The Ferrari 296 GTB is what effectively replaced the F8 Tributo. It went on sale in Australia in 2022, and as at July 2026 it lists at $568,300 before on-road costs. The F8 Tributo listed at $484,888 when it was still sold new here.
The word “effectively” is doing some work in that sentence, and it should. Ferrari has never described the 296 as a direct successor, because it is not the same kind of car. It took the F8’s place at the entry point of the range, and that is a different claim.
Ferrari stopped taking F8 orders in March 2022 and production ran out during 2023.
Eight cylinders became six
The F8 Tributo used a 3.9 litre twin-turbo V8, making 530kW and 770Nm.
The 296 GTB uses a 3.0 litre twin-turbo V6 with an electric motor between the engine and the gearbox. Combined, that setup makes 610kW and 740Nm.
On paper the change reads like a step backwards. Two fewer cylinders, nearly a litre less capacity, and a plug to think about. In practice the 296 makes eighty more kilowatts and is the quicker car, because the electric motor fills the hole while the turbos are still spooling up. The shove arrives the instant you ask for it, which is the one thing turbocharged engines have always been bad at.
Ferrari also did something unusual with the vee angle, setting the cylinder banks at 120 degrees and putting the turbochargers inside the vee rather than outside it. That keeps the engine low and short, which helps the car more than the spec sheet suggests.
It is worth being clear about what this is not. The 296 is a plug-in hybrid, not an electric car. You can charge it and drive a short distance on battery alone, but that is a side effect, not the point. The electric motor is there to make the petrol engine feel better, not to replace it.
Why Ferrari did it
Two reasons, and only one of them is about driving.
The first is emissions rules. Every manufacturer selling cars in Europe is under pressure to bring fleet average emissions down, and a plug-in hybrid V6 does that in a way a 3.9 litre V8 cannot.
The second is that it genuinely works. The 296 is quicker, it responds faster, and it is easier to drive quickly. Whether it sounds better is a matter of taste, and plenty of owners will tell you it does not.
What it means for the F8
The F8 Tributo now sits in an interesting spot. It was the last Ferrari to use the twin-turbo V8 in that form, in a line that runs back through the 488 and the 458 before it. Once a manufacturer changes direction that completely, the last car built the old way tends to hold interest.
That is not a promise about values. It is an observation about how these things usually go, and anyone telling you more than that is guessing.
If you want the fuller picture on the F8 itself, we have covered it in our F8 Tributo review, and compared it directly against the car it replaced in F8 Tributo vs 488 GTB.
What each costs in Australia
As at July 2026, from Ferrari Australasia pricing recorded in our vehicle database:
- Ferrari 296 GTB: $568,300 before on-road costs. On sale new.
- Ferrari 296 GTS (the retractable hardtop): $668,146 before on-road costs. On sale new.
- Ferrari F8 Tributo: $484,888 before on-road costs when new. No longer sold new in Australia.
- Ferrari F8 Spider: $536,888 before on-road costs when new. No longer sold new in Australia.
Those are list prices before on-road costs, and on a car in this bracket the on-road costs are not small. Luxury Car Tax alone adds a substantial amount, and it lands differently depending on which state you register in. We have broken that down in our guide to Luxury Car Tax.
Because the F8 is no longer sold new here, what actually matters to a buyer now is the used market, and that moves. Treat any figure you see quoted with a date attached, and be suspicious of any that is not.
So which one should you buy?
If you want the quicker, more modern, more capable car, that is the 296 GTB and it is not close.
If you want a naturally responsive twin-turbo V8 in the last generation Ferrari built one, and you would rather not own a car with a battery in it, that is the F8, and you will be buying used.
Neither is the wrong answer. They are just answers to different questions. If you are weighing the 296 against the car before it, we have compared those two directly in 296 GTB vs 488 GTB.
Where this came from
Every changeable figure above, what it was checked against, and when.
Figures are correct as at the dates shown. We re-check cars on sale every three months and tax thresholds every July. How we check our facts.
Side-by-side specs, Australian pricing and performance figures for every exotic and luxury car we cover.