One of the best things about being in Ireland is the presence of white pudding on breakfast menus. It’s a rare find on English menus, the scene being dominated by black pudding. The Irish offer both. I couldn’t tell you what’s in it, for ignorance is bliss, but it’s a spicy accompaniment to an ensemble of grilled accoutrements. It’s far from the only thing the Irish do well. There’s a stout I’m rather fond of and now, too, a fair few roads which slither, slide, twist and turn along the south coast of the Emerald Isle. They’d be great on their own, but in the Ferrari 296GTS I had found my automotive white pudding. Rare, spicy, delightful; it couldn’t help but elevate its surroundings.
That much was clear from the attention lavished upon it by passersby. The Ring of Kerry is something of a tourist hotspot, so the Ferrari 296GTS stood out in a field of busses and bruised hire cars. Its throaty V6 adds an audio accompaniment that means it’s hard to slip by unnoticed.
Or is it? The V6 here is combined with a battery for a hybrid powertrain. There was equal enjoyment to be had in popping into electric only mode and sweeping silently through sleepy villages.
But, this is a Ferrari after all and when you’ve only got a few hours behind the wheel along some dramatic coastal roads, poking, prodding and provoking were the order of the day. It’s also what the Ferrari 296GTS demands of you as a driver.
It was another dank Irish morning that welcomed us. There was no denying the excitement at what lay ahead, though. This was a day for the Ring of Kerry and if you had to cherry pick a car for the route, the Ferrari 296GTS would certainly make the shortlist. First things first, however, we needed to get two small suitcases and three rucksacks back to Cork airport.
Where there was no concern in the Purosangue, the Ferrari 296GTS wasn’t built with practicality front and centre of the design brief. That said, it took a surprising amount of luggage in the front boot. One suitcase and two rucksacks were consumed and, had push come to shove, we’d have transported everything in it. With the option of bags being transported by other means, however, we didn’t need to suffer a cluttered cabin.
Which is just as well, because it would have ruined the ambience. The 296GTS is sparsely laid out inside, with few distractions. The infotainment is handled through the driver’s binnacle and the passenger can get involved in music selection via the touchscreen on their side. There’s wireless charging and a couple of USBC slots, but the driver is the focus.
This becomes ever more evident when you slide down into the cockpit. The driving position is low to the road and it feels like you could reach out and touch the front of the bonnet. There’s good adjustability to the steering column, so finding your preferred position is easy.
Hold the start button on the steering wheel and the Ferrari 296GTS automatically starts in hybrid mode. It’s not until you select sport or qualifying modes that the V6 barks into life. It’s a more dramatic way of disturbing the peace than you initially expect.
It’s the sort of noise that instantly makes you smile. The engine is right behind you, so the sound is present and authentic. A surefire sign of intent from the get-go, the Ferrari 296GTS creates drama immediately.
Ferrari doesn’t refer to the 296GTS as a supercar, rather as a sportscar. You could forgive that appraisal based on aesthetics alone, but the numbers present a formidable argument against. The turbo-charged V6, with added battery boost, outputs 816bhp (165bhp from the battery) and 740Nm of torque (315 of those from electricity). That’s good for a sub-three-second 0-62mph time and a top speed of 205mph. That certainly feels more super than sporting.
As it does out on the road, too. After an exploratory lap of Killarney town centre, it was out onto the Ring of Kerry. Heading clockwise it starts at sea level, rising drastically to offer spectacular vistas. The road is tight and twisty, but in the Ferrari 296GTS, circumspection soon cedes to confidence.
Despite the low temperatures and damp conditions, the 296GTS never once felt unsettled. Indeed, you’d need more time and space to start prodding at the limit of its capabilities. Once the road opened up a bit, it was easy to dispense with the strings of hire cars and start to uncover a bit more of the 296GTS’s breadth of capabilities.
It was first, however, surprising in slower settings. The ride quality is exceptional and the setup makes it a supremely approachable car. You could be intimidated by the numbers, but any unease is quickly buried beneath compliance and composure. You could use this thing everyday with few complaints, even eking out 10-miles or so of electric-only range.
After some long straights during which it was possible to test the considerable legs of the Ferrari 296GTS, the Ring of Kerry reverted to darting turns. I had one of those magical spells where there was nothing else around. Pushing it into qualifying and dialling the manettino up to race, bringing the flappy paddles into play brought all the aggression I needed.
Flicking quickly down the gears before turns, it was possible to intuitively gage the revs from the roar of the V6 behind you. With the rear quarter window open, the noise certainly adds to the drama. The steering, as direct and precise as you’d expect from any modern Ferrari, required only deft inputs to telepathically send the car where you intended.
With sharp turn in you find the car instantly poised to get back on the throttle in order to hurtle towards the next bend. This went on for what felt like a glorious eternity before the unwelcome emerge of a blue Mondeo ahead, but probably lasted three minutes (insert your own jokes here). I was in that mythical zone, instantly at one with the car and entirely trusting of how it would behave.
That usually takes a bit longer in most cars, but there’s that approachability to the 296GTS again. It reveals itself pretty much instantly and you can enjoy it from the off. Now, I’m no racing driver, either, so there’s a depth to the enjoyment available. You don’t need a track and tyre smoke to feel you’re getting the most from it. Although, it will do all that as well.
On the road it’s razor sharp and on its uppers when you want it to be, then calm and polite when you need. Hybridisation may not to be to everyone’s taste, but the increase in depth of capability is hugely impressive. From adding punch at the top end to silence at the bottom, it lends a multi-faceted experience.
The torque fill from the battery provides relentless power on upshifts, then the battery adds calm when you’re stuck in traffic. Crawling towards Cork airport, it was lovely to be able to kill the considerable soundtrack of the V6 for a few miles and enjoy a bit of silence. It’s hardly the point of the Ferrari 296GTS, but it’s a nice option to have.
So, too, is the option of taking the roof off. It’s a convertible by the way. Irrelevant to this review, sadly, as we managed two-minutes of top-down motoring before the heavens opened again. The Ring of Kerry was as impressive cloaked in cloud as I imagine it is when the sun is shining.
Come rain or shine, however, the Ferrari 296GTS would impress. Even across damp surfaces on barely warm tyres, there is a confidence inspiring amount of traction. It lent itself to ambling towards Cork and embracing the scenery, yet also attacking the road when the opportunity arose. Had we needed to make Cork in a hurry, I’d have backed myself to meet any cut-off time in this thing.
As the road opens up, you move the manettino clockwise, ease into the throttle, let the revs rise, pull back on the right paddle… all is right with the world. You’d enjoy the Ferrari 296GTS anywhere. You’d enjoy the Ring of Kerry in anything. Putting the two together was one of those drives I won’t forget.
