Ferrari says its new supercar is fast and powerful, but it’s mostly about having fun

When it goes into production early next year, the 296 GTB will be the first 6-cylinder sports car made by Ferrari since the mid-1970s. It’s also the first V6 car to bear the company’s own brand name.While it won’t be the fastest Ferrari model, executives promised that it will be among the most enjoyable.”The 296 GTB is for clients who want to achieve the most fun to drive,” said Ferrari’s chief marketing officer Enrico Galliera. This model wasn’t created to replace any models in Ferrari’s current lineup, but is an entirely new type of car for the brand, Galliera said in a video press conference.The 296 GTB has the shortest wheelbase — the distance between the front and rear wheels — of any of Ferrari’s current models. It gets its power from a 654-horsepower gasoline engine behind its two seats and from a 164-horsepower electric motor. It also has an 8-speed automatic dual clutch transmission similar to those on Formula 1 race cars. The 296 GTB’s top speed is over 205 miles an hour.When fully charged, the 296 GTB can travel up to 15 miles on electric power alone, at speeds of up to 84 miles an hour, before the gasoline engine has to come on. Customers who want more aggressive performance can opt for the Assetto Fiorano package, which offers more performance-tuned suspension, lighter weight and revised aerodynamic features. This version will also be available with a special racecar-inspired paint job.Besides performance, engineers worked to create the proper Ferrari engine sound, a high-pitched metallic shriek at high engine speeds, Ferrari chief technology officer Michael Leiters said.Ferrari hasn’t made a V6-powered production car since the Dino models of the late 1960s and early ’70s. Because it didn’t offer the performance and driving experience of Ferrari’s V8- and V12-powered cars, the Dino models were sold initially under their own name without any Ferrari badging.The 296 GTB is different in that it provides power and performance worthy of the Ferrari brand, said Galliera.This isn’t Ferrari’s first plug-in hybrid. The Italian supercar maker already offers the 986-horsepower SF90 Stradale, which has a V8 engine and three electric motors. Ferrari has said it will introduce its first fully electric car in 2025. The 296 GTB is most similar to Ferrari’s 710-horsepower F8 Tributo, which has a V8 engine and is slightly lighter than the GTB.The new Ferrari model will cost about €296,000 in Italy, including taxes. That figure is equivalent to about $353,000. Ferrari has not yet said how much it will cost in other markets.