Ferrari 360 Modena replica-looks good!

It’s weird, this is the first Ferrari 360 Modena replica I have ever seen, and it actually looks good! In retrospect, it was one of the only kit cars that looked good overall. Yes, the picture above is a kit, not a real 360.

The Ferrari 360 Modena happens to be my favorite car of all time, and while there aren’t very many kits out there for it, there are a few I’ve seen...and they’re hideous. Take this horrendous example:

Sorry to whoever made this, but that looks terrible and wouldn’t fool anybody. It doesn’t even have the glass covering the engine! C’mon, that’s part of the 360’s character.

Anyway, this kit from Extreme Cars looks great and being such a 360 Modena lover, I’d say I’m pretty critical (or is it cynical?) It can even be converted from a 2-seater to a family-hauling 4-seater. That’s pretty impressive. It’s built on the Peugeot 406 instead of an MR2 or Fiero, which attributes to the accuracy. From what I can tell, it’s of high quality, and each panel is spaced correctly, showing the craftsmanship is good. The rear of the car is surprisingly accurate, other than the lack of tailpipes, unless I’m missing something here:

The most surprising thing about the car is the attention to detail, giving it every badge, shield, and detail that the genuine car has. The 3.0-liter V6 is front-mounted (giving it the 4-seater capability,) but if you know the 360 Modena, the clear hatch showcasing the engine has been a problem for past kits. This offers that same clear cover and has a faux engine back there. If you look closely, you can tell it’s fake, but it’s still an excellent job, and someone who doesn’t know this car inside and out could not tell the difference.

Not including the donor Peugeot 406, the complete kit costs 6,000 GBP, or around $11,360. Certainly not cheap, but considering the quality and accuracy, it might just be worth it. Don’t go out and buy it just yet though, the “complete” kit isn’t quite complete. The wheels showed cost an extra $1,900 to $2,900, and the wheel spacers to make them look right to cost another $748. We aren’t done yet. The essential original badging costs $340, the headlights $1,700 per pair, and the taillights are $473. OK, that’s just the exterior. Because I’m sure you want to spend even more, the interior kit is $950, and if you want to do the 2-seat conversion (it stays 4-seat otherwise,) that will cost you around $1,150.

Needless to say, if you want the car as close to the authentic version as possible, all this is necessary with some quick math, that comes up to around $20,000, plus the cost of the donor Peugeot, plus the cost of installing it. You do have a couple of options, though. If you get lucky, you can catch a turnkey car on their website ($47,000 to $57,000) but not get it exactly how you want it, or they will do the installation for you for a mere $20,800.

Those prices don’t even include the poly-carbonate windows, the standard lowering springs, or the coil-over suspension, but I’m sick of doing conversions from GBP to USD 😛 I know it seems expensive, but this is as close to a real 360 Modena you will get without spending closer to $150,000. Plus, the insurance will be much cheaper. Their next project includes an all-wheel-drive version with two 3.0 L V6’s, one in the front and one in the rear.

Update: Before considering purchasing this body kit, please read the member comments below.