Builds>>an Insane Ferrari 550 Drift Car

Recently Rod Chong tipped me off on a rather crazy drift car build that was going down in Sweden. This build story though. has a very unusal ending. We'll get to that in a moment, but first let's take a look at this wild machine.

The builder's name is Kristian who had a shop in the south of Sweden called SVK Customs. From the looks of it, SVK did some pretty amazing work. This Ferrari 550 Maranello was Kristian's personal project car, which he planned to use in Scandanavian drift events.

This is no lightly modified tuner car, it's a full on race monster.

For cost and reliability issues, it was decided that the Ferrari V12 would be pulled out in favor of a supercharged BMW V8 setup.

This is the dry sump setup that was done at SVK.

Custom motor mounts for the BMW motor.

Other parts of the build include these centerlock Schmidt racing wheels.

Giant AP Racing brakes as well.

Custom body and carbon fiber work was one of SVK's specialites. Here you can see some of the progress that was being made on the Ferrari in that regard.

Front view of the clear-coated carbon.

The V8 actually looks tiny mounted in that massive nose!

In the underside view you can see the new rear control arms installed.

The roll cage being built…

…and a test fit of the Recaro seat.

Now comes the strange ending. Not long ago, Kristian decided he'd had enough of the long hours in the shop, struggling to stay in buisness. He closed SVK and relocated to Vietnam to start a new life.

He says the Ferrari was put into storage and that it may resurface again some day.

I know I speak for many when I say that I hope Kristian finishes this car. Perhaps being able to drive this beast on the track will reignite his passion for building cars?

For the whole story, you can check out the build thread over at Driftworks.

-Mike Garrett

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1

Nice M. Night Shyalamalaanana ending...

2

wow really hope to see this completed anyone else notice the airjacks?

3

looks like someones eyes were bigger then his stomach.



id much rather see some ridiculously wealthy trust fund kid strengthen the V12 and murder pavement.



still, must hurt to tear apart a ferrari and put so much sweat and cash into it, then walk away......

4

Waste of a 550.

5

Some crazy engine swaps i get, and some i dont. This is like an A&R signing Led Zep on the condition that Bonham and Jones get the boot... and im a BMW fan.

6

Wtf. A bmw engine in a ferrari.... Mr Enzo ferrari would be ashamed.

7

What the hell? That's the weirdest build I've ever seen. I don't know what to make of it.

8

Nope, Ferrari is not a car for drifting. It's a desecration of drift.

9

i wanna see when the dirfters will stop to drift every sort of car... ¬¬

10

His eyes were most definitely not bigger than his stomach. Click the link to the driftworks thread, the standard and magnitude of his other work is incredible.

Anyway, I can't imagine he'll stay away from this for too long. The devil makes work for idle thumbs, and this would certainly be evil!

11

Im sure he didnt tear apart a perfectly good 550, it was probably in an accident or something so he decided to make something out of it. Not like hes gonna beat the crap out of a ferrari v12 and plan on fixing it all year. The BMW V8 makes perfect sense. I would love to see this thing drifting, what a refreshing car to the drift scene it would be. Shame.

12

@ 4th to last pic now he needs a license plate that says "MY OTHER CAR IS A 240SX" lol.

13

Is this a step by step guide on how to ruin a Ferrari ?

14

This is one of the most awesome projekts ever!

15

Good thing ma´momma told me to be nice.

Cous i´ve got so many not so polite things to say about this build.



BUT thay do seem to know there way around carbon works..

16

At first I thought: great idea. No Ferrari drifters, and the widebody looks like a 288.



Then I saw the BMW V8 bit and it struck me. It's a waste of a good Ferrari. A cut-up abomination which doesn't even keep a Ferrari V12 heart.



Had they even taken a Chrysler V8 for the sake of company ties. But nah.



So great potential, duly trashed.

17

No please! The real drift esence is go away with that piece of sh... and also with european drift cars...

18

i read this thread not that long ago sad to see it wont get finished haters gonna hate but i think it would have turned out to be a cool car

19

yeah too bad he stopped building it

20

Relocated to Vietnam... probably to run from the people who lent him money to dump on such an insane project...

21

Such a waste of such a beautiful car.

22

I do understand the hardships of life, but F to K this shit! You start a project like this, most likely the first ever drift-dedicated Ferrari build, like *sinic said: "tear apart a Ferrari and put so much sweat and cash into it, then walk away..." I think that's childish and stuppid....



What pisses me off the most is that this right here is my dream, I've had this idea years ago, but I don't have a shot nor the money to get a Ferrari and play with it; and this morron has what's needed and just gives up!



This is the most aggravating thing in the world, people that have the means, but waste them without a second thought or ever looking back, while the rest of us "mortals" wear our souls away to get maybe 10% of what we wish to attain....



Yet again.... I dunno the guy so... who knows? If he bumped his head or what happen?

23

Come on. At least have a Ferrari V12 in there. This isn't right.

24

That is hardly a Ferrari anymore....

25

I don't get it. You coulda bought an E92 M3 and put Ferrari panels on it for the same result and significantly less cost.

26

I would have more respect for it if they kept the Ferrari engine. A screaming V12 would be something special and unique.



I do not have a problem with puting an LS engine in a japanese import but putting a BMW V8 engine in Ferrari? However, it is not my car so it is fine I guess...

27

Normally I'm ok with engine swaps and V8s, no problem. But swapping a Ferrari V12 with a V8, HHHNNNGGGGG

28

I remember seeing this build a long time ago. Shame he never completed it but I guess the world economy going down the toilet hit him a bit to hard.

29

I can relate to this guy. Doing cars for both a living and a hobby can get overwhelming. Sometimes a "simple" life can be very tempting.

30

Atragedy I tell you!!!

31

Guys... It was only a 550.....

32

WOW..going to be badass! =D cant wait to see it

33

@Monx, you've got that backwards. Ferrari is not a car for drifting. It's a desecration of the Ferrari.

34

Woah ... thats gut wrenching just to walk away from a build like that ... would love to see him complete that!

35

Poor, poor Ferrari. Garage Saurus in Japan has built two 550s with their original V12 engines, and even one of them was twin turbocharged. And in my opinion, Ferraris shouldn't be drifted... especially such a beautiful car as this one. It's a car made for the track, to be admired to drool on...



Like Jake said, waste of a 550. It's weird how can you be utterly dissapointed by just seeing a few pictures. Well, at least it doesn't have a damn LSx engine.

36

Awesome way to ruin a beautifully engineered and built car.. Drifters should stick to ruining jap rubbish... I really don't understand how ruining such an iconic vehicle can be justified for drifting when there are so many good , cheap, usable , appropriate chassis for drifters to drive into eachother with.. Waste

37

Rad. I'm feelin this. I bet dude bounced because it's tough stayin afloat when you spend dough on exotic ish like that!

38

Look more like a Kit car than a Ferrari.

39

This car was bought for pennies, it was burnt to death, and he brought it back to life.

The original engine block was'nt strong enough, and if he wanted to buy a new, stronger one, it would cost 120,000 Euros (17000 dollars), and would someone in their right mind honestly buy that?

40

Love the car, and sure hope Kristian finishes this one-of-a-kind monster. As far as ditching the V12 for the BMW V8.....most of you DO realize just how many engines and parts these drift cars go through? Now try to imagine the cost of rebuilding that Ferrari V12. Yeah. Unless you wanna foot that bill, I think the V8 is just fine in there.

41

I really hate all the keyboard warriors.

You people have no idea how and why he started a project like this, nor do i thou.

So quit bitchin like grumpy old men and if you dont like it go hang out in one of the many OEM message boards in the web. I bet you'll feel safer there.

43

There's more to life than badass rides.. This build was ballsy enough, closing up shop and doing your own thing for a while is even more so. That said, this car has a great concept and would be nice to see finished.

44

I can't wait to see the action! Nice to see exotics like Ferrari and Porsche tuned to drift!

45

This was really cool until I saw the engine swap.

46

If something requires the ripping out the heart of a Ferrari, then that Ferrari should not be doing that thing. This build is beyond sacrilege. No matter how much quality work goes into it. It's a bit like putting makeup on Mona Lisa and rescaling her, so that she looks better as a graffiti.

47

I'm sorry, I cannot approve of this project. I'm glad that it was mothballed. I do hope it never resurfaces, not only because of the BMW V8, but because it does not seem well planned or executed.



xD

48

Ferrari without Ferrari engine is empty shell. Waste of great car.

49

as a tifoso i hate it, but its a 550 maranello turned drift car--awwwwww yeaaahhhh!!! Who cares what engine it got, unless have a ferrari powered drifter, accept your lack of that and show some dam respect

50

How many of you haters did read his build tread on Driftworks?

For example, A carbon 550 sister car that was suposed to be build for a client was a well crashed 550.. and with well crashed I don't mean bumping into a towhook while parking ;-)

51

I don't get all the complaints, its a drift car, why would you want to thrash a ferrari V12, the mantinance alone would be substantial.... all these messages are almost as bad as saying Ferrari's should only come in testarossa red :|

52

As a car photographer/spotter I must say that it would be interesting to shot this thing in action.However,this is just a waste of a beautiful car in reality...

53

Hate it or love it

54

Taking a Ferrari and then going for a BMW engine because it's CHEAPER to run, How stupid can you get!? And then not even bother to finisah the thing... so now all it is, is a ruined Ferrari that will probably never turn a wheel. How pathetic.

55

Ferrari?

Where?



Oh and €120k for an engine block? Tacolimited, where do you get your information? A 500 Maranello block is less than €5000. http://www.eurospares.co.uk/partsListing.asp?M=1&Mo=374&A=1&B=19822&S=&ID4=863777

56

When one buys a crashed/burnt car he's entitled to do anything he wants to it. Re-building that v12 would need serious money, which he didn't have. Sad it didn't get completed though. Perhaps the article needed to be specific about the car being a damaged one to prevent people uselessly assert that he ruined the car.

57

@ D1RGE.EXE.

I respect your opinion but what is the point of building a Ferrari drift car when you care about budget?

As I said in a previous post it is not my car so it is all fine. Dont you think that a screaming V12 would be something special and memorable for the driver and the spectators?



That is why everyone respects the work of Underground Racing that takes a great car like a Lamborghini and makes it even better nearing perfection.

58
Алексей Величкин

Hi from 2018.

59

There's a thread on driftworks



The car was bought as a non runner after suffering fire damage. The reason for the BMW lump is down to the running costs of of the V12 Fezza engine, it just wouldn't have been viable. So what would have been better, a car broken for parts or turned into a track/drift piece like this - I know what I'd prefer



Good luck with Vietnam chap, hope it goes well

60

Jesus.. And here I read- Maranello, a wonderful maranello as a drift car. I suppose - okay it might get interesting later.. Then I look as the car gets trashed apart been put some UGLY kit on it, and i mean it - UGLY. Then I read this, not only didn't he grab, i dunno a US V8 or V12 instead of Ferrari, IF he didn't want it to stay, but he pulls in a BMW v8 which is supposed to be what? Cheaper? Couldn't he seriously just take a BMW then?

I accept when people make something rare for motorsport, but this is a horrible thing to do with such a car.

61

Nothing changes if we stand still. Drifting has been around since before the Japanese drift culture, so moaning about European cars drifting is crazy! As for a Ferrari drifting...well, why the hell not? It may have worked out brilliantly then people across the drift community would be searching scrapyards for trashed Ferraris to fix up into drift spec...probably at the same cost as building a 350Z/Mustang drifter.



Anyway, never hate something that isn't finished as you open yourself up to having masses amount of egg in your face when/if it is.

62

Did it occur to any of you purists that this may have been a wrecked Ferrari to start with?



Just like a lot of the [high priced modified] Hondas and 240s out there with salvage titles; might as well build it in a way that you may not do otherwise with a clean example.



I love the direction of this car.



Keep up the great work!



Thank you Speedhunters!

63

Disappointing to say the least. Ferrari's are meant to be driven on the track, not as drift machines.

64

Takes some major stones to tackle a project like this. Too bad about the v12. Could you imagine the sound of this thing at a drift event. Be hard to tell if the scream was coming from the rear tires or the V12 engine. Probably not a bad idea though. With the V12 he might have to make the first ever drift event pit stop mid run for a tire change.

65

come on guys, just shut up... It's just a 550, nothing special here. Most of these cars spend there whole day in a garage, so if someone wants to start a cool project with a burnt example it's suddenly a waste??

66

What a waste! Poor Ferrari :-(

67

So, it's not a drift car, it wasn't completed. It's cars like this that are leading to the demise of drifting as a "grass-roots" motorsport. Plus, hacking up a 550? Come on now.

68

you guys crack me up - what do you think he just threw away the v12 or use it to pay for a large portion of it ? also I hate to break anyone's fragile hearts but there street car engines arent very reliable even for street use - try goggling Ferrari on fire to see what I mean.



I think the crux of the problem was the same that affects most project builds, you end up with something that's not as cool as you thought it would be, you get bored and bin the project.

69



Geez, its a 550 and people are talking like its a damn 250GTO.



BMW V8s are also outstanding engines...7-series V8 blocks has been used as basis for sick builds with sick power ..way better than some puny&brittle Ferrari V12 which will spend more time in the trailer than on the track.



70

If boundaries aren't pushed then we will never evolve!

It's different and it starts conversation.

Well done I'd buy it.

71

lol@ all you haters thinking he got a running 550 and did this to it. WOW. Y'all really don't think about what you write, do you? I'm almost speechless at the comments.

72

WTF. it really is starting to be annoying to read all this USELESSLY STUPID hate mail.

And the lack of correct info is amazing too. Didnt anybody erad the Driftworks thread b4 opening your mouths?

The car was a wreck, just like the other one towards the end of the thread.

And its not the block that is 12k, its a crankshaft rated for more than 600hp.

Fuckin kids. Ever heard of respect? I totally hate the car scene, full of Mr. loudmouth knowitalls.

73

wow so many haters. who cares that he took the V12 out? yeah its wrong, but at the end of the day that is such an unrealiable engine. and it would be so so awfull for drifting. Its not like theres only a couple of Ferrari's about!! maybe its because they do nothing for me... but this would be amazing, still peopbly wouldnt drift very wel still but out side the box or what. stop being jelouse guys just coz you cant afford to do it XD

74

Wow what a way to ruin a ferrari...

75

its one of those builds that started up dope and then..... yeah, what a waste of bandwith.

76

So funny.... all these comments on how to ruin a Ferrari....posted by little boys who have no clue about cars in general except from what they've learned in F&F and NFS.

The bounderies of motorsports aren't set by those who do things by the book, but by those who realized that going of the beaten track will show you new ways of advancing the ways of how we look at cars and build them.

So, go and play your video games. Go and drool over Vin Diesel in a tight tank top. Let the men who actually know about cars and engineering do what they do best.

77

Regarding why he chose the BMW engine, from his thread: 'I'm using a bmw V8 engine with steel cylinder liners and a supercharger instead of the original V12 engine. It's because the crank in the ferrari V12 only withstands around 600hp and a stronger one costs 12000€...'



Who of you would like to fork out 12000€?

78

No one has the right to criticise another persons project, Im sick of reading forums with the opinions of of people who have no experience of projects to back up their throw away comments. I love the look of this car and am sorry about it stalling. People who talk about projects and never do them, dont realise the mental challenges and sacrifices you have to make, I wish him luck.

79
KristianSomogyiSvk

Got it in Nam now and will finish it here to use it for promotion of motorsport in general and drifting in particular in Vietnam.
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