A racing car fabrication shop down in New Zealand is in the midst of creating a Ferrari 458 race car unlike any other.
As reported by The Drive, Mitchell Race Xtreme commenced work on its 458X project earlier this year and is installing an IndyCar engine in a Ferrari 458 GT3 chassis and body. The finished vehicle will have all the right ingredients to be a phenomenal track day special.
Whereas the naturally-aspirated 4.5-liter V8 used by the Ferrari 458 GT3 offered up 542 hp, the 3.5-liter Chevrolet V8 from IndyCar in the early 2000s has a cool 700 hp and revs through to 10,000 rpm. It appears as though this engine is being mated to the race car’s original six-speed Hewland sequential transmission.
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Fitting the IndyCar engine into the Ferrari has required quite a number of significant modifications. Most notably, new engine mounts had to be developed and manufactured while a new exhaust manifold was also deemed necessary. Additionally, some custom wiring will need to be done to get everything up and running.
Modifications made to the car extend beyond the engine. For example, most of the engine bay has been clad in gold leaf and there’s also an intriguing four-piece exhaust. Another noteworthy modification is the fitment of a chassis-mounted carbon fiber rear wing with gooseneck uprights that’s 6.2-feet wide and will, inevitably, generate huge amounts of downforce.
We just can’t wait to see this thing up and running and tearing up the racetracks.
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