Ferrari has always been synonymous with expensive maintenance. Even if you get lucky and find a decently priced 308 GTS or a 4ooi, you will still pay out of just about every orifice you possess to make sure that the engine is happy. But let’s say you are the 1% of the 1% and have the ability to own a V-12 powered Ferrari made between 1950 and 1959. These are the kind of Ferraris where men from Maranello have to vet for you before you are allowed to own such prestigious rolling works of art. But, here’s a question for you: what happens when your multi-million dollar investment kicks the bucket? What then? Are you going to learn Italian and convince the folks at Ferrari to crank out a set of heads for your Lampredi V-12, an engine that hasn’t been produced since 1959? We wish you and your bank account the best of luck with that route, but while surfing eBay, we found a secondary option. It will still cost you a very shiny coin, but it will properly suit your need. For $60,000, you can buy a set of heads for an engine that hasn’t been produced since 1959 off of eBay. We might be a touch skeptical, but this isn’t a Chevy 350 we’re talking about…this is a Ferrari V-12, from the age of the temperamental race cars of the House of Enzo. What do you think, BangShifters: Would you go for it or not?
eBay Link: New Ferrari Lampredi Cylinder Heads
Don Ferrari Lampredi is not pleased to have his name associated with pictures of scrap metal and he warns you that in his own words “You bums will be sleepin’ with da fishes”
So I guess that’s it fellas – it was sure nice knowing you!
If you can the Ferrari, you can afford the parts.
Don’t worry Geordie, Joey “Bagadoughnuts” Gambino won’t be knocking on there door.
I’d rather spend that $60,000 on a Hell Cat Challenger.
If you walked into a machine shop-one that not afraid of taking on bold projects-and told them you wanted a pair of heads made, and they had to:
Design
Buy raw material
Cast
Machine
Have 24 springs + valves + reatainers +48 keepers made
How many man hours -and how much in tooling and materials you think are in these? 60k sounds like a bargain.
I feel comfortable now . I just spent 1500$ for a pair of Estreet heads…
Brand new .Canadian money…
Since there are people who race these Ferraris in vintage events, it seems like a good investment vs potentially ruining an original pair. Seems like a fair enough price.
How much for the CNC ported version?
One of the things that Ferrari has been REALLY good about is documentation, so it wouldn’t really surprise me if they’d have the original drawings. Their works shop that keeps the vintage race cars going for customers is second-to-none.
Having said that, you’d still have to make 3D CAD drawings and cut/mold the necessary cores to pore the castings. Then develop the tool paths to cut and finish the things. Then source the finished hardware, springs, seats, oil seals, et al.
Actually, considering the exchange rate is at or near 1:1 with the EURO…….it does seem to me that $60K is not a bad price.