Maturo Competition Cars revives the Ferrari 308 GTB Gr4 and prepares a nice surprise for 2026

Netherlands-based coachbuilder/workshop Maturo Competition Cars had already made a name for itself with the Maturo Stradale, which was a highly advanced restomod of the Lancia Delta Intégrale. Here, the Maturo "Rally" is a direct tribute to the Ferrari 308 GTB Group 4, which took part in the European and World Rally Championships in the late 70s and early 80s.

Ferrari knew how to win in rallying too

It's a little-known fact, but the list of winners Ferrari is not limited to F1, Le Mans and GT. Admittedly, the 308 GTB Groupe 4 was not an official Ferrari program, but a project carried out by Michelotto, the famous Padua-based tuner who had previously worked on the Lancia Stratos and Ferrari 365 GTB/4 for the track. Michelotto embarked on the project with the backing of Maranello, which supplied bare chassis ready for the technicians to transform.

The Ferrari 308 GTB Groupe 4 debuted in 1978 and, after some initial running-in tests, proved highly competitive in the European, Italian and French championships. It was driver Raffaele Pinto who gave the 308 GTB Groupe 4 its first victory a year later, at the Monza Rally. In 1981, Jean-Claude Andruet triumphed in the Tour de France Automobile, in a car entered by Ferrari dealer Charles Pozzi. In 1982, a 308 GTB driven by Tonino Tognana won the Italian Rally Championship, and in the Tour of Corsica, Andruet finished second, giving Ferrari its first and only podium finish in WRC history.

Michelotto went on to work on a 308 GT/M, which should have gone into Group B, but did not, and whose work was taken up again on the GTO Evoluzione, another stillborn project that came to an abrupt end with the discontinuation of Group B in 1986, leading to the radical F40 in 1987. In all, 11 examples of the 308 GTB Groupe 4 were built by Michelotto, with an additional car assembled in Great Britain for events in the UK.

Modernizing without altering

Maturo offers the chance to relive the experience of "classic analog rallying", with a focus on authenticity and absolute respect for the basic model. This is a restomod, since the chassis is based on an original donor car, fully disassembled and reinforced, with over 150 additional welds, an FIA cage to the latest standards and a corrosion treatment.

Obviously, many technical components have been optimized and modernized, with 4-position adjustable suspension, competition braking based on 305 mm discs front and rear, separate hydraulic handbrake, reinforced transmission and limited-slip differential front and rear. The 308 Rallye features a dog-clutch gearbox with shorter ratios. The gearbox housing and internal components are reinforced, enabling very rapid gear changes, without having to use the clutch during hard acceleration or braking. As on the original rally car, braking is provided by an unassisted pedal unit designed for competition use.

The engine is still the original Ferrari F106AB 90° V8 2,926 cm3, rebuilt to Group 4 specification, for a claimed output of over 300 hp. The flywheel has been lightened, modern injectors installed and an electronic ignition developed in-house. Other features include forged pistons and improved cylinder head and crankshaft bolts.

Retro ambience guaranteed

The interior takes you right back to the rally atmosphere of the early 80s. The interior design, from the steering wheel to the instrumentation, is identical to that of the 308 GTB Group 4 homologated in 1976. No USB ports, digital screens or LEDs, just old-fashioned buttons, switches and LEDs! Sitting in the bucket seat and gripping the steering wheel adorned with the prancing horse is like stepping back in time to the golden age of Group 4. The complete rally equipment is implemented, with full communication system, fire extinguishing system, jack, spare wheel, wheel gun, and more.

Last but not least, the proposed livery is that of Martini Racing, normally associated with Lancia rally cars, but we can well imagine that it will make more of an impression in terms of communication than the blue Charles Pozzi livery that adorned Andruet's 308, well known in France but less so internationally. Nevertheless, it's no usurpation, since it was the livery of the 308 GTB Gr4 driven by Raffaelle Pinto when he won the 1979 Monza Rally.

A road version next year, yum!

Last but not least, Maturo is planning a "Stradale" version for 2026, based on the Rally, but adapted to high-end road use. No more than a dozen examples are expected. It remains to be seen whether this will be a pure restomod with a donor car, or a creation from scratch. All the same, it promises to be a high-flying restomod, just one more! Stay tuned!