► British brand GTO Engineering teases new retro sports car ► Takes design inspiration from the iconic Ferrari 250 GTO ► Powered by 460bhp naturally aspirated V12 engine

For the past couple of years, the British Ferrari specialist GTO Engineering has been quietly piecing together its first in-house sports car – and now the firm has some real progress to show us. These new images preview the upcoming car’s carbon fibre monocoque and offer a glimpse at its all-new naturally aspirated 4.0-litre V12 engine.

The car will be called the Squalo and the company’s earlier concept drawings show us that it’ll pull design inspiration from the iconic (and hideously expensive) 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. Don’t be fooled by the yesteryear styling, though – if GTO Engineering’s vision for the car is fulfilled, there’ll be nothing old-fashioned about its performance.

Well, to start off, it’ll be incredibly light. Because the Squalo’s monocoque and body panels will be made from carbon fibre, GTO Engineering says the finished product will weigh less than 1,000kg. To put that into perspective, the humblest version Ford Fiesta weighs around 1,200kg – and its engine has a mere quarter of the power that the Squalo will have.

Speaking of which, let’s discuss the Squalo’s powertrain. It’s the first clean-sheet engine GTO Engineering has ever built, so the company scaled one of Ferrari’s 1960 4.0-litre V12 engines to attain a yardstick for the project. The Ferrari unit tipped the scales at 176kg, and the firm brazenly decided it wanted to beat that figure.

GTO Engineering says its V12 will weigh a mere 165kg and that it’ll produce 460bhp, which is an awful lot in a car that weighs less than a tonne. In keeping with the Squalo’s retro styling, the engine will also breathe through a set of polished trumpets like an old-fashioned racer, which you can see poking out of the front end of the monocoque in the images above. It’ll thrash like an Italian engine, too, boasting four camshafts and a redline of 10,000rpm.

Mark Lyon, GTO Engineering’s Managing Director, outlined the new engine’s design process. “We know most V12 Ferraris inside out,” he said, “and recently weighed a 1960 4.0-litre V12 engine; it was 176kg as a complete unit with the starter motor, oil and oil filler tubes too.

“That’s so much lighter than a modern V12, and we know we can do even better with our knowledge as well as modern advancements and techniques. Every part and configuration on our quad-cam V12 has had a complete engineering re-focus to ensure our engine for Squalo is the very best it can be.”

It sounds like his engineering team has a sickness – the obsession with light-weighting runs deep through the engine and touches components most manufacturers wouldn’t bother fiddling with. For example, the firm’s engineers spent ages selecting a featherweight starter motor and even a specified a clutch and flywheel setup that’s 25% lighter than the market standard.

All this finnicky gram-shaving will hopefully add-up to a car that handles beautifully. The company is targeting a 55/45 weight balance for the finished car, which should make it corner like the historic racers you see tearing around Goodwood. Which is to say, backside first. GTO Engineering also says the final car will have a low centre of gravity, as the engine will be mounted low in the bay and as far towards the firewall as possible.

Oh yes, and did we mention that the engine will only be available with a five-speed manual gearbox? It’ll be a transaxle unit, meaning the gearbox will be mounted on the rear axle rather than behind the engine for better weight distribution. Interior teasers also show that the gearstick will poke out of the centre console through a proper old-school H-gate surround, just like a classic Ferrari.

We’ve only seen a mock-up of the cabin so far. However, it’ll be pretty much the same story as the exterior, which is to say very retro and rather charming. GTO Engineering won’t try to force too much modern technology into the Squalo’s interior, as that would spoil the design aesthetic. That means there’ll be no airbags, no visible touchscreens and traditional fixed-back buckets seats.

Other period touches will include a wood-rimmed steering wheel and analogue controls for the heater, the hazard warning lights and the demister. That’s not to say there’ll be a total absence of modern technology, though – somewhere in the cabin, the company’s engineers will hide a bang-up-to-date stereo system, an infotainment system and USB ports for smartphone connectivity.

It sounds like GTO Engineering has also thought carefully about keeping its drivers comfortable. The brand has laboured over the position of the steering column, gearstick and gauges to make sure that folk of all shapes and sizes can feel at home behind the wheel. The interior buck pictured above is currently being ripped apart by the company’s engineering team (who range between 5ft3 and 6ft3 in height) to make sure it’s right before the car goes to production.

GTO Engineering is a specialist Ferrari restorer and servicer so, when time came for the company to produce its own car, it made sense for the firm to stick to what it knows best. And if you’re taking inspiration from Ferrari, why not pick the most famous of the bunch?

The design similarities between the Squalo and the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO are clear. The two cars share the same long-bonnet, short-tail shape – and the Squalo even has the same tri-vent nosecone and vented rear quarter panels as the iconic Ferrari racer. Look closer, though, and you’ll see a lot of modern styling influence.

Check out the roof. The Ferrari’s is completely flat, while the Squalo’s has a double-bubble design, which means you’ll be able to get comfortable behind the wheel if you’re tall or wearing a helmet. The front end is also slightly more bluff than the Ferrari, while the quad-exit exhaust tips have been frenched into the rear valance. The Squalo will also have a set of specially designed 18-inch alloys, styled to look like a set of period racing steelies. That’s much better than a wire-wheel pastiche in our book.

Mark Lyon weighed-in on the resemblance of the two cars, saying: “People often ask us what the similarities are between Squalo and any 250-series car, and it’s easier to say this: there are none. There aren’t any parts that are shared between the two.”

We haven’t seen a full-size concept for car yet, although GTO Engineering did create an adorable half-scale model (pictured above) for this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed to showcase how the car will look once it rolls of the production line. You can scroll through our gallery for more images of the car.

GTO Engineering has neglected to provide that fact – although we expect it’ll be a case of “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” Despite this, the company has confirmed that it’s currently taking orders for the car and that the first customer deliveries will arrive in 2023.

However, if you’re hankering for a classic Ferrari racer (and you’re lucky enough to have a bank vault full of disposable cash), the Squalo could be exceptional value for you as it’ll be significantly cheaper than buying an original 250 GTO. One that went to auction back in 2018 changed hands for a record-breaking £52 million. God know how much it’ll be worth in today’s climate.

Bauer Automotive staff writer. Unhealthy obsession with classic Minis and old Alfas. Impenetrable Cumbrian accent

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