Italy-Germany, Ferrari 296 vs Porsche 911

The recent 24 Hours of Le Mans marked only the latest chapter in the rivalry between Italy and Germany , on four wheels and in motorsport in general at least as divisive as the two football factions. Ferrari against Porsche, the roads of Maranello and Zuffenhausen that have crossed for over 70 years on the most famous circuits in the world such as the Sarthe, among the Hypercars that have seen the triumph, not without controversy, of the Ferrari 499P over the Porsche 963 Lmdh. A challenge repeated and revenge served by Porsche in Lmgt3, where the contenders for victory were the 911 Gt3 and the 296 Gt3 , two acronyms familiar to enthusiasts that recall the respective road models. Inevitably the offspring of radically different design philosophies, further differentiated in the hybrid propulsion technology chosen to address the transition. In the following sheets, technical data and characteristics of the Ferrari 296 and the more competition-oriented versions of the Porsche 911.

Among the Porsches closest to the track is certainly the 911 GT3 RS , the top version of the GT3 range recently updated on the occasion of the 25th anniversary (992.2 series) since the debut of the 911 GT3 series 996 at the Geneva Motor Show in 1999. The current Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992) claims 525 hp and 465 Nm of torque delivered by the 3,996 cc naturally aspirated 6-cylinder boxer, combined with the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. The power is sent to the ground on the rear axle via Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus , for acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h stored in 3.2 seconds, the top speed exceeds 296 km/h.

The latest in chronological order to receive electrification at Porsche is the iconic 911 , in the Carrera Gts version positioned in the medium-high range. It is also offered with four-wheel drive of equal power, codenamed 911 Carrera 4 Gts . They mount a sophisticated hybrid system called T-Hybrid , consisting of the 3.6-liter 6-cylinder boxer turbo petrol engine with 485 hp and 570 Nm, for a total power of 541 hp and 610 Nm of torque combined in combination with the two electric units. The Porsche 911 Gts accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3 seconds flat, the maximum speed is 312 km/h. Its price starts at 182,708 euros.

The Ferrari 296 Gtb arrived in 2021 to replace the glorious and winning 488 series, closed with the F8 Tributo and 488 Pista. Furthermore, it is the first Rossa powered by a V6 engine (120° banks, 2,992 cc displacement) after 50 years. The 663 hp delivered by the 3-liter are added to the 167 hp of the electric motor for a total power of 830 hp and 730 Nm of torque, dedicated to a mass of 1,410 kg (dry). The autonomy in 100% electric mode granted by the 7.5 kWh battery is 25 km, resettable via cable or in a handful of km in "Race" mode. The Ferrari 296 Gtb accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds , from 0 to 200 km/h in 7.3 seconds and has a top speed of over 330 km/h. The price of the Ferrari 296 Gtb starts at 291,900 euros .

One of the new models delivered by Maranello in 2025 is the Ferrari 296 Speciale , as are the characteristics that distinguish it together with the Speciale Aperta , a development of the 296 Gts . It further raises the performance bar with the work done on the 2,992 cc 120° twin-turbo V6, now brought to 700 hp compared to the initial 663. The addition of an extraboost on the electrical part has brought the overall power to 880 hp and 760 Nm of torque, better exploited thanks to the 80 kg less weight than the 296 Gtb, to be added to the important aerodynamic optimization in terms of efficiency and load. The Ferrari 296 Speciale accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds; from 0 to 200 km/h in 7.0 seconds and exceeds a top speed of 330 km/h. The price of the Ferrari 296 Speciale starts at 407,000 euros.