F8 owner who is curious about 296 but….. | Page 2 | FerrariChat
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F8 owner who is curious about 296 but…..

Discussion in '296' started by Tupper, Oct 11, 2025 at 9:22 AM.

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  1. ted 191

    ted 191 Karting

    Sep 6, 2005
    226
    yorkshire
    Full Name:
    chris heeley
    #26 ted 191, Oct 12, 2025 at 4:08 AM
    Mine used to until it had a software update.
     
  2. Tupper

    Tupper Karting

    Jun 28, 2025
    76
    Chicago area
    #27 Tupper, Oct 12, 2025 at 7:51 AM
    My next test drive, I hope, will be a McLaren 750s. I don’t keep my sports cars for too long, no matter how much I like them. It’s just my nature. I’m not a ‘forever car’ type of guy. So no matter how much I like my F8, I’m continually assessing what I plan to replace it with.

    Top contenders right now are a 296 GTB/S, a McLaren 750s, or going back to a Huracan. The one I have never driven so far is a 750s.

    There is also a dark horse in this race: a GT3. Never owned or driven one. I’ve owned a Carrera S before. Not high on my list, but it has a certain appeal to me…..
     
    jm2 likes this.
  3. LVP488

    LVP488 F1 Veteran

    Jan 21, 2017
    6,116
    France
    #28 LVP488, Oct 12, 2025 at 7:56 AM
    A GT3 is very efficient, but seriously underpowered compatred to a 296 or 750S.
    Besides, if the plan is not to keep the car, the 296 is a good option since potential issues regarding reliability (real or supposed) are not expected to be critical in the first years.
     
    Tupper likes this.
  4. Kmaaq

    Kmaaq Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Jul 26, 2019
    739
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    Full Name:
    Khalid
    #29 Kmaaq, Oct 12, 2025 at 8:51 AM
    1- The sound is better because of the hot tube system. These are tubes that pull the sound from the engine before any mufflers/OPF and channel it directly behind your head in the cabin. I'm not sure if the F8 had that.

    2- You can ask @Jo_Sta7 for an extensive comparison with the Mclaren.

    For me, I went from a 720S to a 296GTB , then swapped with my friend's 750S for a week. I did NOT enjoy that car at all. It's good at the limit, you can trust the brakes and the accuracy of the steering. However, below the limit, the experience is unrefined. The softest suspension setting is harsher than the GTB's harshest setting. The turbo lag is very noticeable. And just other little things like the whole car shaking when idling give a sense of crudeness. Not what I'm looking for when buying a cutting edge supercar.

    3- In my view, supercar performance has plateaued in the last couple of years. The differentiating factor has now become bandwidth. With the 296, I can go all out on track and achieve a respectable time, take it out for a late drive around the city and have tons of fun, go to dinner with my wife in total comfort, or use it for a quick grocery trip in complete silence and with enough space to fit my purchases. That's what I really loved about the 296.
     
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  5. Tupper

    Tupper Karting

    Jun 28, 2025
    76
    Chicago area
    #30 Tupper, Oct 12, 2025 at 9:30 AM
    Interesting that you found the 750s unrefined. Did you feel the same way about your 720s?

    In the Throttle House review of the 750s, they found the car to be too capable and lacking of any feel. It seems like the opinions vary

    Personally, I like my supercars to not be too refined. I don’t mind them feeling twitchy, nervous, chomping at the bit, if you will. That’s what I liked about my Huracan and my R8 with titanium exhaust. Refined can mean different things, I guess, so perhaps it depends on how you interpret that word
     
  6. Jo Sta7

    Jo Sta7 F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 13, 2015
    6,119
    Scottsdale/Pittsburgh
    Full Name:
    Jon
    #31 Jo Sta7, Oct 12, 2025 at 10:37 AM
    My McLaren experience is 765 not 750. Which is similar in some respects but different. 765 is intense. I love it. For me, it’s the GOAT under $1mm car. I’ll never part with mine, I think it’s really the high water mark.

    the 296 is a great counterpart to the 765 because of the breadth of its character. It can be very calm, comfortable, quiet, efficient. It’s also hilariously quick. It doesn’t have the outright scary punch of the 765 but it builds more linearly and sensually and it’s quicker at higher speeds. I also like the sound above 5k
    RPM. But the whip crack of the 765 when downshifting 4-3 is spine tingling.

    296 vs 765 below


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