Michelotto is building the Gruppo Four Tributo from scratch, inspired by the Ferrari 308 rally car

Michelotto develops the Gruppo Four Tributo, inspired by the Ferrari 308 rally car

Italy’s Michelotto is teaming up with AK Motorsport to develop the Gruppo Four Tributo, inspired by the Ferrari 308 rally car. According to Car and Driver, the car is being built from scratch rather than converted from an existing vehicle.

Michelotto has been developing motorsport machinery for 55 years. Its projects have included the Ferrari F40 LM race car. Its partner on the new project, AK Motorsport, was founded by a former Michelotto employee.

The Gruppo Four Tributo pays tribute to the Ferrari 308 that Michelotto prepared for Group 4 rally competition. That car is associated with Ferrari’s only World Rally Championship podium finish. Despite those roots, the new road car is designed strictly for paved roads.

The car is built around a tubular frame with an integrated roll cage. Carbon-fiber body panels mounted to the frame recreate the Ferrari 308 GTB’s recognizable wedge-shaped silhouette. The car has pop-up headlights but no Ferrari badges.

The all-aluminum, naturally aspirated 3.4-liter V8 produces 380 hp at 8,250 rpm. It is paired with a five-speed manual transmission with a dogleg first gear. The car has no hybrid system.

The Gruppo Four Tributo has a claimed weight of 2,094 pounds, or about 950 kg. The article’s author expects it to be expensive and built in small numbers.