Not many people will recognise the name Nicola Materazzi straight off the bat. However, the Italian was responsible for the creation of several desirable cars. These include the Bugatti EB110, the Ferrari F40, and the 288 GTO. Sadly the mechanical engineer passed away a few weeks ago but not before leaving the world with one final masterpiece. Say hello to the Maggiore GranTurismo.

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A Love Letter

The Maggiore GranTurismo is a love letter to the famous Ferrari 288 GTO. Thankfully the company does not perform any surgery to the limited-edition Ferrari. Instead it starts with a 208/308/328 platform and prepares it for its new role as an object of desire.

The donor car is stripped down and it is reinforced with new materials. Among these is an aerospace-derived aluminium-alloy suspension setup. The new suspension adds much-needed width to the repurposed supercar. In addition, the restyled body has been made completely from carbon-fibre to lose vital kilograms. The new panels accentuate the ‘coke bottle’ motif as seen from above. Maggiore also retains the pop-up headlamps, albeit with new technology. 

Click here to read our Ferrari F40 driving review.

Twin-turbo

Petrolheads will delight at what lies under the engine cover. Maggiore starts with a 308 block and completely revamps everything attached to it. One of the biggest changes is the realignment of the motor from a transverse to a longitudinal orientation.

The 2,9-litre engine boasts new heads, individual throttle bodies and an intercooler integrated into the intake manifold. Oh, that intercooler is fed by sequential turbochargers. The compound turbo set-up is used to alleviate the ‘boostiness’ that plagued the 288 GTO. It is reported that peak power from the V8 is 442 kW and all of it is sent to the rear wheels through a new six-speed manual – excellent.

Check out another Ferrari 308 restomod at this link.

Bittersweet

The Maggiore GranTurismo made its debut at the Hampton Court Palace Concours today. Gianluca Maggiore, founder of Automobili Maggiore said at the event: “The greatest regret was not having been able to share this moment with one of the people behind the project itself. This is therefore a real tribute to one of the most illustrious engineers and designers that the automotive world has ever had.”