After the success of the 250 SWB Revival specification reveal, the UK based engineering firm and known Ferrari specialist, GTO Engineering, just announced that they are underway with an exciting new project. The project, given the codename Moderna, will be a sub-1,000 kg car paying tribute to the best of Sixties motoring but equipped with modern and motorsport-derived engineering, and all to be crafted by hand by GTO Engineering.
The philosophy of GTO Engineering’s new project is to push the boundaries of contemporary craftsmanship using their expertise from building and maintaining a variety of road and race-worthy Ferraris since 1991.
Moderna will feature a tubular steel chassis with lightweight but heavy-duty aluminum subframes, and carbon fiber will be incorporated into the car’s shell. The main body will use F1-type carbon fiber and the doors and bonnet will be crafted with aluminum to keep the Sixties sports car feel but save on weight.
Having more than 200 years of Ferrari experience, the team in GTO Engineering plans to give the new car a racing theme by giving it motorsport-inspired components to improve driver engagement, usability, and enjoyment. An independent all-around suspension and large-diameter wheels to integrate powerful yet lightweight brakes, which will also assist with unsprung mass.
“It’s exciting to finally talk about our new project – a car that we’ve been discussing, sketching, specifying and honing for some time. Now it’s in development and we’re working alongside some incredible technical partners, we’re ready to lift the cover off the design renderings and initial sketches and explain the fundamentals of what makes this new car tick.”
GTO Engineering Managing Director, Mark Lyon explained.
The new project’s design has been greatly influenced by the cars that Mark Lyon, GTO Engineering’s founder, has been working on since the firm was built in 1991. It will be a front-engined, two-seater car with a ‘double-bubble’ roof and a functional venting on the bonnet. The arches will also keep traditional styling elements, although updated electrics and internals will be added in the headlights, spotlights, rear lights, and exhausts.
“We’ve learnt from building the 250 SWB Revival, and working on a range of Ferraris, that a car’s weight and engine are two of the key ingredients to make a good sports car. So, we knew that this car should be under a tonne and powered by a quad-cam V12 – an engine format we are familiar with and developing in-house. To accomplish the desired light weight, carbon fibre will be used, which obviously wasn’t available in the Sixties but a composite we will utilise alongside other materials. For example, the doors and bonnet feel and ‘weight’ when you open them, was something we knew we wanted to keep and that’s why they’ll be made in aluminium – they’ll be lightweight but still give that ‘reassuring’ close and feel of a classic when the driver or passenger gets in and out, as well as opening and closing the bonnet.”
Customers will be able to fully customize and personalize the sports car with a variety of paint, trim, and accessory options available. The options will not be limited to the finish as clients can also adjust components like suspension and gearbox options, as each car will be made specifically to each owner’s requirements and preferences. Each hand made car will be handcrafted in the UK.
More information regarding Project Moderna can be found at GTO Engineering.
[Source: GTO Engineering]
