We run across a lot of odd stuff while trawling the net for all things automotive, but today's find stands out as one of the most interesting things we've seen in a long while. It's a rare prototype for a Ferrari V8 with a murky history, and it is, of course, for sale.
Currently posted on a racing classifieds website, this V8 was apparently christened the "F121" by Ferrari, and designed by Nicola Materazzi. Materazzi was a maestro of early turbo engines, influencing the design of those powering the Lancia Delta Turbo Group 5, Ferrari 288 GTO, Ferrari F40, and Bugatti EB110—all cars with small engines and a ton of turbocharging. Being a lowly 2.0-liter V8, then, the F121 fits in with the rest of Materazzi's portfolio, and with its estimated 400-horsepower output, it would've been a potent little power plant no matter what you put it in.
Which brings us to a question we'd like to ask our readers: Where would you swap this exceedingly rare Ferrari engine, of which only three are said to exist?
Personally, I've already toyed with the idea of cramming a 4.2-liter Ferrari F136 V8 into my 24 Hours of Lemons team's Toyota MR2—they make plenty of power and can be had for as little as $2,000. Stepping up (down?) to an even less-developed and poorly supported engine would no doubt be a hit with race organizers, and if it proved reliable enough to race with it would make my car easily the fastest in the field. It even comes with a five-speed transaxle that'd make the engine swap as straightforward as—admittedly complicated—one-off swaps go. Sure, I'd have to chop out the firewall, relocate the gas tank, and fabricate a shift linkage somehow, but people have completed far more difficult builds than this. Now to just scrounge up the $43,800 I'd need to buy this engine—if you have any nickels at the bottom of your toolbox, I could use them in this time of need want.
' />
' />
Got a tip? Send us a note: [email protected]
