Ferrari’s new mid-engined halo, the 296 GTB, is unlike any that have come before. It’s a plug-in hybrid, with a twin-turbo six-cylinder engine; a virtual antithesis to Maranello’s long line of esteemed naturally-aspirated V8s. A sign of the times, indeed.
And yet, so fast and focused is it that you’d be hard-pressed to call the radical new 296 GTB anything other than a triumph. To sample how good it is for ourselves, we head to the storied Fiorano Test Track to put it through its paces. Without giving too much away, the radical all-new car ushers in a whole new era of performance at Maranello.
As we welcome in a new champion of performance, we bid a solemn farewell to two supercar stalwarts. We grab the keys to Nissan’s long-lived R35 GT-R and the enduring Audi R8 V10 for one last hurrah deep into the Victorian High Country.
From there, we head north and take Porsche’s fast and forward-thinking Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo on a ghost tour of Queensland’s proposed Sunshine Coast International TT. Inspired by the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, the stillborn road race would have seen the bravest of souls navigate 47km of treacherous tarmac around the rural town of Maleny. How does the 460kW/850Nm EV handle Queensland’s toughest roads? Bundaberg native Cameron Kirby finds out.
But what to do when established brands like Porsche and Ferrari just don’t cut it? In the case of film-turned-carmaker, James Glickenhaus, you simply build your own and take the fight to the giants at the world’s most famous 24-hour endurance races. A bespoke new hypercar backed by extensive racing development is big news, especially when it comes with a central-seat, a H-Pattern manual gearbox and a 6.2-litre supercharged 480kW V8. We track test both road and race versions of Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus’ new SCG004 to see if this ambitious American startup can truly take the fight to Ferrari.
Further back, Andy Enright explores the Top Ten greatest innovations that shaped the modern performance landscape while Trent Giunco and Warren Luff give you the inside line on Melbourne’s historic Sandown Raceway in this month’s Track Guide.
This month’s edition of Sweet Dream sees us dream up a Maserati-badged track day special, while our humble long-term garage welcomes something mid-engined, with 530kW, and the doors of a billionaire. Any guesses?
There’s more gold to unearth in the March edition of MOTOR Magazine, including our first drives of BMW’s M4 Competition xDrive Convertible and Porsche’s ballistic 911 Turbo S Cabriolet.
You can find the March edition of MOTOR in stores and on sale now or, better yet, subscribe here for a sweet deal and get all the good stuff delivered straight to your door!
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Keyword: We drive Ferrari's revolutionary new 296 GTB this month in MOTOR