As the co-owner of a film and television vehicle rental company with his father, Charlie Graovac has always been passionate about cars. While he was never one for shows or meets, he did lightly modify some of the vehicles he previously owned.
Despite having never driven a Ferrari, Charlie’s longtime dream was to purchase one as a present to himself for his 30th birthday, and then customise it to his style.
Initially, Charlie set his sights on a classic Maranello model, looking specifically for a 348. However, he soon learned that ’80s Ferraris often come with ’80s Ferrari issues that could prevent him from enjoying the car as much as he would want. So Charlie shifted his focus to the F360, an early ’00s model that blends analogue and modern features.
But while on holiday abroad and looking through the online classifieds, Charlie stumbled across something even better – a low-mileage F430 F1 Berlinetta in Nero Daytona black with a custom white leather interior. There and then, he decided it would be his first real project car and went ahead with the purchase.
A few days later, Charlie’s wife Charlotte took delivery of the F430 at Car Audio & Security in London. A plan was hatched – the Ferrari would be modified, and the first time Charlie would see it was when it was completed in time for his 30th.
The build was originally going to be limited to air suspension and wheels, but it quickly spiralled into something much more when Charlie met with Jimmy Pearman from Liberty Walk EU, who showed him what could be achieved with some LB-Works enhancement.
Over eight months, the Ferrari underwent a dramatic transformation with Liberty Walk’s LB-Works F430 Ver.2 complete body kit, which on top of overfenders, added front, side and rear diffusers, and a ducktail spoiler. The final touch came with Morimoto LED taillights before Colourkraft in Northamptonshire finished the job with a full paint correction and Petronas Green accents.
Rotiform wheels originally graced the car, but Charlie has replaced those with a set of custom 6AD Forged 2.55 wheels wrapped in Yokohama Advan semi-slicks. To get the Ferrari sitting just right, the suspension uses Prazi air struts operated by Air Lift Performance 3H management.
A beautiful looking custom Deutsch Tech exhaust system allows the F430’s 4.3L Ferrari F136 E V8 engine to really sing. But when Charlie’s not wide-open throttle, there’s a full JL Audio sound system to enjoy.
For a bit of fun, the frunk lid inside features a custom comic by Jonny Fyvie in The Simpsons style, hinting at fabled ‘cease and desist’ notices from Ferrari and the ‘destruction’ of a collectable car.
Despite being a Ferrari owner for around nine months, Charlie didn’t lay eyes on his purchase until taking delivery of it in all its Liberty Walk glory on his “Three Zero” birthday – just as planned.
After meeting Charlie and Charlotte at Risenation in Belgium earlier this year, I was amazed to hear they regularly drive the Ferrari to events all over Europe. It’s definitely ignited a passion.
During our shoot, Charlie revealed plans for a ‘winter spec’ version of the car, hinting at driving through icy conditions early next year. So, keep an eye out; we might see more of this wide-body Ferrari soon.
Collin Tiemens
Instagram: collinclicksphotos