Done Only Once
For over 30 years, Ferrari has been letting its customers race its cars in one-make championships. It started in 1993 with the 348, first around Europe, then with a North American series, and later in other parts of the world.
The cars have changed a lot since then. The 348 Challenge became the F355 Challenge, and its successors have become the go-to for the racing series. But in 2003, Ferrari thought it would be a good idea to sell road-going versions of the race cars to even more customers who’d like the experience without having to enter the championship series.
The result was the 360 Challenge Stradale, effectively a road-legal version of the actual race car. At the time, it was matched up against the 911 GT3 RS of the 996.2 generation, and it made for very interesting comparisons. But while Porsche continued building stripped-out, lightweight road-legal racing 911s, Ferrari did not.
Bring a Trailer
The Challenge Stradale is Coming Back
But after more than 20 years, Ferrari is bringing back the 296 Challenge Stradale. Like many of 360 Challenge Stradale, it’s taking about four years to get it done, but it’s reportedly coming before the end of the year. That’s according to The Supercar Blog, and that’s not the only bit of information that the publication managed to obtain.
Previously, it was said that the 296 Challenge Stradale would debut sometime in November. Now, a date appears to have been locked in, and it’s slated to premiere during Finali Mondiali at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. If so, it’s a fitting way to end the 2026 Ferrari Challenge season, which will be held from November 17 to 23. Ferrari will pull the covers off the car on the 21st, and prices are said to start at €320,000 or around $358,000.
What We Know So Far
The first Challenge Stradale model in over 20 years was first spied back in February. The camouflaged prototype was seen driving around the streets of Maranello, sporting a unique aero package that also includes a whopper of a rear wing among other things.
It’s said that the car won’t have the standard 296’s plug-in hybrid system. If true, that means it’ll be exactly like the 296 Challenge that has been running around the world’s circuits for about three years now. For power, we can expect around 690 hp, which is far less than the hybrid model; the removal of the electrified bits does mean it’s over 300 lbs lighter at the very least. Of course, the Stradale will have some creature comforts, but we’re expecting it to weigh closer to 3,000 lbs. For comparison, the hybrid coupe tips the scales at over 3,500 lbs.
Of course, Ferrari can eke out more horses out of its twin-turbo V6 to make up the difference for losing the electric boost. It’s been rumored that it’ll have about 720 hp, which actually makes it more powerful than the race car. Of course, the race car is a far lighter vehicle, but that’s not to say the Stradale will be a blunt instrument. Mind you, Ferrari may have a couple more track-focused cars coming soon, and 2027 might just be an exciting year for the Prancing Horse.
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