For the first time in history, a car with a V6 has left the Ferrari factory with a Cavallino Rampante on its hood and boy has it split opinions. The 296 GTB is a feat of engineering and breaks from tradition with a clean sheet design and an electrified powertrain. DMC Tuning has just decided to push the envelope even more by adding extra power and bespoke aerodynamics.
When the 296 GTB rolls out of Fiorano, it has 819-horsepower. 654 of those ponies spring from the gas-powered 140-degree V6 and the other 165-hp come from an electric motor that can drive the car up to 16 miles on its own should it ever need to. Many have moaned about the switch to a hybrid powertrain and others have felt that the new styling has been too tame.
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That’s where this new tuning package from DMC comes in. Every bit of the 296 GTB is a bit sharper, a bit sleeker, and the engine is even more powerful. They start out with simple but effective engine tuning. 80 more horsepower is squeezed from the engine through changes to injection and ignition timing resulting in a total of 888-hp (combined, the V6 and electric motor). DMC manages those functions through their own control module and then they add a little boost to make the most of the changes.
DMC Says that the Squalo 296 GTB can hit 60mph from a dead stop in just 2.8-seconds. That’s only 0.1 seconds faster than the stock car but any improvement is impressive. That’s even more significant since none of the physical components have been swapped out. We can’t tell you if a Ferrari V6 is ok or not but we can all agree that a bit more power is never a bad thing.
What else is new?
To ensure that the 296 stays planted with its new power, DMC adds a full kit that they say has inspired this car’s in-house name, Squalo, or shark in Italian.
A rear spoiler adds attitude and downforce while new side skirts actually attach directly to the factory rocker panels. While these parts certainly add a lot of drama to the smooth and sultry body of the GTB, they’re functional too, according to the company. These panels serve to smooth air and keep the car grounded. The body kit is finished off with a rear diffuser and a lip spoiler at the tail of the car.