There are some builds on YouTube that you can simply glance at and know that it was imagined with a seemingly never-ending budget. That’s exactly the type of build we’ll be looking at today with this Australian muscle car with a Ferrari V12 in the engine bay. While this certainly isn’t the very first Ferrari swap we’ve seen, it may just be one of the best-suited.

This unusual creation comes via the Castlemaine Rod Shop YouTube Channel covered by The Drive. Aside from its new engine, this muscle car gets upgraded suspension, wheels, and enormous brakes. In fact, this car started out life with less than 150 hp on offer, a figure that has grown considerably since then.

How does a muscle car fit a Ferrari V12 under its hood?

Since this muscle car Ferrari V12 build is largely about the engine, let’s start there. It’s a naturally-aspirated 5.7-liter Tipo V12 out of a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. While the 612 is far from the newest prancing horse, it still manages to put down around 533 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque. The main figure here is the 7250-rpm redline, meaning this muscle car will have plenty to shout about.

The muscle car itself is called “Real Deal” and is an LC-model Holden Torana GTR, says The Drive. Originally, this small coupe left the production line between 1969 to 1972 sporting a naturally-aspirated straight-six engine under its hood. This resulted in a total power output of less than 150 hp at the time.

Part of what makes this car’s story unique is the fact that it got stuck in the U.S. last year as a result of the global pandemic. At the time, it housed a supercharged V8 which was removed and sold to Cleetus McFarland.

Here’s where the build gets tough

As you might imagine, fitting a Ferrari V12 under the hood of a muscle car is no small feat. Things get quite complicated once you try to actually make the engine itself work with other powertrain components. Thankfully, the 612 is a front-engined car, meaning this engine should be easier to fit than one out of a mid-engined car. Despite this, the engine itself sits quite high, requiring a massive hole in the front hood.

According to The Drive, this requires custom-made motor mounts along with a variety of other fabricated components. The end goal is for this car to utilize a Powerglide automatic transmission. As The Drive points out, this build is intended to be more of a cruiser than an all-out track star.

What other upgrades does this muscle car with a Ferrari V12 have?

Aside from the massive Ferrari V12 up front, this muscle car features plenty of other upgrades. For starters, we’ve got an air suspension setup on all four corners providing height and dampening adjustability. In keeping with the goal of being a cruiser, you’ll find massive wheels on all four corners with skinny rubber-band tires.

The rest of the car’s structure appears unchanged. However, given the massive amount of power that’ll live under the hood, a roll bar or metal cage certainly wouldn’t be too much to ask.