400I with chevy LT1

When you buy a Ferrari, You are paying for the engine. The rest of the car is free. HA HA. I have seen real 308s with V6 installed too. Personally I think that's a mistake. Value of these cars goes through the floor. If you can get this cheap enough and don't care what's under the hood. Go for it. Lots of Jag V12s replaced with a Chevy V8.

 

Good point. I tend to agree with you.

 

I hear there is some cat with a 400 that has a chevy motor. Maybe he has a spare for you?

 

Anybody who has dealt with an LT1 would probably be happy to swap it for a Ferrari V12.

 

I see your point Fritz.
My point is that THIS car isn't so special that it can't or shouldn't be improved. Would I mess with a significant car having some provenance, no, I'll take my GTO with all it's original faults and weaknesses please. Let's face it, the autobox 400i has little value to even most Ferrari enthusiasts. "genuine" 400i owners are viewed as poseurs by some of the pinkie waving elitists among the marque's followers.
Frankly, all the explaining someone having such a combination needs to do could be done on the road.
Should the new owner of the car turn up here and get the car properly sorted I'd love to see a challenge.
It would make "cents" to scrap the car as it's parts are certainly worth more than the whole. But as is some "poseur" is preserving the car should 400is ever be appreciated enough to warrant a proper restoration.

Enzo himself was a racer and gearhead, had no special affection for his cars as they were tools. I really don't understand the worship for anything bearing the cavalino rampante. I think he would laugh at much of it.


EDIT; Sadly, at the price, this car stands a good chance of further decline.

 

Anyone who has ever adjusted shim and bucket valves will glady make the exchange.

 

Lets take this a slightly different tact.

What IF the owner was going to put an engine from a 308 in it? How many of you would be upset at that prospect?

My prediction: Well, its not a true Ferrari V12!! So, it doesnt belong there.


My point: People have been replacing engines from different cars into different makes for around 100 years now. They want something thats easier to work on, or makes more power, or just what they have laying around. Thats what someone did with this car. There are PLENTY of stories of guys with Ferraris from the 50s and 60s that put other engines in them and ran the crap out of them. Back then it was just an old race car to those guys and noone cared. The Tifosi were not offended (to my knowledge). Enzo didnt come to the US and gripe those guys out for ruining his creation. At some later point someone else has more than likely come along and replaced the "offending" motor and put something correct in it and sold those very same cars for millions of dollars.


If you dont like what this person did putting the Chevy engine in it, then buy the car and replace it with a proper engine and resell the car and make your profit (if you can) or drive it.



PDG

 

But there's no optispark!

 

I wouldn't be upset at all. I would even go so far as to say, take a 550 or 575 motor and put it in a Lusso with a missing engine. I think that would be great.

I personally just don't like cross breeding of cars/engines.

 

point taken Jim...

 

Thats fair enough...but you know that there are some who would be really put off by that concept.

On a similar note, what do you think of the Fiat Dinos? Those are Ferrari engines in a Fiat right?? Or Chevy engines in Pontiacs or Buick engines in Pontiacs and those sorts of crossovers (I used Pontiac because I am a bit familiar with them). Does that go under the corporate umbrella as ok? or no? What about the use of the Lamborghini engines in Vectors? or Audis?

How do you feel about that?

I am not being a smarta**, I am just curious to the thought processes. I really am undecided as to whether I am ok with it or not. The bigger part of me says its ok in order to keep the car on the road. I always loved this particular body style and would be happy to own one, but if I could get it with a Chevy engine would I take it? I am on the fence on that one right now.


PDG

 

Well, I'm not going to claim there is any actual logic behind my thought process, I only know what I like and don't like.

I -love- the idea of a late model fuel injected F-car motor in a classic F-car. I just do. I know many would consider it wrong but I don't think it's the worst thing that could happen to a car missing major components that is going together as a driver. You still have major components all from the same company, you still have the sound, etc.

As far as a Fiat dino, I don't know enough about the history of those cars or Fiats relationship with Ferrari at the time to have any real opinion of it.

I like 78 trans am's but would only buy one that originally came with a pontiac engine. Would have no interest in owning an olds powered trans am, original or not.

Move onto the 4th generation cars and I don't really have a problem with Pontiacs and Chevys having the same engine because I do look at the LS series as corporate GM and not something that started off as purely Chevy or Pontiac. And I'm ok with an LS series engine going in any older GM car.

Logic, thought process, don't have the answers to that, I just know what I like

 

I have no offense with engine swaps, for racing, trucks, tools in general, my issue, and it is my thoughts and nothing more, is I place alot of the experince of many cars by the drive train and not the "look" or "head turning". I do not race any of my street cars so the whole "better" engine point is mute. To me the engine in a car, Chevy, Ferrari is an important component of the marque experince. I would not want my 454 Corvette to have the 400I engine any more that the other way around.
I think the Chevy "muscle" car experince would be less with out a Chevy muscle car engine, Like the Ferrari v-12 experince (the main point of a 400I is it is a cheap Ferrari v-12) would be less with out the Ferrari V-12.
Just my two cents, but I do understand most '427 Cobra' kit cars have 351's and many Porsche 911 owners have turbo tails on their non-turbo 911's and BMW owner with 318 put 'M 3' badges on their non 'M' cars, not for me.

 

hey jim are you on the cadillac forum? i had the 05 ctsv for two years, then moved into the 07 stsv for the two year lease. My screen name was 1fstkde, just wondering?? p.s. i miss both of those cars!

 

The issue with this situation is also a sort of double-jeopardy; the 400i is already riding the fence of ridicule by most Ferraristi. A well-sorted, restored, or well-preserved 400 series car can be appreciated, but it must be in mint or near-mint condition. I personally like some examples of the 365/400/412. It's a handsome car.

But any wavering from a near-mint example (of these cars particularly) only doubles or quadruples it's dumpy/cheap factor. Dropping a Chevy motor in one on top of that is a potentially self-incriminating act of self-abuse/self-mockery.

Even if the Chevy engine is a more reliable upgrade (mechanically speaking), it would behoove the owner to never open the hood for any car meet or gathering. Use it as a daily driver only and never show it. What people don't know won't hurt.

 

This could work:

1. Pull all the Ferrari badges and logos
2. Replace the LT1/TMH400 with an LT5/4L80E
3. Repaint exterior and seats at The Earl of Sheib

 

Well said, and a bitter pill for us 400i owners to swallow.