The automotive enthusiast scene has matured in a lot of ways, to the point where obtaining reproduction or replacement parts for even the most obscure cars is generally just a Google search away. Another sign of this maturity is that once unloved, undervalued vehicles are gaining a new following, even amongst some of the most respected brands. The Ferrari 250 GTE was far from the automaker’s most popular models, but classic car enthusiasts are giving them another chance, although that doesn’t mean they always go by the book.
Joe Alessandrino came across the Pininfarina-designed body of a 1963 Ferrari GTE 2+2, and nothing else. Using that as a starting point, he remade this classic prancing horse in his own vision, which includes a Chevy DZ302 V8 jutting out of the hood like a giant metal middle finger to all the Ferrari purists out there.
Profiled by the not-so-subtly-named YouTube channel RoadHeads, Joe explains how many Ferrari restorers will hijack the chassis and VIN number from the four-seat 250 GTE models and send it back to Italy to be remade as two-seater GTO models. Why? Because money, that’s why. Whereas a mint-condition GTE might bring $250,000 on a good day at auction, in 2014 a 1962 Ferrari GTO sold for a mind-blowing $38 million. Granted, that was a one-of-39 race car, but you can see why Joe opted to modify the less-popular GTE version.
It would have cost a small fortune to do a “proper” restoration, so instead Joe went the hot rod route, dropping in the aforementioned supercharged DZ302 V8. Backed by a Tremec T-56 six-speed sourced from a Dodge Viper and a Ford 9-inch rear end, Joe describes his car as barely streetable, but in a good way. There’s a full Art Morrison suspension all the way around with four-point coilover shocks, and according to Joe it weights just 2,980 pounds with a full tank of gas and a driver, coming within 80 pounds of a perfect 50/50 weight distribution.
It’s a completely different kind of hot rod from what we’re used to seeing and while it may be offensive to Ferrari fanatics, that’s just the way Joe likes it.