Someone is cooking up a reincarnation of the Ferrari 288 GTO, and it might be the best thing to happen in the heat of electric SUV fever

The developers of Automobili Maggiore caused a stir  when almost two years ago they presented their "Project M" (yes, as in  "Magnum", the famous series of the 80s  ): a daring restomod of the  impressive Ferrari 308  that raised blisters among the most purists.

Now the Italians are looking to upgrade with the announcement of their new project:  a tribute to the 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO  (Approved Gran Turismo).

This ambitious customization called "Gran TurismO" is not a real restomod, because there are not enough millions of euros in the world (or audacity) to start from one of the rare Ferrari 288 GTO of surviving original, dismantle it and try to modernize it.

With love, for Nicola Materazzi

Instead, the Automobili Maggiore GranTurismo again takes the 308 as its starting point in an effort to "satisfy the demand of those customers who love the 80s, but are looking for a  more hardcore atmosphere  compared to Project M", say -they. preparers. One of the key points of the project is its engine.

For the guys at Maggiore, based in Marmi (Italy), GranTurismo celebrates Ferrari's second GTO but also pays homage to the man behind such an illustrious name in the  brand's prancing horse history.

We are talking about  Nicola Materazzi , the engineer responsible for the development of some of the cars that are already part of the collective imagination of car enthusiasts, such as the  iconic Ferrari F40  or models of the stature of the legendary  Bugatti EB110 .

In fact, prior to his recent death, Materazzi had been collaborating closely on the GranTurismo project for months, so the project now takes on a new dimension for the Maggiore team.

This is how they made it known on their networks a week ago, when they  dedicated a publication to him  : "a visionary who gave us many masterpieces, but above all a brilliant spirit, never satisfied and always ready to take on new challenges. ..) Such an honor to have you as a mentor and supervisor for our latest project, we will miss you," the post read.

The GranTurismo -which is still in the oven- will be  terribly powerful,  because under the hood it will carry an extremely modified version of the well-known 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 which is in fact derived from a V6 racing engine  designed in his time of Alfredo Dino Ferrari.

This block, after being used in some street cars, gained two cylinders in the Roaring 1980s and it was precisely Materazzi who adjusted and pressed it to place it in sports cars of the size of 208, 328 or 288 GTO.

Specially prepared for the new project, the engine has been modified and pressed again  to reach 608 hp,  according to Maggiore (no more and no less than 200 hp more than in the original version, which  reached a maximum speed of 305 km/h  ) .

With a dry sump and a series of new custom parts like cylinder heads or sequential turbochargers, it is now "30% smaller than the original". This would allow it to be mounted lengthwise instead of crosswise, as was the case  on the Ferrari 308 GTS  for example.

A new  six-speed gearbox  handles the power, and the wider track, Ergal suspension (an aluminum alloy used in aircraft) and Brembo racing brakes will keep the car as close to the tarmac as possible. and, in theory, to make it more manageable.

The donor chassis (any of the 208/308/328 family would be valid for the project according to the Italian tuners) will still be "completely restored and reinforced to withstand the new stress levels"  Good.

Maggiore describes the design of the GranTurismo he just unveiled as "  inspired by the more muscular 288 GTO  ", which is most evident at the rear.

Its yellow color is striking, reminiscent of the Giallo Fly that one of the exotic development prototypes that Ferrari painted in 1985 before selling it wore. The 272 production Ferrari 288 GTOs leaving the factory wore  the Rosso Corsa body color with a black interior .

Seen from above, elements such as its air intakes or its taillights "as if cut in half" stand out with a nod to more recent Maranello productions. In this sense, we also see reminiscences of other models of the house, for example in the  five-spoke wheels designed in 3D.

At the moment, the details that have transpired from the inside are scarce. However, Automobili Maggiore promises a modern cabin "with references to the era of the original 288 GTO", as well as  unlimited customization options.

If it's half as impressive as the exterior of the GranTurismo, OR just in the renders, it's certainly worth the wait.

Maggiore's plan is to  build around 19 examples  of its new model, although the firm has yet to confirm a production start date (it's estimated to be late 2023), or even an approximate price.

What is clear, just taking into account the average cost of potential donors for this project, is that whoever has fallen in love with the idea of ​​owning one of these beauties, better go to Tuscany soon with a blank check in principal.