The Dream

We all have dreams, it’s human nature. Some dream bigger than others. For the designer of the Maranello 418SP, multiple championship winning racing driver Grant van Schalkwyk, his dream was to build a replica (or rather an “evolution”) of a Sport Prototype racing car of the 1970’s. Having spent his entire life building and racing cars he had seen how the racing landscape had changed, from one where it was man and machine to one where electronics were taking over and replacing much of the raw skill and courage that was required in earlier years.

Having always been a fan of Italian sports cars and having owned both a Lancia and a Ferrari he dreamed of building a machine that brought together the raw passion of driving with (necessary) modern technology. A car that would be engineered to exhilarate from the outset.

The dream started to become a reality when van Schalkwyk acquired a scale model of a 1972 Ferrari 312PB and decided that this would be the basis for his vision. Design work on the chassis and suspension started almost immediately and shortly thereafter a suitable chassis configuration had been drafted.

Not being one for waiting around, Van Schalkwyk commenced with construction of the newly designed chassis and before long had the frame “mocked-up”. Unfortunately, due to other commitments and a lack of funding, the project stalled for several years. On numerous occasions van Schalkwyk even considered scrapping the chassis and forgetting about the project. But for some reason, he hung onto it. Even after moving to a remote town to escape the stresses of city life, the chassis remained, waiting for its time of glory to come.

The Men

Van Schalkwyk started his racing career at 16, in karting. He won numerous titles in both classes and then moved on to single seaters. Between the years of 1989 and 2001 he won numerous titles and awards in multiple racing formats. In 2002 he set the South African land speed record at a startling 388.538km/h, a record which still stands today (for a non-jet powered car). From 2003 until 2007 he competed in the local Wesbank V8 series, winning another title in 2005. 2008 was van Schalkwyk’s last pro-racing year where he competed in six NASCAR ‘Late Model’ races. After retiring from racing, he managed the Nissan Dealer team as well as the Williams Hunt team. In 2013, van Schalkwyk retired from motorsport.

Wayne Exner, now co-owner of Maranello, was born into a car family and from the early days was involved in vintage and veteran cars with his father. With over twenty vintage and classic cars in the Exner stable in the late 80’s, his father unfortunately passed away and it was at that moment that Exner decided he would need to follow in his father’s car collecting and restoring footsteps. A successful entrepreneur and owner of multiple businesses, Exner started the now successful custom car business known as ‘Ace Customs’ in 2013 and had always had a vision of van Schalkwyk being part of the team as his years of motorsport experience would be invaluable.

The story

Late in 2015, Exner, who was at that stage just an acquaintance, visited van Schalkwyk’s shop. He had for some time been trying to get van Schalkwyk involved in his custom car business (Ace Customs), but until now had been unsuccessful. Van Schalkwyk introduced Exner to his Ferrari 312PB “evolution” concept, wondering if Exner would perhaps consider becoming a partner in the venture. Presented with nothing more than a scale model of the Ferrari 312PB and the bare bones of the partially completed Maranello 418SP chassis, van Schalkwyk was sceptical to say the least of whether Exner would consider getting involved in the project.

Being an ardent petrol-head and believing in van Schalkwyk’s idea, skill set and the passion he had for the concept, Exner agreed to be a partner in the project. It was at this point that the Maranello brand was born.
It is interesting to note that the two partners are now not only business partners but also the best of friends. Their extreme passion for cars, motorsport and perfection in all that they tackle makes them a
formidable team.

The Vision

The vision of the two-man team was to build a highly capable racing car that perfectly combines old and new to deliver the most exhilarating driving experience possible. Utilising readily available parts to keep the build cost down would make the finished cars accessible to a wider market whilst also proving that it is possible to build an exceptionally fast and capable racing car on a smaller budget. Key to the vision would be the omission of modern driver aids. The car would be built to be driven to provide the owner with the reward of knowing that their driving skill is key to the performance of the car.

The concept

The original Ferrari 312PB was a Group 6 Prototype-Sports racing car. First introduced in 1971 it was officially designated the 312P, but was often known as the 312PB to avoid confusion with a previous car of the same name. The 312PB was part of the Ferrari ‘P’ series of Prototype-Sports racing cars but was re-designated as a Group 5 car for 1972. The concept of an “evolution” was to combine looks and specific characteristics from the original 312PB with the Maranello designed chassis, Maranello V8 engine and modern brakes and suspension. The finished product would be akin to a “resto-mod” racing car – the best of old and new combined in perfect harmony.

The build

The build of the first 418SP began late in 2015 and took the team approximately nine months to complete.
With no detail being overlooked, every aspect of the prototype car was carefully planned, designed and fabricated.
The car was first unveiled at the Speed & Sound Motor Expo in September 2016 where it’s old school looks and the extreme attention to detail gained much attention.

On its first outing to the local Zwartkops race track it clocked a 1’07’’ and on a subsequent outing moved in to the 1’06”’s. These fast lap times “out of the box” were a testament to the design and quality of the build. Testing and development are ongoing with the prototype being nowhere near the limit of its capability.

The way forward

Maranello will continue to build handcrafted, race-ready vehicles which embody the raw passion of driving. Further development of the 418SP will be an ongoing process, with the Maranello team wanting to see just how fast (around a race circuit) the 418SP can be. In addition, after numerous requests for a road going version of the 418SP, the team will start development on a ‘Stradale’ edition early in 2018. Loosely based on the 418SP, the ‘Stradale’ will be fully road legal but will still be a true driver’s car that will be engineered to exhilarate!