Ferrari adds 296 GTS targa to plug-in hybrid lineup

MILAN -- Ferrari is expanding its plug-in hybrid offerings with the 296 GTS, a targa version of the mid-engine 296 GTB coupe that was launched in 2021 as the first V-6 model since the Dino in the late 1960s. 

The rear-drive, two-seat 296 GTS is powered by the 819 hp V-6 hybrid powertrain that debuted in the 296 GTB. A turbocharged V-6 engine with a maximum output of 654 hp is coupled with a 122-kilowatt electric motor that produces 165 hp. The electric motor is powered by a 7.45 kilowatt-hour high-voltage battery. Electric-only range is 25 km (15 miles). 

Prices and delivery dates for the 296 GTS have not been announced. The 296 GTB has a base price in Italy of 269,000 euros ($290,200).

The 296 GTS’s name combines its engine displacement (2.9 liters) and number of cylinders (6) with the GTS acronym (Gran Turismo Spider) typical of Ferrari roadsters.

The 296 GTS has an automatic targa top that takes 14 seconds to retract or deploy at speeds of up to 45 kph (28 mph), Ferrari said. With the roof up, the silhouette is nearly identical to that of the 296 GTB.

Ferrari said its designers and engineers were careful to integrate the retractable top system to preserve performance and efficiency.

The folding roof splits into two sections that lay flush over the front of the engine bay, thus maintaining thermal dissipation characteristics and the balance of the overall design.

This also allowed the designers to introduce a window in the engine cover to showcase the new V6. When the top is retracted, the cabin and the rear deck are separated by a height-adjustable glass rear screen that protects passengers from buffeting even at high speeds, Ferrari says.

Ferrari said the rear wing profile and flying roof buttresses guaranteed the same aerodynamic and thermal efficiency as the 296 GTB, despite the constraints of the retractable targa top.

The roadster maintains the coupe’s active rear wing to generate downforce. 

The 296 GTS is also available with the Assetto Fiorano package, which includes lightweight features and aerodynamic modifications.

It is the first of two models Ferrari plans to launch in 2022; it will be followed later this year by the company’s first SUV, the Purosangue. The 296 GTB is the second plug-in hybrid Ferrari after the SF90 Stradale, launched in 2019.

More information on future products will be announced on June 16 at Ferrari’s capital markets day in Maranello, Italy.