2005 F430 Cpe * 12k Mi * Shields * Calipers * Pwr Seats * Books, Keys, Serviced on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Anti-purist 1963 Ferrari GTE sports hot rod Chevy V8

I remember reading a story around the time Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift came out. It focused on one of the star cars of that film, a 1967 Ford Mustang fastback that started the film as a shell, and in a pinch, was transformed into a modified masterpiece, complete with the RB26DETT engine from a Nissan Skyline GT-R (which started the film under the hood of an S15 Silvia). There was a genuine (and in our minds, absurd) fear in the article that taking a piece of classic American iron and fitting a twin-turbocharged JDM engine would result in some awful trend in the classic car community. If you thought a GT-R-powered classic Mustang was sacrilege, though, this car will probably make you vomit. For the rest of us, it's a neat piece of engineering. Shown above is a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTE, and yes, that's a 302-cubic-inch, small-block Chevrolet V8 under the hood. On top of that, it uses the six-speed manual transmission from a Viper, a nine-inch Ford rear end, and Mitsubishi-sourced paint. So yeah, it's a FrankenFerrari. Check out Road Heads' interview with this custom GTE's owner, which is followed by a brief test drive. And of course, head into Comments afterwards, and let us know what you think. Is this Yankee-powered 250 GTE blasphemous or badass?

2016 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix recap: another wild show on and off track

Normally we use this space to provide a lengthy recap of the weekend's Formula 1 race, but we're going to try something different since most folks reading this know what happened at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday. Instead, we'll alight on what we saw as the big issues in and around the race. Let us know what you think in Comments. Proper qualifying is back. Thank goodness. It only took a month of embarrassment to fix it. And so is passing! For the third race in a row, big performance improvements at the ten teams behind Mercedes-AMG Petronas and a wider tire selection at this race graced us with opening stints filled with dicing cars. Seeing the McLarens on screen doesn't make us cringe. Manor doesn't only make the global feed when it's being lapped. We've been complaining about parade races for so long that we forgot excitement was possible without rain or wholesale regulation changes. Yes, Mercedes is still the king of the jungle, but there are some other proper midfield beasts on the hunt, too. Malfunctions up and down the grid did help the show in Shanghai, like Lewis Hamilton suffering perpetual troubles, Nico Hulkenberg's runaway front wheel which red-flagged Q2, and Sebastian Vettel's and Kimi Raikkonen's flubbed hot laps in Q3 that let Daniel Ricciardo slip by into second on the grid. Come race day things went all Grand Theft Auto at Turn 1 on the opening lap, sending some of the best cars to the pits. Then came Ricciardo's puncture while leading, then came the Safety Car – all by Lap 5. Nico Rosberg got 38 seconds of airtime on the way to victory – at the start and the finish, and that happened to be his margin of victory, too – otherwise he was a ghost. Everyone else was struggling and juggling. Rosberg's win at the Bahrain Grand Prix put the German at five consecutive victories going back to last year's Mexican Grand Prix. The history books show that any driver who's won five straight contests has gone on to win the championship. With his triumph in China, the German has won the season's first three races, the history books again show that the other nine drivers who've pulled that off have gone on to win the championship. Rosberg, 36 points ahead of his teammate in the standings, is having none of it. He said of the other victors, "But they didn't have Lewis Hamilton as their team-mate." Perhaps Mercedes was right not to make an engine deal with Red Bull last season.

Exotic cars caught on video racing on neighborhood streets in Beverly Hills

A pair of supercars caught on camera racing around a quiet Beverly Hills neighborhood last week has residents fearing for their safety. The video shows a white Porsche 911 and a yellow Ferrari LaFerrari as they clipped parked cars and blew through stop signs while residents of the upscale community watched in horror. Freelance cameraman Jacob Rogers shot the video of the supercar shenanigans. He later confronted a man outside the house where the Ferrari eventually parked. He asked the man if he cared that he was endangering people's lives. The man became combative and claimed he had diplomatic immunity. "He told me verbatim, 'I could have you killed and get away with it,'" Rogers told NBC Los Angeles. "I told him, 'the press is allowed to be here on the sidewalk on a public street.' He said, '(Expletive) America' and threw a cigarette at me." The Ferrari's plates are from the oil-rich country of Qatar. The race ended with the Ferrari pulling into the driveway of a $45,000-per-month rental home, its engine compartment smoking. Police can be seen arriving in the neighborhood. Los Angeles police are currently investigating the incident. Even though the LaFerrari was still smoking when police arrived they haven't filed charges because no officer witnessed the illegal activities. When police approached the owner of the vehicle he denied doing anything illegal and again claimed diplomatic immunity. Police told NBC they are in contact with the State Department about the man's diplomatic status and the legality of the cars in the neighborhood. Beverly Hills isn't the only swanky zip code plague by hotshot supercar owners. Some of the most expensive homes in London can be found In the Knightsbridge neighborhood - and some of the most expensive cars as well. This summer, the local council of Knightsbridge and nearby Chelsea began exploring a Public Space Protection Order that would fine drivers who rev their engines, drag race on residential streets or blare music, according to Reuters UK. News Source: NBC Los Angeles Government/Legal Ferrari Porsche Racing Vehicles Supercars Videos illegal