Raymond Boss Gautam Singhania Buys World's First Ferrari 296 Speciale RHD [Video]
The billionaire chairman and managing director of Raymond Group, Gautam Singhania, has once again hit it out of the park by buying a brand-new Rs 7 crore Ferrari 296 Speciale. What makes his Ferrari 296 Speciale even more “Speciale” is that it is the world's first right-hand-drive customer-delivered car. Recently, he was seen driving his newly bought limited-edition supercar on Mumbai's Worli Sea Link flyover.
The video showing Gautam Singhania in his Ferrari 296 Speciale has been shared on X by his official account. In this short clip, he mentions that it probably is one of the first 296 Speciales which has been delivered to a customer. In the caption of the post, he stated, “Proud owner of the world's first Ferrari 296 Speciale Right Hand Drive — and the very first in India.” He also added, “An exceptional blend of innovation, performance, and design — and a personal milestone I deeply value.”
The Raymond Group chairman, Gautam Singhania, has chosen the bright shade of Giallo Modena, which is a pearlescent yellow color. He has also opted for the classy-looking silver alloy wheels, which give it a contrasting style. What makes this color and spec so special is that his Ferrari 458 Italia, the predecessor of the 296 Speciale, was also finished in the same color. Singhania was the first person in India to own the Ferrari 458 Italia.
Now coming to the main highlight of the Ferrari 296 Speciale, it is the limited-production, track-focused version of the already super-fast 296 GTS supercar. It carries a price tag of around Rs 6.5 crore (ex-showroom). However, add just a few options, and the price climbs up a few crores very quickly. The exact price paid by Gautam Singhania for India's first 296 Speciale right-hand drive is currently unknown.
Powering the Ferrari 296 Speciale is a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with 120-degree architecture. This is the same engine as the 296 GTS, where the turbos are placed inside the cylinder banks. The engine alone makes over 700 bhp, which is 37 bhp more than the standard 296 GTS. However, in terms of the differences, it gets titanium connecting rods (shared with Ferrari LaFerrari), a lighter crankshaft, stronger and lighter pistons, and redesigned turbochargers.
These turbos have been designed to offer a 7 percent higher compression ratio, and it also gets a Formula 1-derived knock-control system and enhanced cooling. In total, this powertrain is 9 kg lighter than the GTB. Additionally, this supercar also gets a dual-rotor, central-stator axial-flux motor, mounted between the engine and gearbox.
The electric motor makes 180 bhp in the ‘Qualify’ mode, gets a 7.45 kWh battery pack, and offers a pure-electric-only range of 25 km. Ferrari, in addition to a bump in power, has also given this supercar aerodynamic bits inspired by the Ferrari 296 Challenge and Ferrari FXX K. It gets an updated rear aero kit with new vertical fins at the bumper edges, optimised wake management, reduced drag and an active central spoiler, an enhanced rear diffuser, and improved venturi tunnels. It also gets a black carbon-fibre strip integrating the tail lamps as well.
Apart from the Ferrari 296 Speciale and 458 Italia, the billionaire Raymond Group chairman also owns a Ferrari 458 Challenge (a racetrack-only car) and a Ferrari 488 GTB. He also owns one of the 499 units ever produced of the Ferrari LaFerrari hypercar as well. He keeps his LaFerrari in Dubai.