INTRODUCING THE SQUALO
BRITISH-BASED GTO Engineering has confirmed ‘Squalo' as the name for its all-new car at the same time revealing its final exterior design.
With deliveries due to commence in 2023 the name Squalo, meaning ‘shark' in Italian, was chosen due to the sub-1000kg, V12-powered car's shark-like look and speed.
Inspired by the sportscars of the sixties the Squalo sticks to similar principles of a powerful engine with a manual gearbox and light weight with production of the car and engines undertaken at its headquarters in the UK.
The quad-cam V12 has undergone significant aesthetic refinements and weight reduction engineering including the removal of the engine shroud to now reveal the trumpets when the bonnet is open. Power and performance claims will be announced shortly.
Details on the powerplant are scant, though it's fair to assume there will be come Ferrari influences.
“There's been an outpouring of admiration for what we're doing here and we realise a little bit of scepticism whether we're actually making this: a V12powered, 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,” said GTO Engineering Managing Director and Founder Mark Lyon.
“It's often the small parts of a car that take the longest time. We're now at a stage where the design models are being created here in the UK and soon we will announce our technical partners working with us on the exterior manufacturing and interiors, as well as wheels and tyres. In all my years working in the [automotive] industry, I've never been as excited about the creativity of manufacturing and design as I am now.”
This latest update follows the initial renderings or the all-new vehicle, that were previously announced in November 2020.
See gtoenginnering.com