As far as vintage supercars go, the Ferrari 308 is relatively affordable to buy. However, when Mike Burroughs from StanceWorks decided to pull the trigger on one of these, he decided to go all out. The starting car is a 1981 Ferrari 308 GTBi. However, instead of housing its normal 2.9-liter V8, Burroughs is swapping in a turbocharged K24 Honda engine.

According to StanceWorks, the goal of this project is to create a reliable time attack car. This Ferrari also gets bigger wheels/tires and a widebody kit from Liberty Walk to handle the extra power. If you’re a purist fan of the prancing horse, this isn’t the build for you.

Why would anyone Honda-swap a Ferrari 308?

While Honda-swapping a Ferrari 308 might seem sacrilegious at first, it actually makes a fair bit of sense once you think about it. According to StanceWorks’ YouTube channel, this original car has had about $55,000 in repairs since it was brand new. Burroughs attributes most of this trouble to the car’s Bosch CIS fuel injection system.

In contrast, the proposed K24 engine from Honda is known as one of the most reliable ways to make big power without breaking the bank. In stock form, the Ferrari’s 2.9-liter V8 puts out around 213 hp and 179 lb-ft. Since this mid-engined supercar weighs around 3,230 lb, that power results in a reasonably quick car.

According to Speed Academy, the new engine going into this Ferrari 308 can easily develop anywhere from 600 to 700 hp quite easily. However, StanceWorks estimates this car will produce over 1,000 hp. As you might imagine, putting down this kind of power will require a fair bit of extra rubber.

This widebody kit comes from Liberty Walk

In stock form, the Ferrari 308 comes with fairly skinny tires all around. Upfront, we’ve got 205/16 in the front and 225/16 in the rear. While that width will easily accommodate the stock power, it won’t for this built. To solve this, StanceWorks opted to purchase a Liberty Walk widebody kit for this mid-engined supercar. For context, one of these kits can easily cost upwards of $20,000.

Keep in mind that price is before considering any fitting or paint. Additionally, this car will need all-new suspension and wider wheels as well. One of the most controversial parts of this kit is that you have to cut into the stock fenders to fit it. However, since this car is set to live on as a time attack car, StanceWorks will definitely put it to good use.

How do you fit a Honda engine into a Ferrari 308?

As you might imagine, a Honda K24 engine was never designed to go into a Ferrari 308. Despite its small size and relatively lightweight nature, fitting the engine has become a major struggle for Burroughs. In fact, Burroughs has had to go as far as cutting up the car’s frame to mount up the engine properly.

As it stands, this Italian supercar already has its engine mostly installed. Once the bodywork is sorted out, it won’t be long before we get to hear it run for the first time.