Friday, July 31, 2009

World's fastest delivery van?


I'm hugely amused by the ingenuity of an Italian rally team. They've mated the engine and chassis of a Ferrari F355 Berlinetta:




with the body of a Citroen 2CV delivery van:




to produce this:




According to the Daily Telegraph:

The bizarre hybrid took the pair five years and cost more than £150,000 to put together.

They took the chassis and engine of a speedy Ferrari F355 Berlinetta and combined it with the body of a 12bhp Citroen 2CV Fourgonnette bread-van.

To finish it off they gave the 2CV's ageing white body a glossy Ferrari red paint job.

And they stuck the iconic prancing pony logo on the front above the famous Citroen double chevron emblem.




The result of their efforts is a striking vehicle that can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in less than five seconds.

The car was put together by Nicolo Lamberti, 35, and Milko Dalla Costa, 51, who run the Italian Nimik rally team.

. . .

The team at Nimik modified and widened the 2CV's body, and added a giant air vent to either side.

They mounted the Ferrari's huge V8 engine in the middle of the rear wheel drive car, which still features the 2CV's familiar circular headlights.




Beneath the giant wheel arches the car proudly boasts the original alloy wheels from the Ferrari.

Inside, the car's two seats are decked out in plush black leather and there is even the polished silver gear stick from the F355.

Mr Lamberti added: "It took us so long to build so at the moment we are just enjoying it and showing it off to people who are passionate about this kind of work.

"But if we meet someone willing to offer us an interesting price then we could sell it."


There's more at the link.

Here's a video clip of the beast in full song on Italian roads. Just listen to that engine!





Music to the ears! I wonder what sort of deliveries one could make with it? Time-critical stuff, that's for sure . . . although I daresay the delivery charge would have to include an allowance for speeding tickets!



Peter

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kinda reminds me of the guys who used to stuff a V-8 into the back seat of their Corvair. The ultimate theme-variation of this that I saw was the complete drive train from an Oldsmobile(RIP) Toronado flipped around and stuck in the rear of a "streetable" Vega station wagon.
emdfl

jbrock said...

Oh man, that just kicks my giggle box clean across the room. This is the kind of thing I'd do if I had the money and the time. (And the clue. But let's not go there.)

Anonymous said...

Improbable as it may seem, that thing is actually pretty sharp looking. Had I the money, and were it AWD, I'd buy one.

Jim

joe said...

How about a Hayabusa (sportbike) engine in a Smart Car?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV4HdsDZX6c

I'll not vouch for the sound track