Though Lancia used to dominate rallies as late as the 1980s, Italian cars on the rally stage have been a rare sighting these days. One ambitious privateer has decided to change up the usual offering of Subarus, Mitsubishis and Peugeots and bring a bit of flair back onto the scene.

With a specially-modified 360 Modena, Spaniard Yeray Lemes and his co-driver Samuel Vega have shown that one doesn’t need four wheel-drive to impress on the loose surface.

For those familiar with Ferrari interiors, the presence of a hydraulic handbrake mounted in the center may come as a shock. However, this little 360 needs a bit of the rally car-treatment to compete on the stage, and some slow corner-rotation is enabled with this conspicuous lever.

Adding to that is a sequential transmission which allows for clutchless upshifts, though downchanging is still softened by a bit of heel-and-toe. With the standard dash obscured by a big gear counter and minimal shift lights, the exotic Italian steed looks unmistakably focused.

Seeing a Modena with its wheels in full-droop is an odd sight.

Though Ferraris are, with few exceptions, great performers, the competence of this mid-engined, rear wheel-drive sports car is still surprising. The linear power delivery, closely-stacked gears and immense rear traction must be witnessed. Even out of first gear-hairpins, the Ferrari puts down the power without any wheelspin and only occasionally does Lemes get crossed up when squeezing the loud pedal.

With great composure over the bumps, a tractable V8 and a very competent driver, the whole drive looks comparatively relaxed. Only in the end does Lemes begin to slide the car but considering how tight some of the corners are and the 400+ horsepower delivered to the back axle, something’s got to give. This brilliant red rally car is a prime example of what needs to return to the rally stage: great engine notes, a bit more oversteer and some gorgeous body shapes.