Originally it was just going to be a simple engine swap, then things got out of hand. Engine: £5,000 Motec & engine electronics: £3,000 Suspension: £2,200 Michelloto wheels: £1,000 Racelogic traction control system: £1,100 Still need to get a clutch and a few other bits as well. Carbon fibre front bumper Gearbox overhaul Engine bay clean up Custom carbon air box & filters Additional wiring and cabin electronics Front splitter Suspension set up Engine mapping etc I reckon the total cost will be around £25,000 to £30,000.
ahhh yes, the mystery wrapped inside the enigma of the 348 GTC! theres a good amount of resource material at www.348gtc.com, of particular interest re your question, the parts catalogue does specify unique exhaust manifolds for the GTC, though Ive never seen confirmation of a power increase (other than in our own research, stay tuned for an article soon) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ya think there, dude?!!! Dare I image what that money would buy me starting with a trade in on my 348 for a 355 and some goth-mods... OR, what that money would get me for my 996TT, like another Porsche. Dude, at some point this project becomes a matter of personal pride but makes very very little financial sense. Glad you are in a position to explore this road. I am afraid there is no way I could ever follow, although I enjoy reading of your journey.
If Andy Hills was to have stated the cost of his modifications/conversion before he undertook them on open forum. I am sure many would have thought he was crazy and had a mammoth task ahead. A task that no one else would have dreamed to undertake. As it happens he did the mods very successfully, and now has gained the legend status No pressure then Sy
Pay no attention to Vince, Sy. He's just jealous he didn't find it before you did. Maybe we should call Vince Mr.PeaGreenWithEnvy You have a VERY rare engine, with some real racing history attached to it. The more information you can find out about that particular engine the better. Especially if it did some actual duty at Le Mans 24hr. Keep your chin up, and for crying out loud.........POST SOME PICTURES!
I'm sure there are quite a few people who think I'm crazy for what what I'm doing. It would have been easier and cheaper to get a 355 or even a 360, but I prefer the looks and the driving feel of the 348. Plus maintenance costs will be a lot more and I won't have a spare engine lying about. Besides, the Le Mans project will potentially give me a lot more power than both of these cars. A 430 would have cost me over £50K more and I'd probably lose £20K in depreciation over the long term anyway. With the LM engine, I'll have something unique and be guranteed to never run into something similar at a car meet. As for proving wether the engine has raced at Le Mans or not, I don't think it will be possible to find out. They never checked which engines they used over the two years. I do know that this one has been raced a few times eslewhere though. I'll get the full info when I take it back for teh mapping. More photo's coming soon. The crate is in the workshop now. just have to move teh Murcialago and we'll take it out of the crate and start working on it. Or should that be Raj will work on it and I'll take pictures.
Unpacked the crate today and had a look at the engine for the first time. In box.... Image Unavailable, Please Login
out of the crate Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Are either of these the engine number? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
close up.... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The throttle linkage doesn't work properly and needs to be fixed. See how they attached it. Well... it is a race engine I suppose. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Took the carbon pipes off so we could have a better look. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
We are going to use bluetooth mobile phone technology on the engine. There will be sensors on each spark plug that will send a signal to the phone and regulate the voltage. Only downside is that I can't go into tunnels as it loses signals and cuts the engine out. We'll build a bracket for the phone. A glass engine lid will go over it so people wil be able to look into the engine and watch a video at the same time. Marvellous!!! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Raj will be replacing the spark plug leads and associated iutems and using a direct ignition system instead. Here are the Bosch bits (don't know what they are called) that fit perfectly. Image Unavailable, Please Login
We are also thinking of maybe putting them at an anagle so that the Ferrari logo is visible. Personally, I prefer them pointing straight up. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I've been told the block is from a 355. Here's a few pics. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The engine looks better in the photo's. It needs cleaning up and a few screws and other bits replacing, cleaning and refurbishing. The cam covers will be powder coated red. Wires will be black. That's all for now. We should have the engine ready in a few weeks.
