My Early 296 Ownership Impression

I loved our F8 so much that I sold it once and then bought it back when it came up for sale a year later.

Traded for a 296GTS and have zero regrets!

 

I REALLY LOVE THIS CAR! I had one a couple years ago, traded it towards a giallo Pista that had satin PPF .....made the car look almost triple layer but flatter. I went a while with it but never 'got over' the 296. I liked the 296's ability to just do everything really good! The Pista, whilst being a fantastic Ferrari, and probably the smartest one to hold onto, just didn't do everything completely. IMO more of a specific purpose vs a do everything fantastically.
I moved the Pista to get back in to a 296GTB. I definitely wanted another yellow, this time the triplo strato, I found my perfect spec except one issue....no LED steering wheel. I was shocked and have seen only 2 or 3 spec'd without one. I was faced with, did I love the spec enough, and that being the only downside, I went ahead. I've never "won" the resale battle, ever...lol, so I don't really care, and those led's are never used for a purpose for me personally. I have two others that have it, I don't track my cars, so no biggie. The non-led was reflected in the price, and so was the paint...kind of a wash. IF I ever part with it, I already know the deal so ...
No plans to part with this beauty at anytime at this point

 

You guys crack me up. So far I've been under the good grace of someone higher up. Couple of close encounters. Florida has this super speeder law now, if going over 100, likely to be arrested. That's like 2 seconds in the 296...
When I'm in the mclaren at speed and hit the brakes, the giant air brake pops up basically screaming arrest me, dead giveaway.

 

To be fair to you, the LED's are cool but fairly useless in the 296. I was really looking forward to using them in my first ferrari. But the darn car revs up so fast that I can't really react fast enough to the lights flashing by. In 2nd gear, forget it. 3rd gear by the time you reach the rev limit, you're going well over 100. Not too many occasions to risk it if I want to stay out of jail. I find my eyes actually glued to the road and the speedo on the HUD to keep things in check.

 

My first citation he clocked me at 112 but after some respectful chatting about Ferraris and his own American muscle cars he cited me for 89 allowing me to do traffic school. Super cool guy. He even told me where’s the best place to go to push the car and let me know there were 3 other CHP units up ahead. A smile, humility and human connection go a long way. Not just in this situation but just in general.

 

FWIW, it’s not just where to push but when. Police do a change over around 4-5 AM. There’s no one there. So if you can get up and want to really blast, that’s when to do it. Hypothetically, of course.

 

Agreed! I look at the HUD much more than I ever have the LEDs in any of my current or past F cars. Being of the age of growing up driving nothing but manual transmission cars, I certainly don't need lights to know when to shift by looking at lights on the steering wheel ...feel & sound works for me. Yes they're cool and basically a given in most Ferraris today, but they're not a must have personally, especially when not using for track purposes.

 

I think we need pictures! We have a 12 C in triple strato coming - off getting PPF and Ceramic. Very anxious to see in person. It seems to look a bit different in every photo.

 

triplo strato Is such a great color, hands down my favorite ferrari color. Orlando had one GTS recently in that color. Was very tempting!!!

 

Very true — this car is insanely fast and rock solid at high speeds. I don’t even drive, I just casually cruise at 120 mph . On my last Chicago-to-Detroit run, I had an open stretch of road, rolled into the throttle at 120, and before I could blink I was at 169.

This thing is genuinely jail-time fast

 

To be fair, are there any modern Ferraris that are not fast?

Even the Puro feels fast, without much effort at all.

 

Congratulations! Must be seen to be appreciated. I hope you love it as much as I do! I covered everything but the roof in PPF. Definitely need pictures when yours arrives
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Stunning!!!
This car is aging so well esp relative to the newer designs and the questionable SF90 looks.

 

Thank you! That is gorgeous.

 

Agreed! Such a good design mix of old and new Ferrari , IMO.

 

I love this color.

 

I completely agree. It’s beautiful

 

Very stunning. Any reason you did not PPF the roof? I did the entire car so if I drive it in the rain I don't get hard water marks or any swirling when you wash it.

 

Here are a couple of pictures from the Dealer (Sorry for 12C content)


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whoa! Looks amazing. I’m sure you considered a colored caliper but black works good with those more flashy wheels, and ties in with all the black trim.

 

Such a seductive and classic shape
View attachment 3894162

 

Wow! That’s the first 12C I’ve seen in TS….it’s stunning! Love it!!

 

It is a personal preference, really. Generally speaking, I prefer calipers to blend and complement rather than stand out. Our Blu Abu Dhabi 812 has TDF wheels with blue calipers. Our F8 was Blu Nart with silver calipers under silver wheels.

But then, the Black 296GTS has yellow calipers that you see from 5 miles! And, for that car, it looks pretty spectacular.

 

A funny thing happened yesterday. One of the building maintenance guys commented that he saw my car (296GTS) and thinks it looks really great. He has never mentioned the 812 or F8. And he is not really a car guy. The 296 is a beautiful car in anyone’s eyes. Well, except the few Soreheads on FChat who think it is bland/boring.

 

I am surprised by how many compliments I get. I thought the 296gts was alright at first but it grew on me. The physical presence over pictures really adds to it. There are a couple angles where I think they could have done better. Basically looking at the front from a 45 degree angle and then the side by the buttress. However, I have received numerous compliments from non car people who have not complimented my other cars. I think there's something about how low and wide it is and the curves of the glass.