GTO Engineering's ‘Moderna’ will be a '60s inspired V12 sportscar

By topgear, 08 November 2020

Let’s pretend you’ve already got a Porsche 911 Reimagined By Singer in your climate-controlled garage, parked next to an exquisite Eagle E-Type and a couple of continuation cars from the likes of Aston Martin and Jaguar. Lucky you. Life’s good.

And yet, nagging away at you, there’s space in the corner for something a little bit more… Italian.

GTO Engineering reckons it has the answer. An all-new sportscar inspired by the very finest 1960s classics, all rolled into one bespoke package. There’s a little bit of Maserati, some Jaguar and quite a lot of Ferrari about this shape, isn’t there.

They call it the ‘Moderna’, because it looks like a modern version of something old from Modena. Hah! Geddit?

Right now, this car exists as a couple of sketches and an idea in the noggin of GTO Engineering’s founder, Mark Lyon. Grab a napkin, because the spec he’s dreaming up is mouth-watering.

Take a sneaky peek inside the workshops of GTO Engineering here

“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 sportscar.

“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.” Reckon on 300-400hp and a noise so awesome it’s illegal in Switzerland after 10pm.

To keep the weight down below one tonne, the main body will be made from what might as well have been magic spells to engineers in the Sixties: carbonfibre.

But how’s this for attention to detail? To ensure closing the door or opening the bonnet gives the same reassuringly hefty feel as a period old-timer, those panels will be aluminium. The entire car will be handmade in the UK.

Like the 250 SWB ‘Revival’ which blew our tiny minds (and our eardrums) back in the summer, everything about the Moderna will be tailored to your exacting tastes.

You can nominate how many horsepower you want from your operatic V12, how many gears you’d prefer, what sort of handling balance you fancy, and then there’s the rainbow of paintwork colours and trim choices to ponder.

The first cars won’t be completed until at least 2022, so you’ve plenty of time to make your decision – and find about £1.3 million (plus taxes) lying about. Would this be your choice to complete the ultimate restomod dream garage?

STORY Ollie Kew

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