Watch a YouTuber Shove a Ferrari 360 V8 Into a 1973 Alfa Romeo, Creating the “Alfarrari”MotorBiscuitRahaan MazumderFri, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleIf you want to witness pure, unadulterated automotive insanity, you don't need to look inside a million-dollar professional tuning shop. Sometimes, the most jaw-dropping engineering happens inside a standard two-car garage, fueled by nothing more than pure obsession and a total refusal to take the easy way out.Enter Australian firefighter and master backyard fabricator Jeff Micklem (better known online as Home Built By Jeff). Over the course of four grueling years, Jeff took a battered, crash-damaged 1973 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV and transformed it into a completely bespoke, street-legal supercar.His weapon of choice for the powerplant? A screaming 3.6-liter V8 ripped straight out of a wrecked Ferrari 360 Modena.The Ultimate Drivetrain NightmareSqueezing a massive Italian V8 into a narrow 1970s chassis is exactly as difficult as it sounds.AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter buying the 3.6-liter Ferrari engine from an auto wrecker in Japan, Jeff realized the massive block weighed roughly 60 pounds more than the Alfa's original factory motor. To handle the jump to nearly 400 horsepower, Jeff sourced a manual gearbox from a Subaru BRZ. Unsurprisingly, Ferrari engines and Subaru transmissions are not exactly plug-and-play.To bridge the gap, Jeff meticulously measured every bolt hole on both the engine block and the gearbox, used CAD software to design a custom 3D model, and commissioned a solid adapter plate to fuse the two distinct drivetrains together perfectly."So that is a win, that is a big win," Jeff cheered as the Subaru transmission slid perfectly onto the Ferrari shaft. "I am stoked. We actually have a Ferrari engine adapted to a Subaru gearbox. Yeah".Dropping the fused drivetrain into the tiny Alfa bay was the next massive hurdle. Australian road laws mandate at least 10 millimeters of clearance around the entire motor."All right, this is the scary part," Jeff noted before lowering the V8 into the bay for the first time. "I've obviously done some measuring up till now, and I have some idea that this should come pretty close and fit the engine bay, but I… I haven't tried it yet".AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile the block physically fit between the rails, the engine sat entirely too high. Refusing to ruin the car's aerodynamics with a massive hood scoop, Jeff chopped the Ferrari's intake by 2.8 inches and fabricated a custom, low-profile bonnet bulge. "How good does it look? How good does that look!" he celebrated after testing the clearance. "It fits nice; it's not going to need a huge bonnet bulge".Crushed Fingers, Creased Roofs, and Near DisasterA four-year solo garage build doesn't happen without a few brutal mistakes.While trying to fix the Alfa's notoriously sketchy manual window regulators, the mechanism snapped, trapping his hand. "Ow, I crushed my finger," he groaned, showing off a deep dent in his skin after prying the window up with a screwdriver just to escape.Later in the build, a massive lapse in concentration nearly ruined the car's freshly restored bodywork. While lifting the chassis on a hoist, he wasn't paying attention to the ceiling clearance. "No, no," Jeff groaned in absolute defeat. "I actually lifted the car up into the beam and creased the roof".AdvertisementAdvertisementBut the most terrifying moment of the entire four-year saga happened the very first time he attempted to start the Ferrari V8.The engine initially fired up with a roar, but almost immediately began making a horrifying mechanical grinding noise. A loose metal box had slipped into the timing assembly while the engine was running. "I think I may have actually killed the engine," Jeff said, staring completely shell-shocked at the block.If a timing belt snaps on a Ferrari V8 while it's running, the pistons smash directly into the valves, destroying the engine from the inside out. Miraculously, upon tearing the engine down, Jeff found that the belt was severely chewed up but had somehow managed to hold the engine in time."All is not lost," he exhaled. "I think I've got to buy a new belt, and that's about it. Some more coolant and put it back together. Oh, I think I've just dodged the biggest bullet ever".The "Alfarrari" Hits the RoadAfter replacing the timing belt and using Ferrari's official acoustic frequency app to dial in the exact tension, the engine fired up perfectly.AdvertisementAdvertisement"We are running! It works! I didn't kill it! Yes!" Jeff screamed, throwing his arms in the air.The finished car—painted in Ferrari's iconic Giallo Fly yellow with silver racing stripes—is a masterpiece of grassroots engineering. Complete with a custom-fabricated X-pipe exhaust, a half roll cage, a 3D-printed front grille, and an interior wrapped in authentic Italian Cuoio leather, the car successfully passed Australia's notoriously strict road engineering inspections.To cement the legacy of the build, Jeff even designed a custom badge for the hood, perfectly blending the Alfa Romeo snake with the Ferrari prancing horse to officially christen the car: the Alfarrari.