The Ferrari 296 Speciale Piloti is reserved solely for Ferrari racers

The Ferrari 296 Speciale Piloti is reserved solely for Ferrari racers

It appears that brands are launching more special editions than actual production models in recent times. And with Le Mans this past weekend, some brands are celebrating past endurance achievements. McLaren, for one, revealed it 750S Le Mans edition ahead of the race weekend to celebrate the F1 GTR's historic victory. But Ferrari too is celebrating its racing heritage with a greater emphasis on its drivers than necessarily its cars.

To honour the brand's FIA World Endurance Championship achievements and Ferrari client racing drivers, a special 296 Speciale was created, and it's exclusively available to the brand's associated drivers. This particular 296 Speciale Piloti pushes a more exclusive narrative as opposed to a new performance bump. In fact, if you remove its paintwork, it’s a normal Speciale underneath. Well, as normal as a ridiculously fast Ferrari can be, you can read more on that here. Instead, it draws inspiration from the Le Mans-winning 499P prototype race car through its paintwork. Typically, adding an excessive number of stickers to a supercar quickly detracts from its appearance, but in the case of the Piloti, it's quite the opposite.

The 296 Speciale Piloti comes with four paint colours: Rosso Scuderia, Blu Tour De France, Nero Daytona, and Argento Nürburgring, and has some impressive aesthetic touches. A hand-painted WEC logo is the more elegant touch, whilst the Italian flag on the front bumper and customisable racing number add more of a patriotic element. The interior is met with similar visual treatments, with a custom race number on the carbon fibre interior. Racing seats have also been added with thermoformed black Alcantara and seat inserts made of fireproof fabric, similar to that of the drivers' racing suits. You can even opt for a metal footwell surface to offer a more track-focused appeal.

But the heart of this car remains unchanged from the standard 296 Speciale, with a mid-engined hybrid twin-turbocharged V6 producing 647kW channelled through an 8-speed DCT gearbox. It’s a rocket of a car, but its performance lacks the bespoke enhancement we often see in special editions but rather its exclusivity is the selling point.

Special editions are exciting, but the 296 Speciale Piloti reminds us what special editions are about. It gives a tiny portion of the globe the opportunity to own something rare, but in this car, it celebrates the brand's racing drivers and, through iconic design, honours the racers who leave their hearts on the track for the Prancing Horse. Yes, this special edition isn’t necessarily special in its own right, but its purpose to honour the brand's drivers adds meaning. I must say, although this Speciale is standard underneath, its 499P livery is undeniably complimentary.