Currently reading: New Ferrari 296 GTB: 819bhp PHEV to gain convertible option
Maranello gears up to extend its open-roof line-up with a new version of its V6 hybrid

Hot on the heels of the new Ferrari 296 GTB will be a drop-top variant, which has been spotted on public roads for the first time.

The prototype snapped by our photographers wears characteristically heavy camouflage, but it's clear that the open-roof 296 will be nearly identical to the already-revealed coupé when its roof is closed.

In keeping with Ferrari nomenclature tradition, it will likely be called the 296 GTS, arriving to join the Portofino M, F8 Spider, 812 GTS and SF90 Spider as the newest and final member of Maranello's convertible line-up. It's not anticipated that the new Roma coupé will gain a convertible option, given its close mechanical relationship to the Portofino.

The 296 GTB draws heavily on styling cues taken from the SF90 Stradale flagship, and as such the convertible version looks to use a similar roof-opening set-up to the SF90 Spider.

The roof itself is likely to be made of aluminium to save weight and space and could be retracted in as little as 14sec. Like the SF90 Spider, the 296 GTS is expected to feature a small rear screen that can be raised or lowered on demand. 

Ferrari 296 gts 3

Otherwise, it will be mechanically and technically identical to its coupé sibling, meaning power will come from a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine and an electric motor inside the eight-speed automatic gearbox.

All in, the system produces 819bhp; and because Ferrari convertibles are so closely matched in performance terms to their fixed-roof siblings, the 296 GTS should crack the 0-62mph sprint in around 3.0sec and hit a top speed of more than 205mph. 

There has been no official word on a scheduled unveiling, but Ferrari tends to leave a gap of roughly six months between coupé and convertible variants, so the wraps are likely to come off around the end of this year.

As for price, we expect the 296 GTS to command a premium of about £30,000 over the £231,000 GTB and for customer deliveries to begin in the second half of 2022. 

READ MORE

New Ferrari 296 GTB: 819bhp PHEV brings back V6 power​

Ferrari Portofino M 2021 UK review

New Ferrari SF90 Spider debuts in UK as 986bhp drop-top hybrid​

Advertisement

Read our review

Car review

Ferrari’s electrified era starts with a 987bhp plug-in supercar of epic capabilities

Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: News and features editor

Felix is Autocar's news editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

Join the debate

Comments
2
Add a comment…
Peter Cavellini 3 August 2021

Not the finished article, I hope, bit Corvette at the rear.

Symanski 3 August 2021

Breaking news: Bear spotted going to toilet in wooded area...