With Porsche 911s and 912s being some of only a few exceptions, in general it’s pretty tough to pull off a backdate or an update of a well-known sports car design without going too far with it. Once a design gets old enough, any material changes tend to look more like amateur grafts than deft updates.
These renders from the Italian customizer Evoluto Automobili show the company’s proposed direction for a new project that’s aiming to transform a well-known 1980s sports car into a more timeless expression of a Ferrari V8—I agree, it’s a little bit of a mouthful—but most are just calling a Singer-ized Ferrari 348. In lieu of a longer description it’s not entirely inaccurate summary, and while there is a lot that separates the two companies (for one, Singer-modified cars exist right now), there are a few notable sections of overlap between this car and the original Singer-modified 911s.
For one, similar to Singer and their relationship with the Porsche 911, Evoluto is adamant that we don’t call this proposed car an Evoluto 348. They are simply starting with the 348 in order to create their idea of a perfect mid-engine Ferrari V8 from the analog era (these will have majorly tweaked Ferrari 360 Modena V8s that Evoluto hopes to get around 500 usable horsepower from). There is no official name for the car at the moment, and when/if they do start accepting 348s from customers, the end results might be significantly different from each other depending on their owners’ preferences.
Whereas most Singer-modified cars begin with a Porsche from the 1980s and end up leaning towards a premium 1970s visual style, the renders from Evoluto Automobili share a similar high-end restomod concept at the core, but one that’s aimed towards the other end of the timeline. These images look like Ferrari 348s that have been aesthetically stretched towards the F355 that replaced them in the 1990s, or at least not something that’s been made to look like a predecessor to the 348.
Between the pair of mismatched scoops in place of the original Testarossa-style slats and the lines of ovoid cutouts around the clear engine cover, this design’s major influence is clearly identifiable as F355, but there are some other cues to past prancing horses as well, like the vented sections behind the headlights that recall the BB512 from the 1970s. The front bumper features 360 Modena styling elements in front of the wheels, but it hardly clashes with the rest of the front end, and offers a subtle hint regarding what’s underneath the see-through lid in the back.
Right now the company says they’re working on their first test car that they will use to develop customer versions, and if they can achieve their target weight and horsepower output of 1,000kg (just about 2,205lbs) and 500bhp, respectively, I’d imagine they will have no issue selling these. They plan to pair the uprated 360 motor (the 3.6L, 395bhp Tipo F131) with a modified chassis and a body that’s been completely redone in carbon fiber and stretched out in key places.
The wider track is obvious, but the car doesn’t look bulbous, the retention of the original car’s sharp belt line a wise choice in this regard. Overall I think it looks pretty good, and if its real world performance lives up to its on-paper plans, it will have the mechanicals to back up its punchy visual makeover. What about you? Is it really sacrilege to cut up a 348 if it’s being turned into a lightweight and naturally-aspirated idealization of the analog sports car experience? Skepticism is warranted for things that only exist on hard drives and monitors, but just like the Automobili Amos Delta and the MAT New Stratos have shown, the world has plenty of room for one more “restomod” done right.
Images courtesy of Evoluto Automobili
