Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. What’s new in this letal weapon?

Three years after its unveiling at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in 2022, Ferrari has officially revealed the new Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. Building on three years of experience with the car that replaced the 488, the improvements developed over time have enhanced what was already a well-regarded vehicle.

The car draws from the experience gained with the 296 LMGT3 (which has been competing in the FIA WEC since the 2024 season) and the 296 GT3. It has achieved five titles since its debut – including Driver and Team championships in the Pro class of the GT World Challenge Endurance Cup, the benchmark series for GT3 cars – as well as victories at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring https://www.24h-rennen.de/en/home/ and the 24 Hours of Daytona. Its updated record boasts 140 wins, 405 podiums, and 56 pole positions in 343 races.

Customer feedback and racing experience have led to the development of the 296 GT3 Evo: the result of targeted and concrete actions aimed at creating an even more competitive car in all conditions, while preserving the concept of “modularity” that made the 296 GT3 a benchmark: especially in terms of ease of setup and maintenance.

Engine and gearbox of the 296 GT3 Evo

The 296 GT3 Evo’s V6 internal combustion engine remains unchanged from the previous version. It retains the 120° ‘V’ configuration with the turbochargers positioned inside the ‘V’, which offers significant benefits in terms of compactness and weight reduction, helping to achieve extremely high levels of power.

Versatile, reliable and high-performance, the engine has been appreciated since its debut for its delivery, torque and power. The engine, which has always been a central element of Ferrari projects, remains located further forward and lower than the road version, in the same position as the 296 GT3. This positioning helps lower the centre of gravity and improve torsional rigidity. Furthermore, it has been tilted by 2° to leave more space for the rear diffuser.

As for the gearbox, the 296 GT3 Evo adopts a new cascade of ratios, optimised after analysing the data collected over the car’s two years of use, to favour the delivery of torque at both low and high speeds.

Aerodynamics 

The 296 GT3 Evo represents the evolution of the 296 GT3, a winning platform that already combines extreme aerodynamic performance with easy exploitation of downforce on the track. Goal that Ferrari’s engineers set themselves was to ensure a more predictable and stable response from the car in all racing situations, maintaining the performance of the standard 296 GT3 in terms of downforce and efficiency, already pushed to the maximum allowed by the technical regulations. In engineering terms, the aerodynamics team focused on improving the stability of front downforce when the 296 GT3 Evo is in the slipstream of another car, and aerodynamic sensitivity, i.e., minimizing variations in aerodynamic loads.

Almost all of the bodywork has undergone development. The profiles of the splitter and front underbody have been revised, and the expansion chambers and vortex generators have been optimized. The appendages on the front bumper have also been modified in search of the best performance compromise.

A further significant improvement came from a thorough and meticulous revision of the rear diffuser, which modified its expansion volumes and the number of channels. The third element to be developed was the front wheel arch louvers, developed in synergy with the front underbody, to ensure the entry of clean air to the rear air intakes, both in free air and in the slipstream of other cars.

LMGT3 Experience 

The entire rear wheel arch bodywork is borrowed from the LMGT3, featuring a more vertical curvature at the front, making it easier to accommodate the various types of tires from different suppliers used in GT championships around the world. The rearview mirrors also draw on this experience and have been further improved thanks to a series of studies and calculations aimed at investigating the frequencies and vibration patterns of the current version’s exterior mirrors. These new details have been moved inward, modifying their inclination and simultaneously improving visibility.

Debut and kit 

The 296 GT3 Evo, whose homologation process will be completed once the final aerodynamic refinements are underway, will debut in the 2026 season and will also be available as an upgrade kit for those currently competing with the 296 GT3.