Dutch designer Niels van Roij is responsible for many bite-the-back-of-your-hand beautiful projects. Standout creations include the Range Rover Adventum Coupe, a custom-built Land Rover Defender, and the Tesla Model S Shooting Brake. On this particular occasion, Niels looked into the glorious past of the Prancing Horse for a coachbuilt grand tourer.
Breadvan Hommage is how this fellow is called, and it’s bewitching from every angle you admire it. Commissioned by “a true admirer of the Italian brand,” the one-off gran turismo is directly influenced by the short-wheelbase Breadvan that was developed to compete against the 250 GTO.
Penned by the one and only Giotto Bizzarrini, the man who gave Lamborghini the V12 engine we all know and love, the Ferrari 250 GT SWB Breadvan took home two class wins for Scuderia Serenissima. Similar to chassis number 2819GT, the modern-day tribute features a cutout in the hood for a clear bubble that allows you to admire the free-breathing motor.
As opposed to the 5.7-liter V12 in the 575, the Ferrari 550 on which it's based rocks a 5.5-liter engine that cranks out 478 horsepower in bone-stock specification. Torque isn’t too shabby either at 419 pound-feet (568 Nm), but when you think about it, this car wasn’t built to impress on paper.
“Design is about the search and the experiment,” said Roij. "It was a complex task to translate the essence of a legendary car into a contemporary design."
The interior is bespoke in its own right, now featuring Alcantara on the carbon-fiber seats, pure silver for gauge inlays, machined aluminum for the switchgear, quilted black leather on the door cards, and the Italian flag. Instead of the factory-supplied door handles, the Breadvan Hommage now opens from the inside with the help of very light and sexy red cords.
No expense was spared on the handling front either because this one-of-none shooting brake is gifted with Formula 1-style adjustable shock absorbers from Koni. The finishing touch comes in the guise of Vredestein Ultrac Vorti+ high-performance tires designed in collaboration with Italdesign Giugiaro.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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