Australian hack mechanic and YouTuber Jeff Micklem has completed his most ambitious project to date – a 1973 Alfa Romeo 105 GT with a Ferrari engine.
The Alfarrari was a “rusty wreck” when Micklem began the build, having sourced a low-mileage Ferrari 360 Modena motor from a supercar scrapyard in Adelaide. He had to replace every panel from the B-pillar back and make many more rust repairs to the body before figuring out how to squeeze the 3.6-litre V8 under the hood. He had to cut the inlet down, create custom headers and modify the subframe to find room for the Ferrari unit. Even so, it stands proud of the bonnet, so Micklem remade the engine cover and included a transparent panel to show off the Prancing Horse power unit.
The 360 engine was originally designed to sit amidships, driving the rear wheels, but in its new position at the front of the Alfa Micklem had to devise a way to get drive to the rear wheels. The solution came in the form of a Subaru BRZ transmission which he hopes can take the motor’s 400 bhp. “If it does blow, it’s not the end of the world,” he says.
Other ingenious workarounds included making a custom oil tank for the dry-sump engine and fitting the air conditioning condensers in the rear of the car. Along with a modern HVAC system there’s also power steering, cruise control, and electric windows as Micklem says the Alfarrari is going to be a daily driver.
The whole project took Micklem over four years and he’s documented the process in hundreds of videos on his Home Built by Jeff YouTube channel. If you haven’t got time to watch them all then take a look at Larry Chen’s short walkaround below.
Micklem is already on to his next build – a 1964 Ford F600 truck – which will be used to haul the Alfarrari and other cars to shows. We’ll be watching.
