360 Ryan's 360 Challenge Journey to Street Legal

I decided to proceed with the project of converting a Ferrari 360 Challenge car into a street spec. This will be a modern take on what one would do for a minimalist, hardcore, no frills 911 hot rod build. While there are some loopholes people have exploited to get race cars registered for the street, my intention is do this 100% legally and fully compliant with the law and go as far as getting this registered in California.

How do I plan on legally street registering a Challenge car?
Importing the car into the US under the 25 year exemption of DOT and EPA rules then adding the necessary smog equipment from my 2001 360 Modena (EGR, SAI, charcoal, cats, headers, air rails, etc...) and going through the G&K process. I already spoke with G&K and they said they have imported something like 80+ Euro 360s so they are intimately familiar with what needs to happen to get them to conform to CARB and he even offered spare parts they have around.

Is this going to be terrible to drive on the street?
If I left it as a full blown race car, it would probably get old quickly. However, my intent is to make it similar to how GT3RS's are set up where it's track oriented but street friendly. That includes:

1. Removing the cage and doing a custom rear hoop
2. Revalving (and lighter springs) for the Motons (or I get custom MCS if the Motons won't work)
3. Raising the suspension to something close to CS height
4. Installing AC so it's not a sweatbox
5. Possibly swapping the steering rack with one from a 360 Modena to get appropriate turning radius but this is TBD. Need to drive the car first.
6. Installing a Capristo valved exhaust
7. Possibly replacing the race clutch
8. Adding an electronic line lock (anti roll device) to act as the parking brake
9. Installing an immobiliser to disable the car since it doesn't have a key or locks (may install door locks)
10. Will be working closely with @sammyf and @360trev to dial in the software

Why not just convert a Modena?
A lot of reasons:

1. Most of the parts are NLA and nearly impossible to track down
2. Just the Michelotto NGT bumpers, hood, mirrors and rear wing came out to > $50k. Throw in brakes calipers, seats, Challenge wheels, etc... and you can easily get up to $100k
3. Challenge cars have blueprinted engines, Modenas do not. I think it was Trev explaining the grades of the conn rods but A grade was like 380g and G grade was like 410g or so. A grade went to Challenge and Challenge Stradales
4. It's 600lbs lighter than a Modena and significantly lighter than a CS
5. I'm naively optimistic that money into this car can be recouped whereas 50-100k into a Modena certainly cannot
6. Let's be honest...it's fricken cool (despite all the impracticalities and challenges around this)...and just look at it...it's a piece of art

Without further ado, here's the one that I just wired funds on:

Image Unavailable, Please Login

I'll document the journey here. This is a 2001 so it'll be several months before it hits the 25 year mark which gives me time to swap parts over, redo upholstery, etc... I'll also trailer it to the track a few times to get a feel for how it feels with slicks in pure form. I'm taking the Modena this weekend to Streets of Willow to serve as a baseline.

 

Making some progress as some folks are helping connect me to the right people.

Does anyone know of the most expedient way to get the MSO (manufacturer certificate of origin) from Ferrari? Should I work through my local dealer or reach out to Ferrari NA or headquarters? If someone can PM me or post here with some guidance, that would be much appreciated.

 

It's actually in the US right now. I'll write up that process later but it'll require exporting out of the United States and bringing it back in under the 25 year exemption, hence the need for the MSO and a letter from Ferrari stating when the car was built (since it's not on the plate like a normal car). This would've been easier with a Challenge located internationally but there weren't any good, clean examples available right now and with the tariff situation in the US, would've been more expensive for a not as nice example.

This particular car saw limited track use and doesn't have signs of being in a barrier. The prior owner did a concours level restoration of the car as well as an engine rebuild before putting it into his collection. It has around 8600 miles on it and had belts done in 2023. It also came with two spare sets of BBS Challenge wheels, one that is new in the box and an SD2 computer plus a handful of other spare parts.

 

Beginning its trek across the country:

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

A few reasons why I don't plan on just going the Dirt Legal route. The below video does a good job explaining why you should think twice about that:



In addition to that, California is getting stricter about Montana registrations. If I get the wrong copy and he wants to press the issue, I have to sell the car or risk getting it impounded since I can't just simply take the slap on the wrist and register it and pay the fines.

I'm still working out the specific details of the round trip. A dealer will likely be involved. I'll post specifics once I get those ironed out but I had a conversation with a dealer up in Seattle and has a location in Vancouver and he knew what needed to be done. He did think my plans to get it registered in CA was absurd but I actually think that's the easiest part