Now, we aren’t necessarily opposed to LS-swaps – that is, the act of installing a Chevy LS V8 engine into whatever other set of wheels. It’s certainly a great option in, say, a Nissan 240sx, a Mazda RX-7, or even a Jaguar XJS.
However, we have to suspect that the late, great Enzo Ferrari would be rolling in his grave if only he knew about the LS7 swap into this unsuspecting 360 Modena GT.
Don’t get us wrong; the LS7 is a superb motor. But transplanting one into a Ferrari 360 is… well, it’s definitely taboo.
It should be noted that, as you can see from the photo, this is a forced-induction unit. Specifically, one from Lingenfelter, tuned to make somewhere around 1,000 hp. Still, in a world where 99 percent of us could only dream of owning such a piece of automotive delight in its unmodified form, this car is quite a vulgar display of tactlessness.
What do you think? Tell us in the comments section below.
Comments
Proves the Cette motor is better.
This is nothing new. Many small block Chevys went into Ferraris in the 60’s. It’s always been for the same reason; reliability. And it’s still true today.
Keep this stat in mind: Ferrari and Lambo owners put less than 3000 miles on their cars per year on average. They are still gorgeous cars to look at.
The Miami Vice tv series had a pair of white Testarossas that had 350’s in them, replacing their unreliable H12.
At first you’re tempted to think this is “taboo,” but if you really think about it, the car is a lot more reliable and cheaper to fix if something goes wrong (w/ the engine at least),
Also this car has 1,000 hp, I suspect the owner found this swap (if it was a swap) to be less costly than to mod a Ferrari engine to make the same power, also, how reliable would a Ferrari engine be if it’s modified to make 1.000 hp compared to a Chevy engine that’s massaged by a respected and proven tuner like LPE? Chevy wins all the time.
But I can see why people see this as odd, personally I wouldn’t do this unless I found the Ferrari as a glider at a REALLY good deal.
Well it comes down to this.
The Ferrari V8 needs cam belts every 30,000 miles and it also need a clutch not long after that. The major scheduled service is not cheap and takes money,
Once these cars get to a price point they are not worth the service or need a rebuild because someone failed to service and they lose a belt taking the head and ever valve then the Chevy is a cheap and easy replacement.
Lets put it this way. The old V12 Jag engines drop Valve seats like crazy the head casting can be nearly $2,000 new and that is bare. So just in parts you can bolt in a GM engine with no issue. They already had a TH400 and GM AC in many of those cars. We stuck a 428 Pontiac in a 76 Jag sedan and it is still running like a clock today. The 12 Dropped two seats and ate two heads.
You can find many 308 Ferraris that have had GM trans plants many with Fiero engines and GTP engines.
Today the reliability of most Ferrari engines are much better and more reliable But they are still expensive to maintain due to the high tolerances they use.
I would not say that Chevy is better it is just less maintenance and cheaper to maintain. Both are great engines both do the job just differently. You can do surgery with a butcher knife or a scalpel but the scalpel may dull sooner depending on how much cutting you do but it does not make it any less sharp when new.
Also note many at GM admire the Ferrari in many ways too. GM even has a Ferrari Powered Firebird in their collection. They could have put the Pontiac engine in after they got the car back from Bill Mitchell but they did not and that was out of respect for the engine.
Aaron Birch may be from Detroit but it is obvious he knows nothing about cars.
“This car is quite a vulgar display of tactlessness”
The car is now, quite simply, more powerful AND more reliable, along with being far easier, and therefore cheaper, to maintain.
you get the sexy styling and handling of the ferrari with reliable cheap to look after power of the chevy sounds like a good mashup