296 GT3?

It really makes sense considering the 296 will replace the F8, even if it's not stated officially.
The F8 being more or less an improved 488, if the plan would be to continue it the next GT3 could be an F8, which would actually be a rebranded 488 GT3 evolution.
But the reality is that the F8 is not a sustainable platform for the future, so it will be phased out with the 296 ramp up - and then what other car could Ferrari use for a GT3?

 

It could also be a clever ruse to pique 296 GTB interesting until they announce the F8 replacement.

 

Wow if Ferrari ever replaced the F8 V8 TT and sell along with the 296 GTB , there would be an instant out roar.

Imagine that !!!!!

 

and presumably the next Ferrari Challenge car too

 

Well there's a small, but important assumption there! F8 replacement = V8 TT or V6 TT? Perhaps the F8 replacement becomes an MHEV while the 296 is the PHEV with the more substantial battery etc.

 

Time will tell. But one thing for sure given the price of the 296 GTB a F8 update would be Pista pricing.

Imagine if you will a Pista with the interior a SF90 and the ICE 4.0 Liter of the SF90.

 

I'd put my money on the 296 being the F8 replacement - since they announced the 296 so far ahead of being able to deliver it to customers, they do not tell that yet and will let the F8 smoothly die.

 

To meet regs they would have to delete the hybrid tech. Hopefully that would lead to a lighter, ICE only, road going version

 

They've made it abundantly clear that the 296 GTB is not the replacement for the F8. That said, @MANDALAY and @graeme355 may be onto something.

The current scheme, whether intentional or not, is 4 total segments, which I'll take my own liberties at naming:

1. Hyper
2. Super
   
3. Sports
4. Touring/Entry

Within each category, it seems they're aiming to have two tiers:

• A: Hybrid Assisted PHEV
  
• B: Turbo or (dying) NA ICE (which I predict will eventually become MHEV)

To make the lineup easier to understand:

2021
1A = None present (was LaF)
1B = None present (was Monza)
2A = SF90 (789hp V8 TT + 217hp EV)
2B = 812 (789hp V12 NA)
3A = None present (Soon to be 296 GTB 654hp V6 TT + 164hp EV)
3B = F8 (710hp V8 TT)
4A = None present (Maybe Purosangue)
4B = Roma/Portofino M (612hp V8 TT -- Detuned 3B <-- the clue)
​

Here's the thing that I think @MANDALAY and @graeme355 may have touched upon or at least triggered the thought for me.. the recipe if you will for absorbing engine and drivetrain R&D. For the geeks out there:

Future (x)B Powerplant = Today's (x-1) "A" ICE Powerplant Detuned

Example:

Present 3B = 710hp V8 TT
Future 3B = Today's 2A ICE Powerplant Detuned = SF90 789hp V8 TT Detuned
​

There's plenty of room to detune that engine and still get great performance. It's also lighterweight and sits lower. If you follow that logic, it would make a lot of sense that maybe....

Present 4B = Roma/PortoM 710hp V8TT
Future 4B = Today's 3A ICE Powerplant Detuned = 296GTB 654hp V6 TT Detuned
​

Again, plenty of breathing room relative to 612hp, lighter weight means you'll feel the horses even more in the 4B platform, and pedigree is there if they can fulfill their promises on the V6 TT delivering sound + results.​

 

Regulations are playing against pure ICE, no matter how logical it would be; so for me (not that I like it) the evolution is going towards hybrid and pure electric, not ICE (no matter how detuned it would be) and hybrid.

In addition Ferrari claims the 296 is not replacing the F8 because they do not want F8 buyers to cancel their orders while the 296 cannot yet be delivered - but if one looks at the expected schedules it looks like the F8 will end production when the 296 will actually be available.

So it looks like the F8 will be replaced buy the 296, or will not be replaced at all - wich has the same result. In Europe F8 and 296 are priced similarly (the 296 ending just a little more expensive, as is usual with each generation change) and are in the same mid-engine sports car segment, so no matter what Ferrari claims they are in the same segment.

One has to consider the hybrid choice is not an engineering alternative to the pure ICE solution (which would justify offering both solutions), it's purely driven by regulations.

 

While my post is long, I hoped that it would be noticed that my prediction is that the B subline of the models (1)/(2)/(3)/(4) above would become MHEV in the future. The reduction in emissions by bringing the 4B line (Roma/PortoM) to a V6 TT ICE is not only much more economical, but likely to meet CO2 emissions requirements to bridge the development until an MHEV system is ready and available.

I can see why someone could think this, but history tends to show that buyers would have the opposite reaction. A confirmation from Ferrari that the F8 is the last ICE V8 that they would ship would see speculators, collectors, and fanboys alike to the F8. It's most likely the SF90 V8 detuned that's coming next or an MHEV V6, which really isn't necessary yet -- I think Ferrari will hang onto ICE for as long as they can because the price points, margins, collectability, etc are worth milking until the cost of EV related commodities goes down further.

 

there's a thread for that
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/is-296-gtb-supposed-to-be-f8-replacement.643883/

.

 

Interesting comment by Coletta:

“I think it’s very, very early. We have more chance to choose the model because there exist more projects that are coming”

 

The issue i have with the 256 GTB is that the price difference between it and the SF90 is way too big. The SF90 is nearly double.

Everyone has said that the 259 GTB is the replacement for the F8 but I've been told all along that it isn't and Ferrari has also come out and said that. I interpret a different way. To me its saying look out for a F8 replacement.

Also i have been told there will be many more new models with limited numbers , not VS but a control on numbers produced so as they hold value better.

If i had a F8 on order i wouldn't cancel it for the 259 GTB. To me its a different car. But imagine as i said if the F8 gets replaced by a New F8 with the SF90 4 liter engine and priced right in the middle of the SF90 , 259 GTB. Hum.

My gut doesn't tell me its the end with the 259 GTB and SF90.

 

Which cars would those be?

 

See just tells me how **** the name is !