Ferrari 250 GT SWB reimagining revealed in pre-production form

UK engineering firm RML Group has unveiled a pre-production prototype of the Short Wheelbase, a new sports car paying homage to the Ferrari 250 GT SWB of the 1960s.

While the RML Short Wheelbase (SWB) has been styled to look like a Ferrari 250 GT – with similar proportions and design features – it borrows its chassis from a late 1990s Ferrari 550 Maranello, and its 5.5-litre V12.

The $2.5 million RML SWB might look like a 1960s car – and borrow its engine from a 1990s one – but its body is made from modern carbon-fibre, and it gains mod-cons from an infotainment touchscreen to electric seats.

The company that developed it, RML, has worked on engineering projects from developing a road-legal version of the Aston Martin Vulcan track car in 2017, to collaborating with Nissan on the Juke-R concept, which installed the heart of a GT-R supercar into a Juke city SUV.

Under the bonnet of the RML Short Wheelbase lies a 5.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine from the 550 Maranello, tuned to produce 357kW and 567Nm. It's connected to a six-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential. 

Though not yet confirmed, the company believes the car will be capable of a top speed of 290km/h, and acceleration from 0-60mph (0-97km/h) in 4.1 seconds.

The vehicle has been equipped with new inlet, cooling, oil, and exhaust systems to “full use of the car’s performance”, the company says, while the acoustics have been specially engineered to sound as authentic as possible.

“The target was to emulate the exhaust note of a classic V12 road-racer,” said powertrain design engineer Adnam Rahman. “We started by making recordings of the donor car’s Ferrari V12 from inside and outside the car at various speeds and loads, from idle to full-throttle acceleration.

“The engine was also put on a dynamometer, and data from both tests was built into a computer-simulated model that could be adapted to suit the new noise requirements of the Short Wheelbase.”

The car's cabin has traded plastics for either machined aluminium, glass or leather, and has been reworked to accommodate drivers up to 198 centimetres tall.

It also scores modern elements including electric front seats, cupholders, air conditioning and an enhanced infotainment system with satellite navigation and smartphone connectivity.

Production of the RML Short Wheelbase will be limited to approximately 30 examples, with an expected completion time of six months. Pricing starts at approximately $AU2.5 million.