F8 owner who is curious about 296 but…..

Mine used to until it had a software update.

 

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…..

 

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.

 

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.