This is a more special version of the Ferrari 296 Speciale

What’s this? Didn’t Ferrari only show the 296 Speciale the other month?

It did, barely six weeks ago. But this is the Piloti Ferrari version, unveiled this past weekend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Which went rather well from a Ferrari perspective.

And translated that means what exactly?

Pillars, if you’re French. But pilots, or drivers, if you’re Italian. And in the case of the Piloti Ferrari version of the 296 Speciale, it signifies this exclusive edition of the 296 Speciale is reserved for those who use their Ferrari on track; those who Ferrari value more than the clients who are collectors but don’t get out on a circuit.

It’s the latest offering from Ferrari’s Tailor Made programme, and designed to celebrate the brand’s recent success at Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship.

So Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are eligible for one?

They are, as are the likes of Ferrari’s factory endurance racers. But if you’re not them, then the asking price is quite steep, as alongside a 296 Speciale (circa £400k) and whatever the cost is for the Piloti Ferrari extras (there’s no word yet…) you also need to be well-heeled enough to be in one of Ferrari’s client track programmes. So a local track day outing doesn’t get you in!

The one-make Ferrari Challenge series counts, mind, and that’s probably your best entry point if you’re a) interested in the livery, and b) like racing. In fact, one UK Ferrari customer was so keen on having a Piloti version of the 488 Pista that he purchased a 488 Challenge car and signed up for a season of racing.

What if racing isn’t my thing?

Then you’re in luck, as the criteria for Piloti Ferrari 296 Speciale ownership encompasses any Ferrari-organised track activities, competitive or not. Most affordable, in the broadest sense of the term, is the Ferrari Club Challenge, where the Challenge cars can end up (not racing) when usurped by newer models.

Beyond that, the other ways to earn the Piloti livery are through Ferrari’s multitude of ultra-exclusive Corse Clienti programmes: F1 Clienti is ex-factory Formula 1 stuff; XX is for the Enzo, 599 or LaFerrari-based XX cars; and Sport Prototipi is the newest set-up, for the customer-focused Modificata version of the Le Mans-dominating 499P – and they’re about £5m each.

That might sound like a lot of potential customers, but Ferrari says the number of eligible clients is “significantly less than one thousand”, though uptake is usually high.

Let’s say I’m a Ferrari racer and I’m good for the money, what do I get?

First up is one of four racing-inspired colours: Rosso Scuderia, Blu Tour De France, Nero Daytona, and Argento Nürburgring. That’s paired with a Giallo Modena livery inspired by the 499P, which in reality renders as “a lot of yellow paint”. Other exterior details include WEC logos, the Italian flag on the leading edge of the front bumper, and whatever number you want.

This first example of the Piloti Ferrari 296 Speciale sports 51, mirroring the 499P that won Le Mans in 2023, the year of the French endurance race’s 100th anniversary.

Will the interior give me race car vibes?

It’s pleasingly hardcore actually, with the bucket seats trimmed in black Alcantara, and jazzed up further with inserts made with the same fireproof material used to make the race suits of Ferrari’s factory drivers. Your number of choice is also reproduced on the seats, and in the footwell, while the Italian flag pops up again on the steering wheel.

There are yellow accents, too, on the seats and adorning the dash, plus a carbon identification plaque, and carbonfibre door sills which you can personalise as you see fit.

The rest of the Piloti Ferrari 296 Speciale is standard 296 Speciale, which isn’t very standard at all. It gains 50bhp over the 296 GTB to make it the most powerful rear-drive Ferrari ever, with 37bhp extra coming from the twin-turbo 3.0 V6 engine; the rest from hybrid system.

Downforce is up 20 per cent, thanks to the likes of FXX-K style winglets on the rear deck, while other aero tweaks include a third setting for the active rear spoiler. Weight is down 60kg, the ride height is down 5mm, gearshift times are down too, and a myriad of chassis tweaks might well make it worthy of the Speciale name.

At least we hope so, given its 458 Speciale predecessor is held high in Ferrari folklore…