296 VS

The one thing 296 is lacking (relatively speaking) is the sound of the ferrari NA motor. For a turbo motor it sounds good but the sound is muffled. Its brakes are better, front end is more direct. The best thing in my view is that u enjoy it driving slow. The 458 i never liked at slow speeds. It felt numb and not that sharp. And the brakes were not great. I do miss the manic revs and sound of the old NA V8. If only ferrari would do a NA V8 and to appease the hp wars just add the hybrid).

Enzo was all about the engine first and i think thats what i feel @day355 is focused on. No turbo engine can come close in ferocity and emotion. The pista i never cared for. It revved so fast to a measley 8k . Didn't get to enjoy it like the NA motor. Same case for the sf90. I want the emotion of reving the newer cars like the 458 all the way to 9k. Those last 1k were special. I think the 296 has some of that feel. Unfortunately I have never experienced that same rawness in any modern twin turbos to that same extent. The NA v12 in the puro, 12C all struggle with the same issue of sound muffled and muted due to the current regulations.

 

Dude.. I've never said anything bad about the 296. I keep saying it's my favorite car ever over and over. I even said I just bought a Pista and I think the 296 is better. Am I not allowed to complain about the things keeping this car from being perfect? Why shouldn't I complain about something that used to be better?

 

You could say there are a lot more issues, LOL.

Pretty sure Day is just a bot programmed to drag Ferrari down, he posts the same tired script in every modern Ferrari thread, just shuffled around with new words like he’s running on Windows 95.

I daily my F296 and just got back from a few hours behind the wheel. If you don’t love this car, you must be clinically dead inside. The old cars don't cancel the new ones and vice versa, buy and drive whatever you like.

I wonder if there are any members who prefer modern stuff, constantly ragging on the older cars and cluttering up those threads with unnecessary drivel. I stay out of the threads relating to cars I am not interested in but it would be interesting to know.

 

Because of regulations- even normally aspirated 12 cylinder engines are being produced with very little sound.

Therefore, that too is game over. The fact that the engine sounds good with a turbo six with hybrid is a magnificent achievement.

Ferrari should provide cars without the GPF to the American market- we would pay more for the option. Otherwise normally aspirated is no longer a real issue- IMO.

Interestingly- I have two normally aspirated special 911 Porsches. Without modifications- they don’t sound as good as my 296.

 

“Dude”- complain about whatever you want. I found it amusing. No offense meant. Your entitled to your opinion.

 

Funny I have owned F Cars for 15+ years and had no major issues I can think of. The 458 Speciale with the 296 Speciale will be an awesome pair. A decade apart, different "but the same" - really looking forward to the 296 Speciale !!

 

that would be a spectacular combo. Very fortunate are those in the position to have both!

 

I heard about it, but that one... Ask to @JackCongo who saw the robot in flesh and blood for 6 days in a row in June !

 

Mr. has a keen sense of democracy !
Let's all say that it's exceptional, let's all unconditionally love the hybrids, and let's close the threads because there would be nothing left to say except to congratulate ourselves.

 

No, one of the factory cars with the numbers on the bodywork that went to the 1000 Miglia... I'm talking to you about "emotions". This summer I went on a Challenge Stradale in the mountains, and even if you think your 296 is better in every aspect, every day I take a CS without hesitating for a second!!! The straight-line performance and the hundreds of unusable horsepower, I just sit on that...

 

The pull of the older paddles was more satisfying, especially the big ones in the Speciale. It felt softer and at the same
Time responsive. I personally like pulling the 296 paddles the least of the McLaren and Z06. And it’s more satisfying to push a starter button.

 

So your idea of discourse consists of constant relentlessly complaining? You do know you can also talk about other topics a lot more interesting than constantly complaining about modern Ferraris, come on give it a go, say something positive about the modern Ferraris. There must be something you like about them, let’s hear it. LOL

 

The pedals in the GT3RS make this metallic clicking sound, frankly they annoy me I like the 296 much better, there you have it, it’s literally impossible to please everyone

 

I am with you, there are a few things that Ferrari could have done to really set it apart. We can probably say this about many cars but I did expect more, especially at this price point. I will say it is the most easy to drive Ferrari I have ever owned.

 

I actually think the price gap between the 296 Speciale and the standard models will help, just a little bit, the standard models 296.

Yes, but…. most of us work hard for money and while the car has to be about emotion and fun, you still have to live within your means and be (at least somewhat) practical. When considering a purchase of this sort, one has to take all of this into account. If the company wants to sell cars based solely on fun and emotion, that is their choice, but, if the cars were to hold zero value, I think youd find sales would (rightly) evaporate. Value retention is an important part of the Ferrari experience. It is not the only part and sometimes you do better, and sometimes worse. But with the 296, there was a lot of newness: new styling (inside and out), new drive system, new interface, and new pricing plan. The value retention for the 296 is a bit off the prior models (not terribly in % terms but definitely in dollar terms), but really not terribly out of line (% wise) when you look at history. I only make the point that value retention is an important factor. When we speak as Ferraristi, we love the history, the brand, the cars; but we still have to also speak as somewhat practical people.

It’s funny you mentioned the paddles. When I first tried the paddles in the SF90, I had the same reaction: what did they do? They used to be much nicer. However, now when I go between my 296 and say my Pista, I find the paddles to feel better on the 296. The Pista are still good, but the 296 feels a bit more mechanical/ stable.

When the 458 came out, I was very critical, I thought they ruined the styling, they made the car too soft, they made the shifts too smooth. I was driving a friends car and I drove it somewhat slowly. Why is the outside rear tire trying to overdrive during corners. It didnt occur to me until I drove another friends car, he said, drive it like we did when you took me to the track, so I did- a bit. And then it occurred to me- there is a beast lurking beneath the easy going car they have provided. On one hand the car fits nicely into modern life, on the other hand, wow, this is incredible! I loved it. So I ordered one. I find the 296 is very similar in that if you drive the car with just a little throttle, thats all thats really needed because of so much torque, and if you just are going along nice and easy, you could easily miss the incredible monster car that is there waiting. Even the sound, once you are in the upper part of the rev range, it is really excellent engine sound mixed with some exhaust note. My opinion is if you haven’t tried these cars with CT off and qualifying mode, then you haven’t really experienced what they are about, but you have to be mindful that the nanny’s are dialed back, so you will own your consequences a bit more.

 

Literally this lol. Even my opinion and feelings change depending on the day.

 

Me and others complain, you and others praise, you see we define a sort of balance... I love the 12C which is modern and gives you the impression of having a wheelbase of 296, so I am not resistant to novelty.

 

The newer models will make the current 296 look like an absolute bargain. They will certainly be far more expensive. For example: The 296VS is a mid-$600s car. Does it make sense that there is a $300k price difference between a barely used 2023 296 GTB vs a Speciale?

 

The older models (458, 488 & F8) make the 296 look like an absolute bargain right now.

The brakes in my 458 occasionally didn’t work. The steering was hyper active and numb. It cost $13k to fix the sticky bits. And it was still a great car. The 296 destroys it in every way except for engine sound- but the 296 still sounds really good and much better than a 488 and F8.

Emotion? I get very excited looking forward to driving it and the car feels like it’s hardwired to my brain when driving it.

My dad doesn’t understand either. But he’s 94.

 

Modify - add exhaust / RPM's for less than the cost of a stripe.
Dino who designed 246 and engine - used it for F1, modified. That's the real shame - his passing.
269 is the F80 - 9200 rpm 1200 hp - guessing for 20k a 296 could match it.
SF90 - 7 years later it's still the fastest in class - fwiw love the sounds of the SF90.

Enzo was all about racing - went broke trying to win with the most beautiful cars.
Sounds have been muffled way before the Puro 12Ci - way before.

 

I love them. No comparison to the XX seats.

 

i had to put my 296 for sale two weeks ago… and i hate every second not having it in my garage …. i may just go pick it up soon …. its am AMAZING FERRARI !!!! and i have only driven it 120 miles …. and i dont care that my car had a 595k sticker …. i would own the cheapest one out thete in the market today

 

What a roller coaster post

 

I will say the comments from my friends are very positive in terms of looks and from certain angles it does really look good. I do like how it drives, I am not sure how someone could have a complaint from this perspective.

 

People these days will complain about anything. You could drag a bus full of innocent orphans and puppies back from the edge of a cliff, and someone would still rage that you held up traffic. That’s the kind of absurd logic we’re dealing with nowadays.