2026 Ferrari 296 Speciale Aperta Review: The Red-Blooded Supercar Enzo Would Be Proud of

While everyone was too busy whining about the Luce‘s existence or the Testarossa‘s design, I was ripping through the hills around Maranello in what is hands-down the best-driving cavallino money can buy right now: the 2026 Ferrari 296 Speciale Aperta. And while I did, I couldn’t help but think how short-sighted all that criticism really was, because, if I were a multi-millionaire, I’d not only buy the very model I was driving, I’d buy the entire lineup, because every Ferrari has a different personality; something different to offer. In the case of the 296 Speciale Aperta, that’s relentless, mind-bending speed.

The Speciale moniker lives in rarified air, with the 296’s predecessors including the 360 Challenge Stradale as well as the incredible 430 Scuderia, which is, to date, one of the best cars I’ve ever driven. And then there were the 458 Speciale and 488 Pista, which I never got to experience. The recipe for these thoroughbreds isn’t all that complicated: lose weight, gain power, and improve aero. Oh, and do it all with the focus that all of this madness will be theoretically exploited on the track, even if that’s not always the case.

Now that I’ve explained Speciale, I can move on to Aperta. Italian for “uncovered,” the term has adorned only the most exclusive convertible Ferraris, like the LaFerrari Aperta, 458 Speciale Aperta, and the super rare, 599-based SA Aperta. Now, the 296 carries the torch, and boy, does it do it with a combination of fury and class.

The Basics

It goes without saying the base model here is the rear-mid-engine 296 Spider, which is then turned up to 11. It features a power-folding hard top that can open or close in 14 seconds at up to 30 mph, just like in the Testarossa Spider I recently drove. Behind the cockpit is a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 aided by an axial-flux electric motor shoved between the engine and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The internal combustion engine now brings 691 horsepower to the party courtesy of a 3-psi bump in boost, while the electric motor adds another 178 ponies. Together, they produce a staggering 869 hp and 557 lb-ft of torque, all of which are sent exclusively to the rear wheels: 305/35 ZR20 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s (245/35 fronts).

A strict diet is central to the Speciale’s ethos, so Ferrari replaced (or removed) many components to shed 132 pounds compared to its regular counterpart. The engine alone weighs 20 pounds less, thanks to extensive work including replacing the crankshaft with a new one that’s nearly five pounds lighter. There are also titanium pistons and connecting rods taken straight from the ultra-exclusive, multi-million-dollar F80 hypercar.

Aero has been heavily revised, and it’s easy to tell just from looking at the exterior. There are now dual rear winglets at each corner, and an active flap between them that’ll automatically extend whenever full downforce is needed. I only saw it deploy once to its most vertical position, and that was during a heavy, heavy braking situation. It’s certainly a lot less active than the dual flaps in the back of the 12Cilinidri Spider I road-tripped in earlier this year. Down below is a massive carbon fiber diffuser that, especially in my tester’s stunning Rosso Dino paint, stands out enormously compared to the rest of the car. It’s seriously huge and very in-your-face, just like it should be on a car this violent.

Up front, there’s a new nose with new ductwork that allows air to flow more efficiently and precisely, generating more downforce, eliminating turbulence, and also improving cooling. It’s a similar story around the front fenders, where new ducts aim to eliminate pressure that could cause the front end to lift or become unstable at high speeds. All in all, the 296 Speciale Aperta will produce 960 pounds of downforce at 155 mph. It’s light-years away from the 2,135 pounds the F80 manifests at the same speed, but 310 more than the regular 296.

Overall, this lighter, more complex, more hardcore stallion looks the absolute business. And as I’m about to share, it drives that way, too.

Driving the 2026 Ferrari 296 Speciale Aperta

Climb into the hardcore-looking bucket seats, and the first thing you realize is that they’re not as uncomfortable as they look. And since it’s been a while since I drove the 296 (GTB), I was also surprised by how spacious the cabin really is—definitely a lot more than it looks from the outside. Despite it not being different from the regular car in terms of design, the cockpit feels much more purposeful—there’s nothing in it that you don’t need. Everything is focused on track use and on making you feel like you’re a gentleman driver in the Ferrari Challenge.

My tester was equipped with a new physical engine start button. Press the brake and push that button, and you’ll hear… nothing. Because it’s a hybrid, the car will default to its eDrive setting, which means it’ll run on battery until it depletes, until you demand more performance than it can deliver, or until you switch driving modes. Switch to Hybrid or Performance modes and repeat the starting sequence, and you’ll hear the V6 fire up with an angry bark.

Pull the right paddle to be on your way, and all the little nuances that make the Speciale a Speciale begin to reveal themselves. The first is an overriding sense of hollowness compared to the GTB. You feel and hear that lightness and the fact that it was engineered to offer explosive performance on a track. The leather-wrapped steering wheel with carbon fiber inserts feels great in the hands, and surprisingly, it’s not wrapped in Alcantara like the rest of the cabin. I actually like this, as I’ve never really cared for Alcantara- or suede-wrapped wheels. Ferrari’s feels natural, smooth, and neither too hard nor too soft when gripped with more purpose.

Once out of Maranello and away from the traffic, the vistas mimic a “Greetings from Emilia-Romagna” and provide the ideal roads for this kind of machinery, but let’s be honest, the Speciale, even the Aperta, belongs on the track. Nonetheless, I methodically began exploring more and more of the car’s performance credentials, until I finally felt comfortable giving it the full rigatoni.

The biggest hurdle to overcome was keeping the heel of my right foot stable through the sometimes-broken tarmac, especially negotiating a corner. Even in Performance mode (the most intense driving mode is Qualify), the throttle is so sensitive that I struggled to maintain a stable input because my foot moved slightly as I navigated a bump in the corner. I could actually hear the short bursts from the exhaust—and not to mention the jolt—from my foot bouncing around. This is that serious of a machine. You have to assume a proper seating position, be focused, and take the job at hand seriously, because the car surely does.

Once I adjusted my seat and wheel and found better positioning for my heel, I felt more comfortable tackling a corner at speed, pushing hard on the brakes, and getting back on the throttle with confidence. It took a bit of trial and error, but the car rewarded me with an incredible sense of accomplishment whenever I got it right. The front end felt absolutely glued to the road, while the steering transmitted the sensation of turning the front wheels with my own hands. This is exactly what I imagine when I think of a supercar, Italian or otherwise.

While the 296 Speciale doesn’t have the Testarossa’s 1,036 hp, it doesn’t need it to make you feel like you’re strapped to a rocket. The smaller footprint here makes the car much livelier, and the acceleration feels never-ending. Furthermore, it treats the driver to a pretty savage experience that few supercars nowadays offer, since most are fairly subdued by software. In terms of ferocity, this is on the same level as the McLaren 750S I recently drove, but unlike the Brit, this Italian involves you more in the process; it feels like it has a spicier soul than the McLaren.

Cracking open the throttle with the top down delivers peak Ferrari Experience, with the V6 screaming with fury only very briefly interrupted by the loud pops of the upshifts. It’s a similar experience under braking, but add some crackling from the exhaust that makes you feel like Lewis Hamilton (or Charles Leclerc).

And speaking of braking, these are very likely the best brakes I’ve experienced in any car at any price point. How they bite, the way the pedal feels, and how quickly and efficiently they slow down the car from, say, 155 mph to about 50 mph—just as you catch a glimpse of the abyss on the other side of the guardrail—is nothing short of miraculous.

Verdict

I haven’t driven all the current Ferraris; I’m still missing the Amalfi, and I’m not holding my breath for a chance behind the wheel of an F80. So that leaves me with the Testarossa, 12Cilindri, and Purosangue for comparison—and of all of those, the regular 296 feels like the most Ferrari of them all. In Speciale Aperta form, that feeling is multiplied times one million. This is what it’s all about, guys.

This precise model embodies what an Italian supercar should be, and Ferrari has completely knocked it out of the park with the 296 Speciale Aperta. My only complaint: it still has an old USB-A charging port instead of a USB-C, so I couldn’t charge my phone during my test.

Ferrari provided The Drive with a one-day loan of this vehicle for the purpose of writing this review.

2026 Ferrari 296 Speciale Aperta Specs

Quick Take

The kind of Ferrari that Enzo would be proud of.

Email the author at jerry@thedrive.com