autoevolution
 

Ferrari 308 GTBi Gets Built for Time Attack, Receives Shocking Honda Swap

Over the past years, people have started getting used to crazy engine swaps. But the level of craziness that defines an engine swap can be determined by looking at both the origin of the engine that's about to get swapped in, and the car that's about to receive said engine. And some times, the resulting mix can become either highly exciting, or it can turn to downright blasphemy.
Ferrari 308 GTBi gets Honda Engine 27 photos
Photo: Stanceworks
Ferrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series SwapFerrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series Swap
But we're not here to point fingers or label builds. And we can only be excited when someone decides to look outside the box, and go for an engine swap that's never been done before. Because challenges like these can lead to progress, but they can also help revive subjects that might have been forgotten. And considering the kind of projects Mike Burroughs from Stanceworks has developed in the past, we're certainly hooked.

It was about a month ago that Mike, the creator of the infamous Rusty Slammington, announced that he was starting a new project. After selling his Hummer, he decided he'd built a time attack project, and went for a 1981 Ferrari 308 GTBi in Fly Yellow. Sure, you don't really get to hear people that they're building a Ferrari for time attack purposes, as people just go out and buy a 458 GT3 or something instead.

But if your budget is not in 6 figures territory, but you still want to build a Ferrari, choosing one of the more affordable, albeit less capable ones out there can be a good starting point. Which brings us to the main idea of this video. The engine swap. The crazy, ludicrous, deemed to offend any Ferrari purist out there - Honda K series swap. Which means four fewer pistons, less displacement, but considerably more accessible.

Ferrari 308 GTBi with Honda K Series Swap
Photo: Stanceworks
Mike has been doing a weekly vlog on the build, documenting the process as it goes on, and it all kind of makes sense. If you're going to build a time attack car, you're going to look at several things, including curb weight and engine performance. After the dyno session, it turns out that the original Ferrari 2.9-liter V8 only outputs 163 horsepower to the wheels, which, combined with a weight of 3,132 lbs (1420 kg), isn't all that promising.

While Mike initially hoped he'd bring the car down to under 2,500 lbs (1,134 kg), his hopes are now that he'll finally manage to get inside the 2,700 lbs (1,224 kg) - 2,800 lbs (1,270 kg) range. So after all these measurements, it becomes clear that the 611 lbs (277 kg) - sans accessories - Ferrari engine would have to make room for something lighter, and with more grunt.

Also, Mike points out that, although the Ferrari engine could have certainly been tuned to produce more power, the cost of doing so would have been significantly higher, and more time consuming, further reinforcing the idea that a turbocharged K-series Honda swap, would definitely make more sense - parts are readily available, 500+ horsepower sounds reasonably doable, and weight figures should be better at the end of the day.

We don't really see why anyone would hate Mike for performing this kind of swap. If he was brave enough to undertake such a project, and document the whole process, while planning to eventually drive the wheels off of this car on the track, we cannot be anything short of excited to see how it all turns out. If this decade keeps on bringing crazy builds like this one, then bring it on, we're eager to see them all!

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories