions are respectable, it is the richness of this forum.

 

My 296 Spider after 500 miles -145k loss, on a spider, that is massive and makes many upset. Win some lose some if "you" are receiving special editions and owning ones that heavily appreciate, but some will walk and never return. Marketing is the issue with the 296 not engineering.[/QUOTE]

The problem is that people have forgotten that a Ferrari is bought for the pleasure of driving first and foremost, not for an investment, a preservation of its value, or a future gain... all of that is a "distortion" that ultimately makes very little sense and exacerbates the absurdity of the situation (when driving a Ferrari, which is a rare privilege on a global scale, no longer excites its owner, one seriously needs to reconsider things in my opinion...) Let customers buy a Ferrari, drive it, and accept to lose money by paying the price of pleasure...

 

Strange. I have owned new Ferraris since 1989. My 296 is better made with materials that are higher in quality than every prior car- of any make. I’m not saying it it’s perfect.

Immature video game? It’s a sports car- not a conservative sedan. The modern graphics are better than any other car I have ever seen.

Drive the car aggressively- it’s so much fun, fast and nimble and so road capable. It’s as if we are driving different cars. Steering feel is lacking but the suspension and nimbleness more than make up for it. My 458 spyder steering was hyper active and numb. My F12 steering was comparatively awful and my 812GTS is also inferior. Someone here recently commented how their 296 bested their 812 Comp.

What about the prior 15- 20 years of interior parts melting or engine out service requirements? Ferrari paint was even worse in the past. At one time they shared plastic parts with Fiat. A Ferrari has never been cheap to buy or maintain. We don’t buy these for the comparative value. We buy them because they are special.

Yes the 296 is complicated because it provides cutting edge performance at tolerable engineering limits for a road car. That is never cheap. You want cheap- buy a Miata.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Maybe you drove a lemon or didn’t give it enough seat time. Or it’s just not for you for reasons I may never understand.

 

Day you love to romanticize about the Ferraris of yester-year but we’ve also owned (or own) them here and they have plenty of issues

 

I agree with this. The 488/812 era paddles have a smooth and satisfying click, the 296 ones have a harsh clunk that feels cheap. Anyways, at this price we should be expecting magnetic paddles.

 

It’s a high performance car and you are complaining about the lack of a click of the paddles?

No car is perfect and these complaints are funny. Hey- magnets add weight and some people complain about the car’s weight too.

The 296 is so much more dynamically superior to every preceding regular production Ferrari - and the paddles don’t click. Lol

The 488 and F8 engines didn’t sound great- but their paddles clicked.