Ferrari 296 GTS launched in India, priced at Rs 6.24 crore

By India Today Auto DeskThe Ferrari 296 GTS has been launched in India. It has been priced at Rs 6.24 crore with the recommended options. The car’s name combines its total displacement (2.992-litre) and the number of cylinders with the GTS (Gran Turismo Spider) acronym.

The Ferrari 296 GTS introduces a new engine type to flank the marque’s multi-award-winning 8-cylinder and 12-cylinder power units — a new 663cv 120° V6 coupled with an electric motor capable of delivering a further 122kW (167cv). This is the first 6-cylinder engine installed on a road car sporting the Prancing Horse badge. It produces a massive 830cv total power output.

With the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system, the Ferrari 296 GTS delivers a 25km range in all-electric eDrive mode. The car’s compact dimensions and the introduction of innovative dynamic control systems as well as meticulously honed aero ensure that the driver will instantly experience its astonishing agility and responsiveness to commands.

The sporty, sinuous design and extremely compact dimensions of the Ferrari 296 GTS also visually underscore its exceptional modernity, referencing the likes of the 1963 250 LM. The retractable hard top inside the engine compartment inspired the Ferrari styling centre team to create a new tonneau cover design, the geometries of which have produced styling elements very different to the Ferrari spiders of the recent past.

The very first Ferrari V6 featured a 65° architecture and debuted on the 1957 1500cc Dino 156 F2 single-seater. This was followed in 1958 by bigger displacement versions on the front-engine sport prototypes – the 196 S and 296 S – and F1 cars, such as the 246 F1.

The very first Ferrari to sport a mid-rear mounted V6 was the 246 SP in 1961, which won, amongst others, the Targa Florio that year as well as in 1962. Also in 1961, Ferrari secured its first Constructors’ title in the Formula 1 World Championship with the 156 F1, which was powered by a 120° V6.

Ferrari first installed turbos between an engine’s cylinder banks on the 126 CK in 1981 and subsequently on the 126 C2 in 1982, which became the first turbocharged car to win the Formula 1 Constructors’ World Championship title. This was followed up with a second title in 1983 with the 126 C3. Lastly, V6 turbo hybrid architecture has been used on all Formula 1 single-seaters since 2014.