Here's How You Shove A Ferrari V12 Into A Small Sedan

Jun. 28, 2021 11:42 AM ET by Jake Lingeman Video / 5 Comments

Obviously this is the kind of stuff that happens in Australia.

Engine swaps come in all shapes and sizes. There's the classic LS engine in a Mazda RX-7 for drifting. We also have the old Toyota Supra's 2JZ implanted into the new Supra just a few months after it was released. But shoving a Ferrari engine into anything that's not a Ferrari is always a major task. We'll note that this is an old engine, and not the new electrified V6 from the Ferrari 296 GTB.

The crazy Australians are working with a car called the Holden Torana, a midsize car built between 1967 and 1980 down under. This is the second, LC generation of Torana, and before today's adventure it sported a Chevy big block motor for burnout competitions. After some car shipping, engine moving and pandemic nonsense, the vehicle is back at the Rod Shop looking for a new engine. The boys went with a 5.7-liter V12 from the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.

In that application it delivered 533 hp at 7,250 rpm and 434 lb-ft of torque. The Torana's not a big car, which means a ton of fabrication and customization. Thankfully they have a good starting point as the Ferrari mill isn't as massive as the outgoing Chevy. They start but cutting out the former crossmember and relocating a tube brace to allow the engine to sit low enough.

The engine goes off to the machine shop to get measurements for the adapter plate for the Powerglide automatic transmission. Castlemaine then relocates the suspension to make more room, the engine only necessitated moving to one side, but obviously they had to move both to fit the Ferrari's dry sump. The plan for now is to make a cruiser, so the shop is putting an air suspension in.

They end up getting the engine where they can access the fittings and attach the steering rack. Everything gets "tacked" in place first with tiny little welds. Once everything is in place perfectly they weld it in permanently. The shop also installs a plate that acts as bash protection, ties into the steering rack and ties the frame rails together.

Finally, a new hood has to be fitted to allow clearance for the blood red valve covers. But that's where this video leaves us, with good progress on one of the craziest swaps we've seen recently. We'll keep an eye on this one. Check out the Castlemaine page for a bunch of other crazy hot rod stuff.

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Tags: #Ferrari News #Car Culture #Engine #Video

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