The Cobra powered Ferrari Testa Rossa

[Historybuff]

Golly, of course it makes more sense it would have been a 289 which probably weighs at least 150-200 lbs. less than a FE 427. The Professor I talked to said the conversion was very professional but didn't mention the Corvette rear. I wonder how much Shelby charged for the conversion because he charged Rootes $10K to drop a 260 into the Sunbeam Alpine but that involved moving the firewall, etc.

Shelby was involved also in importing Listers already set up to take Chevy V8s. Conversions to American engines were common in Ferraris when they broke back then--a used Chevy cost less than one Ferrari piston!

[fordracing65]

Originally Posted by Historybuff

Golly, of course it makes more sense it would have been a 289 which probably weighs at least 150-200 lbs. less than a FE 427. The Professor I talked to said the conversion was very professional but didn't mention the Corvette rear. I wonder how much Shelby charged for the conversion because he charged Rootes $10K to drop a 260 into the Sunbeam Alpine but that involved moving the firewall, etc.

Shelby was involved also in importing Listers already set up to take Chevy V8s. Conversions to American engines were common in Ferraris when they broke back then--a used Chevy cost less than one Ferrari piston!

They couldn't have charge a lot because it says the reason he did it was a cheap way to get a new engine, the car at the time was only worth $3500 and he didn't want to replace it with the a new Ferrari v-12 because it would have cost more than the value of the car...