---
title: "For Your Project Car: This Ferrari 512 TR Flat-12 Engine"
description: "Looking for a swap more interesting than another LS? Consider this instead."
date: "2018-07-04"
modified: "2018-07-05"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy.md"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/21923/for-your-project-car-this-ferrari-512-tr-flat-12-engine"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "Ferrari News"
  - "For Sale"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "512 Testarossa"
  - "crate engine"
  - "Engine Swap"
  - "Ferrari"
  - "miami vice"
  - "Pop Culture"
---

# For Your Project Car: This Ferrari 512 TR Flat-12 Engine

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/07/512tr-crate-e1530632838863.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The Ferrari Testarossa marked two lasts for Ferrari: its final flat-12 powered road car, and its last mass-produced, 12-cylinder, mid-engined car. These two things also cemented the Testarossa's importance in the sportscar's history, while the TV show [*Miami Vice*](<https://www.thedrive.com/vintage/6805/sonny-crocketts-1986-ferrari-testarossa-from-miami-vice-is-for-sale.md>) gave it its place in the general consciousness through popular culture.

Key to the Testarossa (along with its 512 TR and M variants) is its 4.9 liter, dual overhead cam Tipo F113 flat-12 engine. Even in its least powerful form, it hurled out 375 horsepower from the factory, with later variants making as much as 434.

One of the Tipo F113 Ds (reportedly 428 horsepower and 362 pound-feet of torque) from a 1993 512 TR surfaced Monday on [Bring A Trailer](<https://bringatrailer.com/listing/ferrari-512tr-engine-transaxle/>), hailing from the same collector that auctioned a [twin-turbo V8 from a Ferrari F40](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/21793/you-can-buy-your-very-own-ferrari-f40-twin-turbo-v-8-engine.md>) last week. As with the F40 engine, this engine was pulled from its owner's car, turned into a display item, and then ignored for the better part of two decades before being listed for sale online.

![message-editor%2F1530643955500-512e1.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1530643955500-512e1.jpg>)
*Bring A Trailer*

![message-editor%2F1530643969459-512e3.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1530643969459-512e3.jpg>)
*Bring A Trailer*

![message-editor%2F1530643977130-512e2.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1530643977130-512e2.jpg>)
*Bring A Trailer*

The auction listing stated it had its cylinder heads swapped for those from a 512 M, and also comes with the original five-speed transaxle, along with the factory clutch and flywheel. Interested buyers should note that its exhaust manifolds are not included, and that its engine control units are missing; factory parts must be sourced or carburetors installed for this engine to run.

Despite the above title, swapping this F113 D into any old car is admittedly a bit of a pie-in-the-sky prospect. The engine's dimensions as an overhead cam flat-12 give it the width of similar opposed-cylinder engines like those made by Porsche and Subaru, while its length is akin to that of many inline-six engines. Furthermore, the transaxle is designed for a mid-engine, rear drive configuration, and is likely useless unless the engine is to go into another Testarossa.

Maybe it's unrealistic to suggest this as a swappable engine, but there are [crazier things](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/14732/this-company-will-build-you-your-own-v-12-ls-motor.md>) than Ferrari engine swaps. With fabrication skills, a little imagination, and boatloads of cash, anything is possible—emphasis on the money, as that Ferrari F40 display engine auctioned by this seller [went for $88,040](<https://bringatrailer.com/listing/ferrari-f40-engine/>). We wouldn't be surprised to see this engine sell for almost as much.

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)

## More

- [Buy This 1992 Ferrari 512 TR Because Testarossas are too Expensive](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/16045/buy-this-1992-ferrari-512-tr-because-testarossas-are-too-expensive.md>)
- [Ferrari Loses German Trademark to ‘Testarossa’ to Toy Company](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/13153/ferrari-loses-german-trademark-to-testarossa-to-toy-company.md>)
- [This $97,000 Kid-Sized Ferrari Testarossa is the Most Expensive Toy You Can Buy](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/13449/this-97000-kid-sized-ferrari-testarossa-is-the-most-expensive-toy-you-can-buy.md>)
- [You Can Buy Your Very Own Ferrari F40 Twin Turbo V8 Engine](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/21793/you-can-buy-your-very-own-ferrari-f40-twin-turbo-v-8-engine.md>)
- [Sonny Crockett’s 1986 Ferrari Testarossa From Miami Vice Is For Sale](<https://www.thedrive.com/vintage/6805/sonny-crocketts-1986-ferrari-testarossa-from-miami-vice-is-for-sale.md>)
- [The New Ferrari Testarossa Already Has an Army of Haters](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-new-ferrari-testarossa-already-has-an-army-of-haters.md>)
- [What It’s Like to Drive a 1981 Ferrari 512BB LM at Full Tilt Around Monza](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/35053/what-its-like-to-drive-a-1981-ferrari-512bb-lm-at-full-tilt-around-monza.md>)
- [This Ferrari Enzo V12 Crate Engine For Sale Is Ready for the Ultimate Engine Swap](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/this-ferrari-enzo-v12-crate-engine-for-sale-is-ready-for-the-ultimate-engine-swap.md>)