Ferrari-powered Toyota 86 comes to life

One of the more ambitious project car builds of recent times has been US drifter Ryan Tuerck's Toyota 'GT4586'.

First teased in July, the goal was to install the F136 4.5-litre V8 from the Ferrari 458 into the lightweight rear-drive Toyota chassis to create a tyre-frying fusion of Italian and Japanese engineering.

While the Toybaru chassis is now a common one in the drifting scene, with a variety of engine transplants ranging from the 2JZ 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six from the Toyota Supra to NASCAR V8s, but the installation of the Ferrari V8 posed some unique challenges.

The engine has essentially been turned 180 degrees, with the intake system being rerouted through the firewall drawing fresh air from behind the front wheels. This means that the exhausts are at the front, which makes the flames all the more visible (see video above).

Running Motec engine management, Tuerck is aiming for around 400kW at the rear wheels, fed through a five-speed sequential gearbox. This isn't a huge amount by drifting standards, but installed in the lightweight 86 chassis should have little trouble turning the tyres.

According to Tuerck, there are no plans for the vehicle to enter any competitions, it's being built purely for demonstrations and marketing purposes. We'll bring you more footage of the car once it hits the track.