I have a very nice BMW V12 motor that has been built up by one of the best BMW engine builders in the country and a G50/52 transaxle built by CMS, and I'm looking for a project to put them in.
I have already considered and eliminated many platforms for this project, some of which included the GT40, P4, 917, XJ13, Lambo, FF GTM, Ultima, etc. I won't say I’ve seen every "kitcar" platform that's out there, but I know many of them and have eliminated them from consideration.
The only "enclosed" car shapes that continue to trip my trigger are the Pantera / Mangusta and/or the Ferrari 512BB. As acquiring a 512BB and converting it to my drivetrain just doesn't make good practical or economic sense, I've begun thinking about the Pantera platform.
I realise this is sacrilege to dyed in the wool blue oval people, or to purists who wouldn't want the original concepts modified in any way, but I'm hoping you'll keep an open mind and give me some advise and constructive criticism. The first kneejerk reaction from most is there's no way a V12 could fit. Well, that's not quite right, first, because it has very close bore spacings, the engine is quite a bit shorter than you might think - only 29 inches. Then, being a 60 degree V12, it's true that it's quite tall, but it's also quite a bit narrower than a V8. Yes, it's an OHC design, but only a SOHC, so it's not "quite" as wide and top heavy looking as some DOHC's. I've dry sumped it, so it has lost nearly 4 inches in height, and can sit as low as any V8 in any chassis. So, in comparison to a Cleveland, and depending on whose numbers you use, it's actually about 3 inches shorter (lengthwise), 2 inches shorter (heightwise, and before drysumping), and about 3-5 inches narrower. So mounting dimensions may not be as big an issue as you might think.
Besides dry sumping, it's been relinered/bored, and stroked out to 6.0l, plus has some hot cams and ITB's, so it promises to be a real screamer. We'll have it on an engine dyno in the next month or two, and it should make between 475-550 HP @ 7000 to 7500 RPM. Definitely not your typical 850i motor. Here's a pic of what it should look like soon:
So what do you think about putting this puppy in a Pantera?