Trade an 812 GTS or Pista for 296 Speciale?

Oh that’s a vicious one.

812GTS + 296 Speciale = a front N/A V12 GT convertible for touring and a cutting edge rear V6TT-H for tight and nimble. 812 is the best sounding of the three.

But you lose the Pista, which is the best looking V8 since the Challenge Stradale and will likely gain the most value.

Pista + 296 = keeping the most collectible of the three, and adding the most modern special series.

But with two coupes, and both being stiffer ride, you won’t have a convertible and the one that is more comfortable for days or events where you want to cruise.

I would probably lean towards keeping the GTS. Pista is the most beautiful to me, but it seems like guys trade them out without driving them much at all. I have no experience with the Pista, but have driven the F8 in several sessions and prefer the 296 over the F8. Go wring out the 296 at Corso and you’ll know which you want.

 

Just sold my 812GTS and previously sold my Pista. Getting a 296SA, and plan to keep it alongside my 458 Speciale. With the 296GTB, I wasn’t driving the 812 as much, and I have a 12 Cilindri coming. It was a tough decision, but I’ll be happy in the end. As far as what to keep, I was very disappointed in the sound of the Pista, and if it sounded as good as a base 296, I would have kept it. Hard choices, but I suggest seeing what you think at Corsa Pilota.

 

Congrats on the allocation. I would vote to sell the GTS and keep the pista. Pista will continue to go up in value and is by far one of the best looking F cars. Although it will now become more mileage sensitive so you have to think about what your use case is for the Pista. I prefer the driving dynamics of the 296 over the Pista so its more the above factors for me.

On the flip side, You can replace the 812 with 12C. 12C in my view is a much better driving car. More confidence when pushing…depends on your style. Re sound, i didnt think the 812gts sounded as good as the pre gpf coupes so i am not taking that into consideration.

goodluck!

 

If you would truly need to move one or both of those cars to go for the new one, I would keep both.

But if you want to continue with the brand then you have to choose and I would probably sell the Pista. Thats because I find the 296 is a better choice for most people to drive than the Pista. It actually feels a bit more of the traditional mid engine Ferrari ethos of fun to rotate, fun to rev, fun to drive (sorry for the use of fun). The 12 Cilindri is a nice car, objectively better, but they’ve been forced to make the car much less about the engine. It’s a wonderful GT car, but, for me, pushing the engine into the orchestra, as opposed to letting it be the lead guitarist who shreds and goes bananas, it’s just not the same.

 

i'd probably keep both unless you're doing track work - hard to see the 296 spec being any faster in reality on the roads than a pista

 

Yes, I love having a convertible too, here in Vegas it's mostly for night driving. But going to Utah to the mountains, or down to the coast in SoCal, is also part of it. The V12 GT is a very useable, versatile platform that you can cruise comfortably, then on an open road switch to Race/Manual and romp on it a bit, then go back to soft shock mode and Auto when in traffic again.

 

I would keep the GTS and sell the pista for the 296S. Because you emphasize driving, the experience between the pista and 296S is largely similar. The GTS offers the top down v12 experience.

I would say the opposite if you were a collector speculating on value over time.