IF YOU like to see how they modify retros in different countries, then the Nimik 2CV is a brilliant insight into how they do things in Italy. It also is a unique answer to the unlikely question – just what shall we do with that totaled Ferrari F355 and that old 2CV van we bought on the spur of the moment...?

    Undoubtedly there will be those who disapprove of such Frankenstein engineering, but 'Dep-O' isn’t amongst their number, because we know that it has taken Nimik nearly five years and 1500 hours to complete this brilliantly unique and impressive hybrid.

    We don’t know about you, but there really is something massively amusing about splicing the 2CV’s DNA with that of a 375bhp Ferrari. Just think of all the horrified expressions on those Guardian-reading Earth mothers who used to block up the roads with their limping tin-snails, purely because its bootlid proffered a sizeable noticeboard for all their loony lobby pressure group stickers. Vote Yes to Nuclear Powered Feltching. Liberals Against Intolerance. Free Love To Sandals. Keep It Unfettered & Keep It Hairy. I Like My Clams Cheesy...

Here the quality of the work and the integrity of the conversion is clearly visible. After all, Citroën never intended the 2CV Fourgonette to accommodate side air intakes to feed a thumping great Ferrari V8.

 The brilliance of the Nimik 2CV is that it retains much of its 2CV-ness, whilst easily incorporating a hairy dose of Ferrari menace to its looks.

    This Ferrari 2CV has been built by Nimik, a real estate company based in Cavallasca near Como in Italy. As to the question ‘why?’ well it turns out that it was decided to do something hugely eye-catching to promote and advertise the company and they just couldn’t resist the idea. Now, that’s the sort of thinking that we really like!

    This 2CV van (or deux chevaux vapeur Fourgonette for compulsive Francophiles) is clearly a late model, possibly an AK400, and it’s undergone extensive modification to fit the F355 chassis. Its most notable alterations being considerable widening, strengthening, modification and the adoption of side air-intakes for that beautiful mid-mounted 3.5-litre V8.

    The core business of Nimik may be house construction, but the company’s two founders, Nicolò Lamberti and Milko Dalla Costa also indulge in rallies, classic car restoration and prototype car construction in their free time.

    Nicolò takes up the tale: “The Ferrari was involved in an accident which completely destroyed all the upper part of the bodyshell, from the waistline and above, there was nothing left. Don’t ask me how, but the driver is alive and suffered no injuries.

    “The rest of the car – its chassis, engine and gearbox were perfect – and we knew that when we bought it back to the factory, that we had to do something with it. Firstly, we thought about building a prototype for track use, but we didn’t have a definite idea so we didn’t get started.