Someone Finally Stuffed a V10 Diesel Into a Ferrari F355

Diesel Dreams

The mad geniuses at Grind Hard Plumbing Co are reviving a crashed and burned-out Ferrari F355 Spider with the engine swap you didn’t see coming. The team is currently working on dropping the 5.0-litre twin-turbo V10 diesel motor from a Volkswagen Touareg TDI into the lightweight Italian chassis.

As you can imagine, this revival involves extensive fabrication work and modifications to the Ferrari’s chassis, subframe, and body to accommodate the massive TDI engine, but the boys at Grind Hard Plumbing Co recently posted a video indicating that they are up to the task. The Idaho-based custom shop and YouTube creator is known for some of the whackiest builds on the internet, and has a reputation for putting together creative and unorthodox vehicles that some may call insane.

From Write Off to Ambitious Prototype

The ambitious build started with not much more than a fire-damaged shell, but rather than being a setback, the condition of the tub created the opportunity for Grind Hard to think outside the box with this project. With a whole lot of cutting, shaping, custom fabrication, and reinforcing parts of the chassis, they were finally able to clear enough space for the big V10 while preserving structural integrity. The team has so far managed to squeeze the motor into the Ferrari F355‘s engine bay, and is currently working on creating mounts and cooling pathways, as well as structural reinforcements to handle the added weight and massive torque of the diesel engine.

Not a Build for Purists

Purists may balk at the idea of a diesel-powered Ferrari, and even go as far as to consider it blasphemous, but the intention was never to create a show- or museum-worthy restoration. In fact, the team behind the build has stated that the aim is to create a unique rally-inspired reinterpretation of the Ferrari F355, with chunky all-terrain tyres mounted on 16-inch wheels, long-travel suspension, and enough torque to move a house. The 5.0-liter motor is rated at 310 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque.

What’s next?

The Grind Hard Plumbing Co is hard at work to turn their vision into a reality, trading polished authenticity for rugged capability and visual drama, and will continue to document their progress on their YouTube channel. The diesel-powered F355 project will continue pushing the boundaries of experimental fabrication and what is possible with a little imagination, and we can’t wait to see this beast hit the road.