PICCOLO V12

"CONTEMPORARY MID-ENGINE 2+2 IS REALLY THE MAGIC INGREDIENT HERE AND THE 296 GTB."

Isn’t it a bit demeaning about the human mind that the first thing many people want to know about the recently-launched Ferrari 296 GTB is how good it sounds? This is not only because of the hybridized powertrain – we’ve already seen that on the SF90 already – but rather because it is a petite – by Ferrari’s standards – V6. A hybrid V6 at that! That doesn’t automatically make the hairs on the back of the neck tingle.

Of course, this is not the first V6 that Ferrari has ever produced. That accolade went to the Dino 156GT F2 which had half the capacity of this. That was followed by the 246 F1 which clinched a Formula One Championship in 1958 and became the first V6 to win a Formula One race. Then there were cars like the Dino 246GT which ceased production in 1976 –