Evoluto 355 Confirmed Production Ready as Full Engineering Details Emerge

We already know the reimagined bodywork is courtesy of Callum Design, and we already know it'll be crafted from carbon fibre, significantly reducing overall mass to 1,250kg, undercutting the original by 200. That's despite significant modifications to the dimensions, with the front and rear track widths swelling 77 and 66mm respectively. We also know it’ll utilise a re-worked 3.5-litre V8 from the donor car, with power upped to 414bhp courtesy of bespoke camshafts, ported cylinder heads and a fully redesigned stainless steel exhaust system. Evoluto describes the power delivery as ‘progressive with strong mid-range flexibility’. 

The big news is the reveal of a second, 3.7-litre derivative, producing 473bhp and capable of revving to 9,000rpm. Along the way, it will also generate 295lb-ft (400Nm) of torque. Evoluto hasn’t revealed how the extra capacity has been achieved, but has stated the larger unit features extreme high-lift cam profiles and an optimised valvetrain, with strengthened internals designed for sustained high-speed use. We wait with bated breath to see how such changes and an additional 500rpm will enhance one of the greatest engine notes in history.

If anything, the chassis modifications are even more ambitious. To accommodate the increase in track width, Evoluto has re-engineered virtually every suspension component: there's new upper and lower arms, uprights, wheel bearings and anti-roll bar drop links, with revised hardpoints throughout. The suspension geometry has been completely re-profiled for modern wheel and tyre sizes, with the goal of sharper, more predictable steering and improved stability through the full range of suspension travel.

Speaking of steering, a new rack dramatically reduces the original 3.25 turns lock-to-lock to 2.0, emulating the rapid response characteristic of modern Ferraris. It’ll be paired with a new electro-hydraulic power-assistance system ‘calibrated to retain natural weighting and feedback’. While some may wince at the potential implications of this move, it’s worth remembering the 355 has never been known for offering tactile steering.

Suspension duties fall to R53, the Warwickshire-based supplier for Gordon Murray Automotive. The 355 by Evoluto runs bespoke three-way adjustable dampers with external reservoirs, developed using CFD and validated through extensive track testing. R53 has also been confirmed as the official supplier for Boreham Motorworks, the Ford-focused restomodders also under the umbrella of the DRVN Automotive group. 

The increase in track width has also necessitated entirely new wheel bearings and driveshafts. The new bearing units save over a kilogram per corner and use sealed cartridge bearings that can be replaced independently – a meaningful serviceability improvement over the originals. The driveshafts, meanwhile, use lightweight tripod CV joints derived from motorsport, paired with gun-drilled 300M steel alloy bar shafts, shedding nearly two kilograms per side. As originally announced, braking is taken care of by six-piston Brembo calipers up front, with carbon ceramics available as an option.

Inside, the cabin has moved on considerably from the launch prototype. Wayne Burgess and his team have fully productionised the interior, with extensive carbon fibre construction, bespoke analogue instrumentation and machined metal elements throughout: the speaker covers, for instance, are milled from single billets. Evoluto has taken a conscious decision to retain physical dials, rotary controls and illuminated switches throughout, and the gated manual gear lever remains the centrepiece of the transmission tunnel – although even here the firm cannot help itself in courting controversy, with the iconic spherical gearknob hollowed out and lined in carbon fibre.

Behind the visible surfaces, approximately 90 per cent of the wiring harness is completely new, with a dedicated powertrain ECU and modern power distribution system replacing the original fuse-box architecture. Even the HVAC runs on an electric architecture, drawing from the battery rather than the engine, addressing a common source of frustration for original 355 owners.

Indeed, so comprehensive is the rework that precious little of the original donor car survives the process – a mechanical Ship of Theseus that raises an obvious question: at what point does a reimagined 355 stop being a 355? Many will point to Singer and the level of changes now involved in one of its commissions. Others will argue Singer has earned that right over a decade, and point out the 964-911 was never loved on the same level as the Ferrari 355.

Evoluto evidently stands behind its product, going as far as to offer a 20,000-mile, two-year warranty – a rarity in the restomod world, backed by over 5,000 miles of track testing and 10,000 miles of engine testing during the validation programme.

The 355 by Evoluto is rumoured to start at around £700,000 before the donor car and bespoke customisation. Only 55 will be made and production will begin in Q4 2026. On the strength of this engineering programme, that figure is beginning to make sense – even if you still don't agree with the makeover.