A restomod of the highest order, RML’s SWB is more than just a rebodied Ferrari 550. We've had a drive -
Like most apparently straightforward challenges, this transformation is far more complex than it sounds – at least if it is to be executed to the same quality, safety and durability standards as an OE manufacturer. For the Short Wheelbase to be viable as a project and desirable for its target customers it had to preserve the proven reliability and functionality of the 550M.
Considering this is the very first car built, it’s no rough and ready mule, though it is reliant upon a number of rapid-prototyped components. The brightwork isn’t representative of final sign-off production parts and there are plenty of pieces within the cockpit that are interim in terms of final fit and finish.
Without the reference points of a regular road, it’s hard to place the Short Wheelbase’s straight-line pace in a modern context. It certainly doesn’t have the crazy ballistics of today’s supercars, but it really romps along, with an endless elasticity that’s highly seductive. We’ve grown used to Ferrari V12s being manic and feral in the manner of an F12 or 812, but the 550M’s V12 is made of more subtle and, dare I say, cerebral stuff.
It’s for this kind of driving that Michael Mallock conceived the Short Wheelbase – well, this and grand touring, something we hope to do when the car is signed-off – so it’s satisfying to find it feels in its element. At this stage in its development, RML’s drivers have simply been establishing that their baseline settings are sound, and that everything is talking to everything else systems-wise.
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