The Ferrari 360 Modena Stretch Limos Are the Fastest Limousines in the World

Of course, Ferrari doesn’t make limousines and probably never will. The Ferrari lifestyle allows for certain decadence and showing off, but a limousine would probably be deemed too showy even for them. And, as much as Scuderia is into lawsuits and has probably gone after the brave builders whose creations you’ll read about, this isn’t stopping them – or others – from building unicorns Ferrari stretch limos.

Right now, there are several Ferrari limousines around the world: in Dubai, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. They all belong to limousine companies renting them out by the hour and, while interior layouts vary, they all have in common the base they’re built on: 2003 Ferrari 360 Modenas. All of them also retain the original V8 engine and its location, and all seem to have had their performance only slightly affected by the fact that they’d been stretched out by more than 20 feet (6 meters).

Perhaps the most famous or, better said, the first one to gain international notoriety, is also the original holder of the title of World’s Fastest Limousine and the World’s Longest Ferrari. Built in 2007 by Dan Cawley, boss of Style Limousines from Cheadle, Manchester, and former McLaren carbon fiber expert Chris Wright, it stretches 23 feet (7 meters) and came with a total price tag of £200,000 (244,588), of which only a quarter was spent on a second-hand 2003 Ferrari 360 Modena.

This was no regular limousine, except for the exterior. Inside, it wasn’t flashy and it didn’t come with colored lights, with Cawley telling the media at the time that he’d created it as a “supercar for the masses.” Put it differently, he wanted to be able to offer regular folks the experience of riding in a Ferrari, at a fraction of the cost and, since it was possible, in the company of more friends.

Presented at that year’s European Limousine and Chauffeur Show, this Ferrari stretch limo still retained the original 3.6-liter V8, which remained visible through the rear window, and the original front and rear. The car was cut in half and the body extension was built out of carbon fiber, entirely by hand, and hydraulic-powered gull wing doors were added. Suspension was also beefed up.

The stretched out body added only a reported 352 pounds (160 kg) more to the original weight of the car, and performance was minimally impacted, all things considered. It was still capable of reaching top speeds of 166 mph (267 kph), and could go 0 to 60 mph in under 6 seconds. Cawley said operating it “hardly” felt any different than driving the original Modena, except for the fact that he had to keep reminding himself how long it was.

This limo could accommodate eight passengers, seated in carbon fiber racing seats with five-point harnesses. There was no mini-bar because “it isn't that sort of limousine.” If the driving experience wasn’t proving enough of a thrill, passengers could watch live feeds from exterior cameras on 10-inch flat screen monitors (or a movie on DVD), or blast music on the six-speaker surround system.

Because of the attention this project got in the media, Ferrari threatened to sue Cawley and demanded that he pull all Ferrari badges from the car. Apparently, he had modified it beyond what a Ferrari should look like and, as such, was infringing on the Ferrari copyright.

Cawley’s Ferrari 360 Modena was probably not the very first Ferrari limo and it certainly wasn’t the last. In 2017, for instance, a yellow-colored 360 Modena limo popped up for sale in the United States. It boasted 30,867 miles (49,675 km) on the clock and had been through nine owners already, although it still had a clear history.

With seating for seven passengers, this one came with suicide doors and was more like a regular, flashy limo, with party lights and a variety of plasma screens scattered inside. It sold for $104,400 on eBay and could be the same one that was spotted that same year around Hollywood, offering tours for tourists at 50 bucks a pop.

That same year, another 360 Modena limousine was listed for sale online, this time over in Australia. This was a Melbourne conversion and can now be rented from Exotic Limo Melbourne. The company is saying this is the current holder of the title of world’s fastest limousine and world’s longest Ferrari.

This one, in Ferrari red, is more of a Frankenstein than previous iterations: it still retains the V8 but is longer, heavier and several times tackier (or more fun, depending on how you look at it). The conversion was done by Scott Marshall, who imported the 360 Modena from the UK, cut it in half, stripped it and then stretched it.

“She’s a genuine Ferrari 360 that we imported from England,” Marshall was saying in a 2018 interview. “I drove it for a couple of weeks and then took it down to Dreamtech Conversions in Dandenong and cut the bastard in half. We stripped out the interior, which didn’t take long because there’s not much of it, then used an air hacksaw to cut it.”

After the body was stretched out, a lounge-like area was created in the back, with capacity for eight to ten passengers. Access is done through gull-wing doors, and the interior includes a fully-stocked bar and several screens, colored lights, AC and “killer stereo.”

With an extra 1,100 kg (2,425 pounds) over the stock weight, this limo features wheels from the F430, auto transmission from a Subaru Liberty GT, and airbags in all four corners. Side bolsters from race seats were used as headrest on the lounge-like seat, which Marshall says gives the whole thing a more sportier look. But this is clearly a limo to make you think “this is where the party never stops,” which is probably the last thing Ferrari would want anyone to associate with their cars.