One of the benefits of owning a vehicle from the new wave of plug-in hybrid supercars is that they can be driven fully under electric power for a short amount of time. But that begs the question: does that EV mode still deliver supercar performance? As it turns out, not really, and that was evidenced by this Ferrari 296 GTB, which lost a roll race to a Volkswagen E-Golf.
Automotive journalist Jason Cammisa posted a video of the race to his Instagram page, which had the two cars start from a 15 mph (24 km/h) roll and end when one car reached their top speed first. It was not explicitly mentioned that the Ferrari was in EV mode, but the caption read: “No egos were hurt during this race. And no fuel was burned,” hinting that the Prancing Horse’s twin-turbo V6 was on standby. Additionally, no engine noise could be heard coming from the 296, further suggesting that it was in EV mode.
Read More: Watch The Hybrid Ferrari 296 GTB Being Driven The Way It Was Meant To
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Ferrari quotes the 296 GTB‘s electric-only output at 165 hp (167 PS / 123 kW), which is obviously not a lot for a six-figure Italian supercar. On its own, it’s mostly meant for cleanly and efficiently cruising around, but it works much better as a supplement to the engine’s 654 hp (663 PS / 488 kW). For comparison, the Mk7 E-Golf makes 134 hp (136 PS / 100 kW).
Something else Cammisa felt was worth mentioning was that both cars were on the same tires, but we’re not sure it’s all that important for a race of this caliber. Nevertheless, we appreciate the transparency on a detail that’s often overlooked in head-to-head comparisons. When it came time for the actual race, the E-Golf got the jump on the 296 at the start, and just kept pulling until the end. That means this is probably the first time we can say we saw a Volkswagen beat a Ferrari of a similar age in a race where both cars were actually trying.