Ferrari’s not in the crate-engine business. Sure, it makes engines for Maserati and Alfa Romeo. But you can’t just order up a new engine from the factory to do with as you please. Not as you from, say, Ford or Chevy. That’s what makes this such an intriguing prospect.
Coming up for auction in Monaco next month is the engine from a 458 Italia – or for a 458 Italia, we should say. Because this one was never put into a vehicle. It was just put on a stand for display. But according to RM Sotheby’s, it has all the moving parts inside. So theoretically, at least, you could take it off the stand and put it in… well, whatever you’d like.
Aficionados of the Prancing Horse marque will know that the 458’s is no ordinary engine, either. It’s the last in a long line of naturally aspirated V8s that preceded the advent of the current 488 GTB – which, as we know, went turbo. The 458’s, then, is the last of its kind. Atmospheric and revving (shrieking, really) unencumbered all the way to its stratospheric 9,000-rpm redline.
Displacing 4.5 liters, it features direct fuel injection, four-valve cylinder heads (32 in all), variable valve timing, and dual overhead cams. It’s capable of producing 562 horsepower (570 ps/419 kW) and 398 lb-ft (540 Nm) of torque. That’s a goodly amount, however you look at it. And you could simply look at it as is, mounted on the pedestal it rightly deserves. Or you could put it in a vehicle of your choosing, assuming that vehicle could handle an engine of such immense capabilities.
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