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The 296 GT3 represents the future of track GT racing for the Prancing Horse.

Ferrari has unveiled the 296 GT3 race car. It was inspired by F1 technology and based on the Ferrari 296 GTB. The innovative project was developed just in time for the 2023 motorsport season. It has fully detachable front and rear ends for that particular purpose.

Here is a modular racing car that borrows more than a leaf from the marque’s seasoned F1 racing team, which Ferrari hopes will demonstrate the winning DNA passed down by the Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta after winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1949. The 296 arrives as a GT3 to take the baton from the 488 GT3 EVO last updated for the 2020 motorsport season.

With GT3’s launch, we come face to face with a sharp aerodynamic body obviously inspired by the victorious Ferrari 250 LM, the machine-of-the-hour at the 1965 Le Mans. Ferrari says the new GT3 represents the future of the Prancing Horse in GT racing, a sector that has always seen the closest relationship with customers and the greatest transfer of technology and innovative solutions to production cars.

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You could correctly say that the new 296 GT3 is an evolution of the Ferrari 296 GTB, the Tipo F171 plug-in hybrid sports car unveiled last June and scheduled for release this year. Yes, GTB shed its skin to reveal the GT3, while the Assetto Fiorano is the track-oriented version of the GTB. The 296 GTS is an open-top variant of the GTB, featuring a folding hardtop.

GTB premiered in June 2021 as the first 6-cylinder "real Ferrari." Previously, Ferrari offered such models as the lower-cost front-engined V6-powered Formula Two Dino racer, until 1974. The strategy allowed the Prancing Horse to reserve the Ferrari name for its premium V12 and flat-12 models until 1976 when "Dino" was retired in favor of full Ferrari branding.

The 296 in the model name represents the displacement and the number of cylinders, while the GTB is short for Gran Turismo Berlinetta. The GTB is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo 120° V6 engine making a maximum output of 654 horsepower at 8,000 rpm, excluding the 123 kW (165 hp) added by the electric motor. The system output is given as 818 horsepower, and it can make 62 mph from a static position in 2.9 seconds, with a top speed exceeding 205 mph. That’s the kind of blood running in the GT3’s veins.

The 296 GT3, Ferrari says, is a ‘real’ Ferrari “through and through” while still “essentially a racing car.” Customers can personalize their GT3 from the technical specifications down to the aesthetic.

Coming from the horse’s mouth, GT3 is “the latest evolution of the Maranello Company’s two-seater mid-rear-engined sports Berlinetta concept that redefines the idea of fun behind the wheel to provide pure excitement in the pursuit of top performance or everyday driving. The 296 GT3 incorporates the values of its road-going 'twin' while adding depth," thanks to the masterful expertise of the guys at Competizioni GT.

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Engineered by the Prancing Horse’s Competizioni GT Team, the Ferrari 296 GT3 will make its track debut in 2023. Don't look so glum. February 19, 2023, will be here before you know it. That’s the date of the 65th Annual DAYTONA 500 regarded as the most prestigious race in the NASCAR Cup Series. There are always thrilling and memorable moments each season at the iconic Daytona International Speedway.

The 296 GT3 is sure to deliver the winning streaks associated with the family name. Ferdinando Cannizzo, head of GT racing car design at Ferrari puts thus: “We looked at how they are doing things in Formula 1 and prototypes, and copied that. We have exchanged some ideas and concepts with the F1 team.” Cannizzo went on to reveal that the new GT3’s development required plentiful interdepartmental inputs, including the renowned Scuderia F1 operation.

Despite the innovative powertrain, it’s obvious the bulk of the developmental work went into the car’s aerodynamics. As a result, the 296 GT3 boasts 20% greater downforce than the erstwhile 488 GT3. There’s also the glorious cockpit, which offers a beyond satisfying intuitiveness, visibility, and accessibility for the drivers. The interior, Ferrari confirmed, was developed from scratch by picking the brains of both pilots and customers from the motorsport scene.

The 296 GT3 marks a return to the track of the mid-rear-mounted 6-cylinder, as pioneered by the notorious Ferrari 246 SP in 1961. However, it lacks the electric unit featured in the 296 GTB in compliance with motorsport technical regulations. Pause that trail of thought you’re having now and remember that the road-going GTB is powered by a twin-turbo V6 plus electric motor tied to an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, with the race-oriented variant likely to skip the dual-clutch as well in favor of sequential transmission.

Notably, the GT3 right here has its turbocharged A120° V6-configuration engine with equally-spaced firings mated to an all-new transmission developed especially for this race car. It’s a single-disc clutch gearbox design featuring six gears and electronic clutch actuation. The gear-shift method deviates from the previous 488 GT3, thanks to novel steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

The A120° vee engine configuration mirrors the position of the turbochargers inside the road-going GTB. The goal, of course, is to maximize space and improve a lower center of gravity and higher power levels. This car is currently Ferrari’s greatest 2-seater mid-rear-engine-mounted sports car. The 3.0-liter displacement can produce 600 horsepower and 517 lb-ft of torque. As a customer racing car, it’s engineered to meet the needs of “teams, professional drivers, and gentlemen drivers,” while fully complying with the FIA’s new GT3 regulations.

Philip Uwaoma, this bearded black male from Nigeria, is fast approaching two million words in articles published on various websites, including toylist.com, rehabaid.com, and autoquarterly.com. After not getting credit for his work on Auto Quarterly, Philip is now convinced that ghostwriting sucks. He has no dog, no wife- yet- and he loves Rolls Royce a little too much.