Evoluto’s modernised Ferrari 355 is designed to be the ultimate analogue driver’s car

‘The antidote to the digital direction of modern supercars’. That’s how Evoluto Automobili describes its new, re-engineered Ferrari 355, which makes an appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week. With the help of Ian Callum, the firm has redesigned one of Ferrari’s analogue icons with modern manufacturing techniques to make it more powerful, more reliable and more refined dynamically, and just 55 will be built. 

Evoluto’s creation is based on customer-supplied 355s, stripped to a bare shell before new components are applied. The chassis is strengthened with carbon bracing, increasing torsional stiffness by 23 per cent to form a basis for revised suspension. The setup has been designed to deliver ‘playful’ handling characteristics while remaining stable at high speeds – useful given that the Evoluto offers a chunk more performance than a standard 355. 

At its core lies the Ferrari’s naturally-aspirated V8 in a more powerful 414bhp state of tune, with a redline capped at 8500rpm. This is made possible by reworking the engine's internals with more than 200 redesigned parts, including a CNC ported head, solid cam lifters and a bespoke inlet cam. The mechanical upgrades are maximised via a new engine management system, and a titanium exhaust liberates a few extra decibels and more power. 

Evoluto is targeting a weight figure of 1250kg, which is 100kg lighter than the standard 355 without fluids. This is partly thanks to its Callum-penned carbonfibre bodywork, which has been adapted for the new wide-track suspension and to improve aerodynamics. The pop-up lights are now LED units and the wheels have been upsized to 19-inches, covering uprated Brembo brakes (carbon ceramics are an option). 

The 355’s interior has been refreshed with new materials, leather finishes and modern tech, but the centrepiece is the open-gate manual shifter for the six-speed ‘box, which has been revised for a more precise, satisfying action. 

Given the bespoke nature of each build it’s hard to pin down how much Evoluto’s 355 costs, but given that just 55 units will be commissioned, don’t be surprised if it’s in the same realm as Ferrari’s own brand new supercars.