RUNNING IN THE FAMILY

RML’s 250 Short Wheelbase is an artful reinvention of Ferrari’s immortal berlinetta, built around 550 Maranello underpinnings. Where do we sign?

- RICHARD MEADEN

YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THAT!’ If Michael Mallock, CEO of RML Group, had a pound for every time he’s had to say that to a visiting journalist he’d be retired by now. Knowing what you’ve seen and not seen is a bit of a standing joke when visiting RML’s expansive Northants HQ, yet the self-styled ‘high-performance engineering’ outfit has made a serious business from specialising in white label projects.

However, today is different. No secrets, no NDA muzzles, and no polite invitations to un-see something. Instead Mallock is giving us exclusive access to RML’s first in-house project and the team responsible for designing, engineering and building it.

From Le Mans prototypes and World Touring Cars to record-breaking EV hypercars, classic continuations and one-off commissions for ultra-wealthy clients, RML is the secret skunkworks of choice for countless high-profile engineering programmes. Some, such as the wild Nissan Juke R, openly leveraged RML’s involvement as a means of adding credibility, while others, such as the Nio EP9 electric hypercar, saw RML sidelined until strict confidentiality agreements had lapsed.

Mallock is sanguine about mostly having to keep schtum – “Clients don’t pay us to promote ourselves” – yet since making his accession to the helm of the family business he has wanted to showcase RML’s extensive and diverse in-house capabilities.

Given the company’s racing heritage, some kind of track-only machine bearing RML’s name would have been all too easy. Instead Mallock wanted to make a more meaningful statement; a pure, analogue driver’s car with ample road-accessible performance, plus some creature comforts to make it a genuine GT. That car is the RML Short Wheelbase.