Say hello to the Ferrari 296 GT3: first images of the new Italian missile for endurance racing, and get scared

Little by little the promising future of the GT3 category is materializing, and each new competitor impresses us even more than the previous one. If at the beginning of July we were amazed by the new  Porsche 911 GT3 R , now with  the revelation  of the  Ferrari 296 GT3  we are drooling directly.

And it's for good reason since the elaborate aerodynamics are combined with the "berlinetta" profile of the original 296 GTB to create something that  looks almost more like a boat  than a GT. Of course he looks menacing , and he already leaves us envious of what he can do on the track. But for that, we will have to wait for its debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2023.

Closer to a prototype than a touring car

Replacing  the 488  GT3, one of Ferrari's most successful modern Gran Turismos, was no easy task. But “the red empire” never takes a challenge for impossible and the 296 GT3 is  a whole new story .

On the "blank canvas" and making the most of the limits of the regulations, the 296 GT3 reduces the original monocoque of its street counterpart to the minimum expression, placing there a  fully modular body  where the front and the rear can be dismantled. and replace if broken.

Everywhere you look, everything is dedicated either to lightness or to  aerodynamic lift . In the latter look,  the fenders and lower lip of the  front bumper stick out (which somehow maintain the “evil smile” of its predecessor), the oversized side skirts which outline the flat bottom and, of course, the  rear spoiler. 

Then, of course, there is your  engine . The  GTB's standard twin-turbo V6  retains much of the basic features of  the production model , with the same three-liter displacement and 120-degree sloping benches.

However, this propeller renounces (by regulation) its hybrid system, receiving in compensation a power  estimated at around 600 HP  at 7,250 RPM. It's said to be estimated because, like good players, the Italians haven't released the official figure.

Either way, the Ferrari 296 GT3 looks brutal and there are still many months to see it do battle  against its rivals . At present,  the fight to be the most intimidating  is already more than won.