Replicas of legendary cars often fall short of the originals due to poor proportions or limited budgets. This 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF cannot be called a perfect copy either, but it may be one of the best “fake Ferraris” out there. It looks fantastic, drives like a regular Miata, and doesn’t require a billionaire’s fortune for everyday use.
The car is currently consigned to Mecum’s auction in Nashville. It started life as an MX-5 Miata RF Club model before being taken on by Darrin Wood of Modern Custom Classics in northern Alabama.
The transformation went far beyond bolting on an off-the-shelf body kit. The carbon-fiber body panels were all hand-crafted and include an entirely new front and rear end, door skins, rear quarters, and a custom-made trunk lid.
Nobody is trying to pass this car off as a genuine Ferrari 250 GTO, nor is it necessary. The windshield, doors, roofline, and overall proportions immediately reveal its Mazda origins. The front end looks a bit too modern, and the rear is slightly shorter and bulkier than the long, sinewy Ferrari from the early 1960s.
Nevertheless, the sculpted front fenders, triple side vents, wire-spoke-style wheels, and four round taillights achieve something most replicas lack: the car looks genuinely attractive in its own right.
This is especially important because an overly realistic replica can fall into an unsettling “uncanny valley.” In this case, some of the original Mazda’s features actually work in the car’s favor. The factory retractable hardtop, for example, remains fully functional.
Beneath the new bodywork sits Mazda’s 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G four-cylinder engine, a six-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive, and a Borla exhaust system.
Even better, the car retains its original airbags, ABS, stability and traction control systems, air conditioning, navigation, Bluetooth, backup camera, and factory gauges. All of this makes the car far more livable on a daily basis than even the most magnificent real 250 GTO — not to mention the enormous difference in insurance and maintenance costs.
Of course, this Miata isn’t as dramatic or exclusive as a genuine Ferrari. But that is precisely part of its charm.
Real Ferrari 250 GTOs sell for tens of millions of dollars and are kept in climate-controlled garages, seeing the road perhaps twice a decade. This one you can happily take out for a late-night shawarma run on a Tuesday evening.
