The new Ferrari 296 GTS, spider version of the GTB, makes its debut in perfect synchrony with the arrival of summer. Joined to the coupé by the propulsion scheme, the Ferrari 296 GTS shares its absolute technical level. But it takes the same characterization devoted to the pleasure and purity of driving to a higher level if you want it, adding that unparalleled touch that is the experience in plain air.
To make it possible is a retractable hardtop that takes 14 seconds to complete the opening and closing movement, even in motion up to 45 km / h. The cover is divided into two parts, which are housed above the front of the engine without affecting either the heat dissipation characteristics that develop in the compartment or the design. In addition, the Ferrari style center, under the leadership of Flavio Manzoni, has introduced a glass panel in the rear part of the engine compartment that lets you see the new V6, while with the hood open, the passenger compartment and the rear are separated by an electrically adjustable glass rear window.
The heart of this new creation of the Cavallino is the same as the Ferrari 296 GTB: the brand new 3.0 V6 Biturbo F163 with the angle between the banks of 120 °, which, thanks to its width, has allowed a "warm V" configuration to be obtained. By its power of 663 hp at 8,000 rpm (with a limiter at 8,500), this thermal unit has allowed Ferrari to set a new benchmark among road cars in terms of specific power: 221 hp / l.
There are also specificities on the V6 adopted by the discovery compared to the one destined for the Ferrari 296 GTB sports car. The main one resides in the different architecture of the so-called "hot pipe" exhaust note adduction system: as on the coupé, it picks up the sound upstream of the emissions treatment system and brings it into the passenger compartment, but here it has been redesigned as a consequence of the different shape of the engine compartment, modified on the GTS sports car to house the soft top when driving in the open.
The thermal unit in the Ferrari 296 GTS plug-in hybrid sports car is accompanied by an electric one that adds 167 HP and which brings the total calculation to 830 HP, simultaneously allowing it to travel up to 25 kilometers with zero emissions, up to a maximum speed of 135 km / h. The electric motor, located downstream of the crankshaft, between the main engine and the gearbox (the latest variant of the DCT double-clutch, the eight-speed one), is connected via the latter to the rear wheels only and is powered by a very compact battery, with a total capacity of 7.45 kWh.
The logic of the operation of this axial flow unit is similar to that of the Formula 1 MGU-K: it recharges the battery, which is positioned behind the seats, starts the internal combustion engine, and above all, increases its performance in the acceleration phase when it can deliver an additional torque of 315 Nm.
