British motorsport and engineering company RML Group on Wednesday unveiled the first photos of a sports car inspired by a classic Ferrari, in particular the 250 GT SWB.
Called the RML Short Wheelbase, it’s just the latest in a growing pile of modern cars with styling from icons of the past. Just last month, the British company GTO Engineering unveiled its Squalo sports car, which was inspired by the Ferrari 250 GTO. There’s also the Radford Revival, which is cooking a Lotus Type 62-inspired sports car.
The short wheelbase should stand out though, as it comes from a company with some serious engineering expertise. RML is the same company that legalized an Aston Martin Vulcan racing car on the road in 2017. And in 2011 it was selected by Nissan to merge a GT-R with a Juke to form the wild Juke-R.
The short wheelbase is to be built from scratch, with a bespoke chassis, powerful V-12 and carbon fiber body. With a length of almost 168 inches, the short wheelbase will be slightly larger than the original 250 GT SWB in order to meet modern weight distribution and ergonomic requirements. According to the RML, someone 6 feet 6 inches tall should fit.
Fortunately, the RML designers have managed to keep the classic proportions of the 250 GT SWB. All the graphic details like the egg crate grill, the stacked taillights and the exposed gas cap are also a dream.
Power will come from a 5.5-liter V-12 that produces a peak output of 478 horsepower and 419 lb-ft of torque. This is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission with a classic gear lever. Yes, that’s quite an extra dose of potency over a 1960s Ferrari, with RML promising a 0-60 mph time of 4.1 seconds and a top speed of over 185 mph.
RML short wheelbase
To make the car as comfortable as possible, it will have useful modern amenities such as navigation, air conditioning, smartphone connectivity and electrically adjustable seats. There will even be cup holders. Unfortunately, all of these features add to the weight, with RML reporting a dry weight of roughly 3,240 pounds – and that for a carbon fiber body, keep that in mind.
No price tag was announced, but RML said it will start taking orders later this year. It plans to build only 30 examples of the Short Wheelbase.
