CarDomain Find of the Day: V8, mid-engined Ford Festiva

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Festiva, mid-mounted V8 – okay, we're with you. Front wheel drive? Uh, sounds like a fine way to blow a lot of dollars adapting components in order to send the power to the wrong pair of 13-inch tires. No Festiva conversion will ever top the SHOgun, which planted the Taurus SHO's Yamaha V6 where the rear seat used to be in the diminutive Kia derivative. CarDomain member TheOne-Originals has exceeded the SHOgun's cylinder count by squeezing a small-block Chevy V8 behind the front seats. The power runs forward, with a Turbo Hydramatic transmission coupled to a BMW limited slip differential. Customized Audi driveshafts are responsible for transmitting torque to the teeny tiny tires.

We like the exhaust stacks that stick through the roof, as well as the Mad-Max patina the whole project wears. The SHOgun may have been more finely finished, but this car wouldn't have a problem drawing at least as large a crowd. It might not be tremendously amusing in a torrential downpour, but being able to crack that four-barrel open and instantly boil the front tires has its own charm. Our favorite quote from the car's description? "The stock brakes definitely need upgrading, but I'll get to that later." Or not. The car might kill its builder first. We can only imagine how evil the torque steer might be, and mid-engined cars are notorious for being wicked near their moment of polar inertia. A sleeper econobox with twice the cylinder count with which it came, mercenary unmuffled exhaust, and the pending addition of a flamethrower system for the exhaust? Yeah, that would definitely entertain us.

Thanks for the tip, Rob!

[Source: CarDomain]

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