Ferrari’s 296 GT3 racer has had plenty of success on the track, but it also has to abide by the restrictions the class places upon it. The only rules governing the 296 Modificata, on the other hand, are the ones the Prancing Horse places on it – and the result is the ultimate evolution of the model.

Unveiled on Tuesday, Australian time, the Modificata has far less power than the roadgoing 296 – 537kW compared to 610kW – but Ferrari claims it’s a stunning three seconds a lap around the famed Fiorano circuit than the 296 GT3 Evo. 

Front view of a yellow-and-gray Ferrari race car with bright headlights in a dark studio setting, large rear wing visible.
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A fair whack of that speed is down to the Modificata’s aero package, which features a far larger rear wing, redesigned front splitter and bonnet, additional aero elements and an underfloor that generates even more downforce than the GT3 Evo. The ground clearance is so fine it looks like it’d be hard to slot a piece of A4 paper under the bodywork. 

Created for the marque’s Club Competizioni GT program, Maranello’s newest plaything for the ultra-rich has had a raft of improvements thrown at its 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6. The powerplant gets upgrades to its turbochargers, intercoolers, rotating assembly, camshafts and induction line. There’s also a more muscular fuel system to slake the mill’s thirst.

All up, the changes make for 800Nm, with that peak power figure of 537kW arriving at 7500rpm. The oomph is fed to the road via a six-speed sequential transmission that has been tweaked with new dedicated ratios to “fully exploit the new operating range of the engine”.

Rear view of a high‑performance race car in a dark studio, featuring a large rear wing, carbon fiber body, and red taillights with yellow accents.
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Somewhat unusually for a car of this type, the cabin features a passenger seat. There’s even a dedicated footrest for the front-row spectator, plus an intercom system so the driver can hear them begging to slow down. 

The Modificata also gets an additional air intake to improve brake cooling and a list of options including a rear radar system to warn of possible overtakers and the ability to choose from the whole range of Ferrari Design Studio colours for the paintwork.

There’s no word on the price, but if you can afford one, Ferrari will throw in two years of participation in the Competizioni GT program, which takes in some of the most famous racing circuits on the planet, such as Indianapolis, Fuji and Spa-Francorchamps.