Which engine is this?

I'm guessing this was the prototype Italian (De Tomaso?) conversion done for the Ford 289/302 Windsor block.

 

Never seen a Maserati motor with belts like that but the air cleaner box does look familiar.

Check Marc Sonnery's book, maybe something is in there?

 

The heads do not look like anything made in Italy, and the belts lead me to think it's a modern engine. The air cleaner is clearly the same as that on the European V8 version used on many Maseratis, and it almost looks like there are 4 Webers hiding underneath it.

Where did you come over the picture?

 

The belts look overly robust and I think I see multiple tensioners? Nothing like what Maserati ended up with under DeTomaso.

However, what appears to be a cam box assembly on top of an alloy head with a single cam DOES look very familiar in concept to the 3V Biturbo head.

 

If I remember correctly, didn't DeTomaso play around with a 4 valve head for the old V8? It could also be made of wood, something DeTomaso did often.

 

The block and bell housing pattern sure looks like a small block ford.

 

Photo is very late 60s or early 70s. Look at background cars chrome bumpers with overriders.

 

To me it looks like the engine De Tomaso proposed for his cars. There are other images of it with the same cut-off exhaust pipes.

Best,

Jack.