Ferrari test mule snapped

This strange-looking Ferrari test mule, wearing modified 360 panels, was spotted in Italy and made a high-speed exit when our spies started taking pictures.

It's likely to be a Ferrari powertrain prototype and possibly a test bed for Maranello's new turbocharged V6 engine.

This mule's exhaust pipes have been relocated to the centre of the bumper and its ill-fitting side-panels and engine bay window taped up.

We recently reported on Ferrari's plans to reduce its CO2 emissions by downsizing engines and introducing F1-derived mild hybrid systems.

This car could be an early prototype in Ferrari's effort to build a hardcore Enzo successor that incorporates the new green technology.

There's also the possibility that Ferrari is trying to repackage the California's new direct-injection V8 to fit the F430.

However that doesn't explain why Ferrari is testing it in the smaller 360 or why the tailpipes have been repositioned.

>> See more pictures of the Ferrari test mule

Will Powell