296 GTB

Inland Gallura is a labyrinth of corners threaded between granite outcrops, cork oak groves and dry-stone walls: the road climbing to San Pantaleo, the rise and fall towards Arzachena, the final run to Capo Testa. This is country that rewards compact, sharp-witted cars, and the 296 GTB — with its shortened wheelbase and rear-wheel drive — feels tailor-made for these radii. Where other supercars ask for room, it simply asks for the next hairpin.

Then there is the question of character: the 296 is the Ferrari of the new generation, electrified yet visceral, and Sardinia is the ideal stage for both of its souls. If you are still undecided on the Prancing Horse, our guide Ferrari or Lamborghini for Sardinia sets the two philosophies side by side; if your mind is already made up, explore Ferrari rental on the Costa Smeralda with delivery to your villa or the harbour.

At Maranello they call it the "little V12", and three thousand rpm is all it takes to understand why: the twin-turbo V6, its banks set at 120 degrees, climbs the rev range with a clear, soaring progression that a dedicated acoustic duct channels straight into the cabin. Beyond seven thousand rpm the sound turns metallic and full — nothing like the guttural growl of turbocharged V8s. Through the gorges on the state road to Santa Teresa Gallura, it is a concert you will not forget.

All 830 combined horsepower go to the rear axle, yet the 296 never intimidates: the steering is lightning-quick but legible, the eight-speed gearbox shifts with silken ease in Hybrid mode and surgical aggression in Race, and in eDrive you slip silently through the stone-built villages without waking a soul. It is a car that changes its face three times within the same hour of driving.

On request, the 296 is also available as the GTS, with a retractable hardtop that folds away in a handful of seconds, even on the move at low speed: the most direct way to let the scent of myrtle and the full voice of the V6 into the cabin. On the north coast, between Palau and Porto Pollo, it is the configuration almost everyone ends up preferring.

The GTB berlinetta, though, remains the choice for those drawn to purity of line — that truncated tail inspired by the 250 LM — and maximum torsional rigidity for committed driving. Whatever your idea of perfection, the 296 is available on request across the island: tell us your dates and delivery point, and the concierge builds the rest.