Boat with Ferrari Testarossa engine

That is very cool.

 

The testarossa is not a v12, and some say not really a flat 12 due to its firing order. Some call it a 180 degree v12.

I remember back in the 80s ferrari made some boxer motors for marine use, as did porche with the 928 motor.

The problem with these exotic euro motors for boats is the same problem mercury found when trying to adapt the lt5 for marine use. Specificaly boat motors need lots of constant and low down torque. HP Power from revs is not ideal in a marine applications.

Its why your basic pushrod detroit iron is so enduring in boats, their powerbabds and tq characteteristics are ideal for a v hulled boat, they are also relatively durable in salt and economic. A 4 valve high rev aluminum motor is a pretty bad choice for marine applications.

Outboards are the exception tot his rule, but outboards are very much about light weight and either two stroke so have lots of tq relatively speaking, are geared low and designed to run close on max revs continualy(around 6k) or in mercurys 4 strokers supercharged to fill in the 4 stroke tq deficit on a lightweight motor.

I would think a boxer motor would be better than a Tr motor for a boat, and that the width of both would make then a pretty poor choice for a twin engined boat.

These days Mercuray racing makes its own proprietary v8s for go fast boats, essentialy a pushrod V8 similarin layout to a BBC that is upsized in every dimension and can relaibly put out 650-1000 hp..

 

cool photos as well.

 

twin supercharged 4.5 liter Ferrari grand prix V12, circa 1953
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I believe that boat still exists and runs on ocasion, lake Maggiore.

 

it sold at auction a few years ago for $1.5mm, not sure where it is now.

 

What is the life span of a 1000 HP v8? 100 hours maybe? Boats want diesel for Tq and long engine life.Exotics are pretty but not practical in boats.

 

But it is a 180 degree V12--2 con rods on each crank journal.

 

I'm pleased to see that this beautiful Christmas gift from my son is based on an actual hydroplane. The cockpit even has a red leather seat and all the instruments. Thanks for posting the race picture.
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A couple more views from different angles. I'd sure like to see the original at full throttle.
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I took these shots at the Maranello museum in July:
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Thanks for posting these pictures the whole idea of a Ferrari boat is really exciting.

 

Not so exciting if it was your Ferrari....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsMFqKDutoM

Haha, I had forgotten about this movie.

 

one of the restoration car shows built a replica of a boat similar to the above photos, it had Ferrari origins

 

When I watched that movie many years back, I never really looked at the engine bay in that clip but it seems they really were running a 308 engine.

 

oh and, Real Ferrari Boats Part One

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg78MStJSs0

.....and turn up the audio.....way up!!

 

This might be more than you asked for,
but it is current, and compares a NASCAR
motor to an F1 motor.

Be careful, in one of the "breakout sessions"
the author talks about "2nd derivatives........"

Comparing NASCAR Cup engines to Formula One engines, by EPI Inc.

 

Neither are diesels if you want to go fast. Only a handful of diesel powered go-fast boats world wide will even break triple digits - which by powerboating standards these days are rather anemic considering most high end pleasure cats run between 180-220 mph and the pleasure V-bottoms are getting into the 160 mph area.

On hours and longevity, it depends. A set of well built 1000-1200 hp engines with hydraulic roller setups used in pleasure powerboats like Outerlimits, Skaters and many others usually run 200-300 hours and often longer before the bottom end needs a rebuild. Top ends are usually done around 125-175 hours now a days. The current Mercury 1350 DOHC engines are super reliable and run 300-400 hours without issues. Put those engines in cars, and that lifespan will grow dramatically. Boat engines are much harder loaded than car engines. Can a Ferrari V12 be made to run in a boat? Sure it can, but it will not make the power it makes in a car, and many things will need to be redone. If you take the engine out of an F12 and stick it in a boat, I'd be surprised if it ram for more than an hour. An example of things that needs to be changed are cams. If the lobe separation is too aggressive, water reversion will occur and water from the exhaust will be drawn back into the cylinders which will hydrolock the engine and bend or break things. The Lambo engines used, are quite different. Not only are they built for marine use all the way, they are much bigger. They are between 8 and 9 liters. Getting big power boat engines to live is an art form as much as it is science and craftsmanship.

 

The ‘three-point’ hydroplane, devised in America during the late 1930s by Adolph and Arno Apel of New Jersey’s Ventnor Boat Works. Right outside Atlantic City.

Here’s a link on Arno X1 describing the history and competition between Alfa Romeo’s driver Mario Verga and Ferrari’s Achille Castoldi.

https://tantrasway.com/ferrari-racing-hydroplane

The Flying Saucer was a WWII PT boat converted to carry 150 passengers and attain 100 mph. It was powered by 4 /V12 Packard engines with a crew of 1 who maintained them during the run. I was privileged to climb down and see the engines as a kid. Chris owned a restaurant and took it out twice a day through the inlet and down the coast 2 miles in all kinds of weather. It was one hell of a wet ride, always at full throttle. It had to go to the Summers Point NJ boatyard twice a season for planking repairs. Gold wing on white hull with blue seats that no one sat on, they're all on the decking. In the picture, the crew is standing and Chris is working the throttle.

I had a little 12 ft. hydro in the inlet where he almost sank me as he flew by at full power. My engine popped off and the prop chewed the decking by my foot. But, what a sound came from those Packard's.
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Thunderbird which at one point was harrah's boat on Tahoe had some Pt boat packards..