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When you’ve already got a garage stocked with Ferrari’s greatest hits, each time you add something to the collection, it has to be interesting. This particular Dino, now packing more than 400 horsepower from an engine stolen from the famous F40 supercar, would qualify as interesting.
David Lee is well-known for his collection of prancing horses, and an appreciation for super expensive watches which has turned into a rather lucrative career, but I want to call attention to his idea of crafting a car that satisfies a remarkable craving.
What Is This?
The Dino was produced by Ferrari from 1968 until 1976, and the best version was the 2-seat 246 GTS. It’s easily one of the most under-appreciated designs to come from Pininfarina, and I still think it’s one of the best looking Ferraris created while Enzo was still walking around the factory in Maranello.
But it was brought to life as an entry-level Ferrari. And even though it was named after Mr. Ferrari’s son (Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari) who designed the engine and tragically died at a young age, the Dino itself was never really considered a true Ferrari by the company or collectors. That’s why you won’t find a single prancing horse badge on it anywhere.
People are starting to catch on to how pretty Dinos are, though. A clean one goes for around $300,000 today at an auction, and that’s been trending up over the past few years. Still, this F40 engine swap into a “low-tier” Ferrari is a pretty unusual concept.
Now, tuning up a classic Ferrari is no simple feat. Performing a full restoration is no cheap task. Deciding to not only give one a full restoration, but to also do a crazy engine swap from one of the greatest Ferraris of all-time could be considered crazy. Spending about $1 millionfor a project on this level of wackiness might get you thrown into a room with padded walls for several years.
The person responsible for constructing this Dino restoration had recently done another one in the U.K., which Lee offered to buy, but the guy was understandably too attached to let it go. Instead, he offered to create another one, and Lee agreed so long as they could go a bit more crazy with it. This 1972 Ferrari Dino is now known as the Monza 3.6 Evo.
No one had ever tried such an undertaking with a Dino, so there were no references to projects, measurements, tolerances, or parts availability. They had to do all the discovery as they went, and this sort of work doesn’t come cheap. After a year filled with countless hours of designing, engineering, and experimenting, they came up with a package that could work. Which, considering the scope here, is a pretty short timeline.
All About That Engine
Let’s not mess around. The old 2.4 liter V6 from the Dino wasn’t fast, it wasn’t wonderful to hear, and it certainly wasn’t pretty to look at.
Instead, this one takes the 470-horsepower 2.9 liter V8 block from the F40, bored out to 3.6 liters, loses the turbos and all its intake and exhaust plumbing, and gets a set of velocity stacks atop the head. Sacrilege? Maybe, but damn it’s a good looking package, and the joyful noise that comes out of it may be one of the sweetest automotive symphonies ever produced.
Classic Ferraris have this power band that sings and pulls to no end. It revs to 7,500 RPM, and the torque curve is super flat. I could leave the car in third gear in a slower corner, and it would still take off once I fed in the throttle as I clipped the apex. They claim this engine produces 400 horsepower, and I have no doubt it does. The superb power-to-weight ratio really aids in the performance, as it tips the scales at 2,400 pounds.
Million Dollar Restorations Better Have Amazing Details
This particular Dino has had no part left unattended, and frankly every bit is cleaner than it would have been coming fresh off the line in Maranello. The leather is possibly the softest I’ve ever felt in a car, the seats are perfectly comfortable while supportive, and the carpets are durable yet refined. The body has been tastefully updated, including new fender flares to accommodate the larger and wider wheels, but they fit the look of a limited batch of Dinos from the 1970s.
An original steering wheel is retained, but wrapped in updated leather, with a thinner wheel rim than I’ve gotten used to in restomod projects. Simple and clean gauges stare back at you, and the tachometer is updated to reflect the new redline. The old shift knob has been replaced for a lighter unit, but it’s period correct, and slides into a fine plate that surrounds the gated shifter. Gated shifters are the greatest shifters, and it pains me that so many manufacturers have gone away from them.
A Driving Experience Few Modern Cars Can Offer
Analog cars are my thing. Yes, I get to hoon all the fast modern things available at your local dealer, but I’m a purist when it comes to driving inputs and sensations. This Dino does not disappoint. When you consider this was conceived as a one-off project, you’d think there would be a few kinks to sort out, and that there may be a few understandable imperfections. The pedal box is a bit compact, if you’re wearing running shoes, but that’s how the car was made. Once you get lined up with the pedal to the right, you have no trouble getting up to speeds which will have you paying substantial fines.
When you have that perfect engine note pouring out behind your head, you can’t seem to stop finding ways to make it scream. At any RPM, I could feed in the gas, and the car would surge smoothly, seemingly never running out of power at the top of the rev range. I made several attempts to ensure this was an accurate assessment. You know, for research.
The weight balance in the classic Dino was so perfect, and as I mentioned, the whole car weighs in at a ridiculously light 2,400 pounds. This car somehow maintains that curb weight after the big ass engine swap, and feels like a Cayman with the simplest mechanical steering. It does have a slight bit of power assist at low speeds, to make it simpler to park, but once you get past 20 MPH it’s all you, and it’s wonderful.
Turn-in requires a bit of initial effort, but it’s completely predictable. While the tires are currently modest Pirelli P-Zero Neros, they still get the job done. I wonder how a set of P-Zero Corsa rubber would serve the grip and handling. Koni coilovers handle the bumpy stuff, and do so with the right balance of response and comfort. Nothing upset the suspension, even as I was on bumpier parts of Angeles Crest Highway.
Forged 17-inch wheels are completely bespoke, but look the part. The owner first experimented with 18-inchers, but decided to go back down to better fit the look of the classic Dino. Behind those wheels are a set of Brembo brakes that have no trouble effectively slowing the Dino should you find yourself heading toward a corner at an excessive pace.
You could easily see yourself taking a decent road trip in this car. Not just because you’d be the coolest guy pulling up anywhere, but because it’s properly civil. A three-mode air conditioning system has been fitted, the cabin is actually quiet enough when you’re cruising along and seats are comfortable. The engine swap was done with the full intent of maintaining the trunk, and you can easily put a pair of weekenders in the back.
This Won’t Be A One-Off Project After All
The owner of this car loved it so much, and enjoyed the process of the restoration that he has decided to commission 25 more of them. They can provide their own donor car, or have it sourced, but can expect to spend $1.3 million when all is said and done.
Invites are going to be extremely selective, and any prospective buyer has to actually use it for fun, but plenty of interested has developed to get one of the most characterful and special classic Ferrari projects I’ve ever experienced.
How Lee’s team pulled off this level of driving pleasure on their first pass at this car astounds me. I was blown away by this Dino, and can’t wait to see more of them on the road being put to good use.
David Lee already lies about his 250 Competizione, so it's no surprise experts are already finding holes in this Dino's story.
For one thing, a F40's engine block is stamped as F120A/D for EU/US markets. The engine block in this Dino was discovered as F105C; that's either a Mondial or 328 motor. That would explain the ease in finding 25 of these blocks compared to 25 F40 blocks.
He also claims it has 348 heads. However, an expert has already deduced that the camshaft cover on the cylinder head is either from a 308QV/328. The same expert has also said that you can not mate a F40 motor to the 328 gearbox in David's car without heavy modifications because of the position of the F40's oil pump. The 328 or Mondial's V8 would be far more efficient for this project due so.
Lastly, the shop responsible for this car was already caught once before in a little white lie when they reportedly converted a F40 into LM-Spec, and the owner trying to sell it later on, claimed it was a LM that just wasn't one of the original sanctioned conversions by Michelotto. History was dug up, and discovered this shop never converted said car as they had claimed.
It'd be a shame if more evidence came to light. Like the 250, that Dino is a well-crafted piece of machinery. There's zero reason for David to over-market the car as something it's not.
David Lee already lies about his 250 Competizione, so it's no surprise experts are already finding holes in this Dino's story.
For one thing, a F40's engine block is stamped as F120A/D for EU/US markets. The engine block in this Dino was discovered as F105C; that's either a Mondial or 328 motor. That would explain the ease in finding 25 of these blocks compared to 25 F40 blocks.
He also claims it has 348 heads. However, an expert has already deduced that the camshaft cover on the cylinder head is either from a 308QV/328. The same expert has also said that you can not mate a F40 motor to the 328 gearbox in David's car without heavy modifications because of the position of the F40's oil pump. The 328 or Mondial's V8 would be far more efficient for this project due so.
Lastly, the shop responsible for this car was already caught once before in a little white lie when they reportedly converted a F40 into LM-Spec, and the owner trying to sell it later on, claimed it was a LM that just wasn't one of the original sanctioned conversions by Michelotto. History was dug up, and discovered this shop never converted said car as they had claimed.
It'd be a shame if more evidence came to light. Like the 250, that Dino is a well-crafted piece of machinery. There's zero reason for David to over-market the car as something it's not.
Shame that Davis Lee is not honest about his 250. There's a fair amount of interviews with F40 engine designer Nicola Materazzi, discussing the overall engine design and how the longitudinal design had many changes over the previous transverse V8's.
Also surprised the shop would try to pass off a F40LM since they are well documented with VIN.
Friend of a friend has a F40 that has the LM wing and installed aftermarket exhaust manifolds, turbo's, exhaust and intercoolers.
He does not try to pass it off as a LM, he wanted the increased power.
Ex-Formula 1 engine needs some parts but would look really cool under a hood
Want some more oomph out of your aging Datsun 280Z or Mazda Miata? Well, here’s your chance to snub the folks championing the ever-popular Chevrolet small block with a Ferrari Formula 1 V10. For sale on Hemmings, this Ferrari V10 is said to have been used by either Michael Schumacher or Eddie Irvine during the 1998 Formula 1 season.
Yes, it'll be more challenging to throw into an engine bay than a Chevy mill -- especially considering that there are some important missing pieces -- but, that won’t matter when you pop the hood. Of course, the initial buy-in is steeper than a warmed-over LS, too: This Ferrari V10 is listed at $49K, but the seller notes that the price is negotiable.
The listing also states that it was used in a race but fails to mention which race. In other words, it'll need some freshening up before you drop it into an engine bay. You’ll probably have to craft your own series of driveline adaptors to make it work with a traditional transmission.
OK, so it might work best under a piece of glass, converted to a piece of conversation-starting furniture. But if you have a machine shop in your house, and a lot of spare time (and cash), this would make for one hell of a project.
You'd have to be rich to make that engine work. Plus, it's not like you can go to the auto parts store to buy any sort of part for an F1 race engine. Custom fab everything.
Plus, aren't F1 engines only able to last like a few races before having to be rebuilt? Hope someone has deep pockets...
A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO road racing car is expected to fetch more than $45 million at auction in August, making it the most valuable car ever to be offered for public sale.
Auctioneers RM Sotheby‘s said on Wednesday that the red Ferrari was one of just 36 examples of the 250 GTO model built by the famed Italian car maker.
The car up for auction in California on Aug. 24-25 won the 1962 Italian National GT Championship and nine other races that year with its first owner-driver. It has been owned since 2000 by American car collector and Numerix software company chairman Dr. Greg Whitten, who has raced it in vintage events, the auction house said.
“The GTO was essentially the final true road racer, marking the end of an era when drivers really got their hands dirty,” RM Sotheby’s car specialist Shelby Myers said in a statement.
“This was the last car that you could park in your garage, drive to the track, win the race, and then drive home,” Myers added.
The Ferrari is due to be sold at the annual Concours d’Elegance motoring week event in Pebble Beach, California. Whitten did not say why he had decided to sell the car.
The auction record for the most valuable car was set in 2014 when another 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for $38.1 million.
That engine is best left as party-piece to create conversation. People get to actually see it in full detail and it won't cost you another $49K in time and labor retro-fitting it.
When I visit the car-auction site “Bring A Trailer,” I expect to see automobiles. But I’ll gladly make an exception for this recent Ferrari F40 engine listing, which is filled with mechanically pornographic imagery of the Ferrari F40's amazing 2.9-liter V8. Prepare your souls for an up-close view of greatness.
The legendary Ferrari F40 is a raw racing machine, with a wacky wedge design, a huge wing, a gated manual transmission and no electronic aids to keep the driver from doing something stupid. But key to the F40's aura is its 471-horsepower “Tipo” V8 that revs to nearly 8,000 RPM, and right now, an example of this majestic contraption is for sale on Bring A Trailer.
According to the listing, which was pointed out by Redditor supercars_official, this 1992 Ferrari V8 was initially shown off at a 1993-1994 exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art called “Designed for Speed.”
The post says the motor was built to Ferrari specifications, though it was never “assigned to a corresponding chassis.” The seller is said to have purchased the engine in 1998, kept it on display for 12 years, then swapped a few of its parts with those from his own F40—which had been modified to compete in hill climb races and at Bonneville.
This means this Tipo F120D V8 isn’t a factory original example, though it’s apparently got “a factory dyno-tested stock block, used crankshaft, bearings, [and] used pistons,” and will come with the stock IHI turbos. BAT goes on, describing the modifications made to this engine, writing:
The package offered here includes the original block with custom steel cylinder liners, custom-machined and ported cylinder heads with larger valves, a titanium valvetrain, and customs cams. Intake manifolds have been ported and modified for larger injectors.
Still, despite its lack of 100 percent originality, the engine and its guts are beautiful.
BAT says the winning bidder F40 motor, who will pay at least $21,000 based on the current bid (it’s worth noting that a factory engine and trans were for sale a few years ago for about a quarter million) will have the engine delivered on a crate, completely disassembled as seen in these photos.
Apparently the motor comes with some extra goodies like custom charge air coolers, custom headers, Garrett turbochargers, two sets of pistons, stock F40 exhaust manifolds, a “rolling stand,” a spare set of connecting rods made of titanium and more.
The listing ends in five days, and while I’d bet the buyer will end up using its parts for a Ferrari F40—and part of me thinks that would be right and just—another part of me wouldn’t mind see this thing swapped into something bonkers.
12-12-2017, 09:54 AM
almost as bad as the Testarossa...
We wouldnt have lamborghini without him
