I was going to bring up the Ace. Pretty British body with American v8 is awesome. Pretty Italian body with American v8 heresy. I have no problem with this motor swap. It’s not pretending to be anything like a fiero-ari.
I have always wanted to stuff a ferrari v12 into a 32 Ford 3 window with c5 Corvette suspension..that would be an awsome car..
I am continually impressed with the diversity of opinions on this board. I am not at all surprised to find that the admin is a purist, though. I mean, he's kinda gotta be. But it's nice to know I won't necessarily be run out of town on a pole if I decide to go with a heavy customization.
I think it all depends on the context of the endeavor. I don't know the background of this particular one, but let me expound. Say these are all spare parts that were idle or had no buyer/home. A trashed 360 sitting in the corner. A GM engine collecting dust. A shop full of workers with no projects during a slow period. This 'creation' makes sense to me. But say, a person goes out and buys a perfectly fine 360 and motor in a box from GM and then pay for the transplant, - well to each their own, I personally don't understand it, but hey - their money.
Well, lets say they're looking at the maintenance tickets for a Ferrari engine vs a Chevy. They're looking at the sound of an N/A vs a turbo. And, as I've mentioned before, the possibility of a 3 pedal stick that you can't get from Ferrari anymore. With those parameters to consider, maybe it's not so insane. Heck, with a newer Ferrari the hefty chunk of change it's engine would fetch on the open market might well pay for the entire project.
It's still a Ferrari. It's a Ferrari frame. It's a Ferrari body. It was built in Maranello. It was modified, but where is the baseline of which mods make it "not a Ferrari"? The thing about Ferrari fans is, they attached to the brand, the history, the essence, the sound...but there are folks out there just trying to make their cars perform as well as possible. Modern LSx's are fantastic, bulletproof engines that are dust the 360 V8. That being said, the guy needs kicked in the jimmy for those Chevy badges..and I say that as a Corvette owner.
Im pretty sure every state’s DMV would register this as a Ferrari. Ferrari VIN, chassis, suspension, interior, etc... Its not just a body. Some people may not like that, but it is the reality.
Maybe the build is the result of some reality TV show. Gas Monkey Garage did this sort of engine swap thing with a Ford GT and a Pantera in past episodes.
I am legitimately surprised that more people didn't chose this response. I know some of the purists are religious in their devotion.
I never question what gives a person happiness as long as it's not hurting others, so if somebody likes the combo, more power to them! If it were me I would just buy a Vette.
Or if one wants to be completely blasphemous, add a wide body kit: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/308-328-widebody.581265/#post-146119345
To each their own; as long as the owner loves it! Although it does sort of remind me of the soon to become legendary 308 - 355 - 288 combo project.