Ever fancied a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB, but don’t have a lazy $10 million or so that one would cost?
Well we have good news for you, because now you can buy a GTO Squalo instead.
GTO Engineering has confirmed that its new car will be called the Squalo and has also revealed the final exterior design updates and a first production-ready look of the new 4.0-litre quad-cam V12 engine that will power it.
GTO Engineering has revealed the final form of its Squalo sports car, and it is… familiar.
The company says Squalo, which means shark in Italian, has been chosen as the name for its all-new car due to its shark-like look, instincts and speed and not at all because calling it anything Ferrari or 250 GT Berlinetta-related would get it sued into oblivion in any way. They are probably lucky Ferrari is coming off the back of a court hiding regarding trademarking car shapes…
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Regardless of its obvious inspiration GTO Engineerings V12-powered car is now close to being production ready, with the company working on updated surfaces and a production-ready engine, alongside a completely bespoke wheel and tyre package.
An updated and modernised 1960s sports car design is always a good thing to our eyes.
GTO Engineering says the Squalo will stick to the same principles the car was announced with: sub-1,000kg, with a manual gearbox, inspired by the Sixties sports cars of old but with modern engineering principles and materials. That sounds like a bit of us.
The Squalo and its bespoke V12 engine will be built completely by the company from the ground up at its UK HQ.
Little else has been revealed about the quad-cam V12, but following the last update in February it has had significant aesthetics and light weighting engineering upgrades including the removal of the surround of the carbs, so the open trumpets are visible when the bonnet is opened. As they should be.
The Squalo is powered by a bespoke 4.0-litre quad cam V12.
The company says it will reveal more information next month, including the engines calculated power output figures and a target weight.
Theres been an outpouring of admiration for what were doing here, and we realise a little bit of scepticism whether were actually making this: a V12-powered, sub-tonne sports car with a Sixties feel but modern reliability, enjoyment and manufacturing quality, said GTO Engineering managing director and founder Mark Lyon.
Were here to hopefully set the record straight to say yes, its happening and were sticking to our original ethos for the car as well as timing promises for production.
Okay, so its a blatant knock-off of a Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta, but that just means it looks awesome.
We are also delighted to have early adopters and customer orders received already, and we thank them for the trust in our vision and business.
Lyon says he expects the first customer deliveries of the Squalo to begin in 2023.
While no price has been announced for the Squalo yet, and while we are sure it wont be cheap, you can bet it will still be WAY cheaper than a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB that in no way inspired it.