The Ferrari 348 was, by most accounts, not a Good Ferrari. Some went as far as suggesting it was the worst product Ferrari had developed for some time. “This was clearly the worst product Ferrari had developed for some time,” remarked former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemelo.
Upon taking the Maranello reigns, then, Luca immediately set about reworking that car to turn it into one of the finest mid-engined Ferraris ever built in the shape of 1994’s F355. Now it’s 2024, and it’s been given another going over. This is the 355 by Evoluto.
Evoluto is a UK engineering firm that specializes in the “meticulous restoration and modernization of iconic supercars”, and it has done just that with Ferrari’s ’90s supercar hero.
Well, your ’90s supercar hero, because the process starts with a customer-supplied car. It’s then completely stripped back to its core chassis, assessed, cleaned and then strengthened via carbon fusing. This, much like the X-Men’s Wolverine, involves fortifying the 355’s hard points with carbon to improve its torsional rigidity by 23% versus the original.
Unlike the X-Men’s Wolverine however, the 355 packs a thoroughly reworked version of Ferrari’s rather sonorous naturally aspirated 3.5-liter flat-plane crank V8. There’s a new CNC ported cylinder head with bigger inlet valves. A bespoke inlet cam. Solid cam lifters. There’s a new ECU. Evoluto’s “coil-on-plug” ignition that allows for more precise ignition timing. A new titanium sports exhaust with equal length headers. A thimble of the Honda NSX’s tears. Probably.
In total, more than 200 new and redesigned engine parts contribute to lifting the 355’s power from around 375hp to 414hp, Evoluto promising “21st century reliability”, and a better response. Should sound fairly fruity.
There’s a new wiring system and electronic architecture developed in house, a rework of the six-speed manual gearbox, and Brembo six-piston brakes up front (four-pots at the back, with the option of carbon ceramics all round) bursting out of custom 19in forged alloys.
Ditto the body, which now looks like it’s gently trying to burst out of its gorgeous original suit. None other than Ian Callum himself (well, his company Callum Designs) was responsible for the redesign, which now features carbon fiber body panels throughout, helping to drop the 355’s weight down to 1,250kg.
There’s a wider track, bigger intakes and a new splitter up front, LED pop-up headlights, new wing mirrors and a bit of a flourish on the rear arches. Naturally you’ll be able to personalize the body—ditto the interior—according to your preferences, Evoluto offering bespoke paint, leather and material finishes.
“The 355 was iconic in 1994, now 30 years later we’ve re-engineered it to OEM standards,” said Evoluto’s technical boss Amjad Ali. Ali spent seven years working at Porsche tuner Gunther Werks, FYI.
“The 355 by Evoluto program not only honors the classic legacy of an iconic Italian supercar but also offers our customers a unique journey of personalization for each commission,” said Darren McDermott, executive chair of the DRVN Automotive Group. DRVN owns Evoluto and Boreham Motorworks, the latter responsible for the new-old Ford RS200 and Mk1 Escorts, FYI.
Price, naturally, depends on each customers’ preferences, but only 55 will be re-engineered to this spec. The F355 was clearly not the worst product Ferrari had developed for some time. It was in fact—and according to us—one of the finest mid-engined Ferraris ever built. Reckon Evoluto’s rework improves on Maranello’s masterpiece?
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
