Yahoo Finance GTO Engineering confirms Squalo name for retro-inspired sports car
GTO Engineering’s new sports car with retro looks has been given a name, as the company shares the final design and a first look at its engine.
The Ferrari specialist has confirmed its new car will be called Squalo, which means ‘shark’ in Italian. This was chosen because of its ‘shark-like look, instincts and speed’.
The team is working towards having a production-ready model to show, but says these images portray the final look of the Squalo, which has sleek, elegant lines that appear to take strong inspiration from Ferraris of the 60s – most notably the 250 GT.
Although inspired by these classic cars, the Squalo will use ‘modern engineering principles and materials’. GTO is promising a sub-1,000kg weight and a manual gearbox.
Under the bonnet will sit a V12 petrol engine that is being built from the ground up by GTO Engineering at its UK headquarters near Reading. The firm is yet to reveal its capacity, power output or target weight, but it’s putting some emphasis on aesthetics, having removed the surrounds for the carburettor so the open trumpets are visible when the engine is lifted.
GTO Engineering managing director and founder Mark Lyon said: “There’s been an outpour of admiration for what we’re doing here and we realise a little bit of scepticism whether we’re actually making this: a V12-powered, sub-tonne sports car with a Sixties feel but modern reliability, enjoyment and manufacturing quality.
“We’re here to hopefully set the record straight to say yes, it’s happening and we’re sticking to our original ethos for the car as well as timing promises for production. 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.”
GTO is hoping to have the first customer deliveries beginning in 2023. The Squalo will be available in all global markets, with every one built to the buyer’s individual specification. Prices have not been revealed, but we’d speculate it costs somewhere in the region of a ludicrous amount of money…
