FERRARI used the celebrated 24 Hours of Le Mans to unveil its ultra-exclusive 296 Speciale with track-focused Piloti Ferrari configuration, paying homage to the 499P that may go on to win the gruelling endurance race for the third yr working.
The Prancing Horse rolled out the unique mannequin on the eve of the race, utilizing the Circuit de la Sarthe as its backdrop, celebrating a return to the rostrum within the hypercar class of Le Mans lately.
Impressed by the 499P – which gained the race once more this yr, shortly after the reveal – the 296 Speciale with Piloti Ferrari setup acts as a tribute to the 2023 race winner, emblazoned with the profitable crew’s 51 quantity in addition to a hand-painted Italian flag.
Apparently, racer-clients will be capable of select the quantity they want to have displayed on the bonnet of their 296 Speciale Piloti, and the mannequin might be out there in 4 racing-inspired color schemes – Rosso Scuderia, Blu Tour De France, Nero Daytona and Argento Nürburgring.
Whereas it isn’t overtly clear as to precisely who might be eligible to buy the (presumably very costly) 296 Speciale in Piloti guise, the corporate acknowledged in its announcement that it the mannequin might be “reserved for purchasers concerned in Ferrari’s official sporting actions – each aggressive and non-competitive”.
It’s clear then that, on the very least, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, of the Scuderia Ferrari F1 crew, might be eligible to spend their winnings on the racer-only mannequin.
Efficiency stays the identical as the usual 296 Speciale, which is powered by a mid-rear-engined twin-turbo V6, with help offered from an electrical motor, producing complete outputs of 648kW/755Nm.
This makes the race-inspired 296 Speciale extra highly effective than its 499P inspiration, with the Le Mans automotive producing a extra subdued 500kW from its twin-turbo V6 engine.
Other than the motorsport-inspired livery, the Piloti Ferrari variant options racing seats shod with thermoformed Alcantara, full with inserts created from the identical fireproof materials because the drivers’ race fits.
Ferrari additionally permits patrons to customize the steel footwell floor and carbon-fibre door sill, amongst another livery particulars that make their approach into the cabin.
With the usual 296 Speciale going for upwards of $700,000, the Piloti model is more likely to hike that worth additional north – however bear in mind patrons should additionally qualify as respectable track-goers.
Whereas Ferrari has not disclosed what number of might be produced, the final time it produced a Piloti particular was with the 488 Pista in 2018 and it’s rumoured that solely round 40 of these had been constructed.
There’s a great probability, then, that 296 Speciale Piloti might be simply as unique.
