It feels like we've not had a story about a restomod (a classic car restored with modern technology or automotive engineering, for the uninitiated) in a while. But throwing their hat into the ring from the North East of England that's currently got the internet abuzz is a most intriguing proposition: the Ælla-60, which, although not explicitly stated, is a restored and modified Ferrari 360 Modena.

Now, if you're wondering exactly how that's pronounced, diction fans, its "eye-ella" (think paella without the P), and its namesake derives from that of a medieval king of Northumbria. (Well, if Lamborghini can name their cars after bulls…)

It's been built by Art Machines, which is the brainchild of one Anthony Jannarelly, who is chief designer at Caterham, and is thus responsible for their awesome Project V electric sports car that's entering production this year, as well as his own Jannarelly Design-1 fleet of sports cars.

Following the difficulties he faced with marketing and meeting certified standards in overseas territories for the latter, the concept for the Ælla-60 was borne from Anthony's desire to pursue a more feasible but desirable alternative to many of today's supercars, which he felt were lacking "purity and soul". So what exactly is new inside?

Well for starters, there's a 3.6 litre V8 engine that's mid mounted and naturally aspirated, a six-speed manual gearbox, which offers out 473 bhp, and what is being touted as acceleration from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds, Their press release is hailing it as "retro-futuristic" with a nod to "the greatest GTs from the past".

Certainly, looking at its vivid and stylish livery with racing stripes, there is a definite touch of GT heritage from the 90s at play here, quite possibly from the 60s as well, but not in a reductive way. It's also fitted out with many modern conveniences and comforts such as connective ports for your phone and an air con system.

They're currently aiming to produce around 60 of these cars, with the production line expected to whir into action on them in 2026. Although, as you might well expect, the price tag on this is an eye-popping one to the tune of around £724,000. To put it into perspective, that's over eight times more than the current top resale value of a Ferrari 360 Modena.

Still, Art Machines' vision and innovation is to be applauded, and until such times this or any other restomods make their presence known at one of our many venues nationwide, there's always the chance to drive the original Ferrari 360 - and many other automotive greats - on our Supercar Experience packages, starting from as little as £59.