Ferrari's 400hp V8 motorcycle finally takes to the track! "Fantastic

Three months ago, we presented a completely crazy project: a motorcycle built around the legendary naturally-aspirated V8 of the Ferrari F355. An engineer's dream, a work of mechanical art born of the imagination of Maxwell Hazan, an American tuner based in Los Angeles. At the time, the beast had never been driven. Now it has: the HF355 has taken to the track for the first time, and the result is quite simply... fantastic.

A Ferrari F355 V8 on two wheels

The engine is the one that has made the reputation of the Ferrari of the '90s: a 3.5-liter V8, naturally-aspirated, raging, with an inimitable metallic song. In an F355, it develops around 400 horsepower. But installed in a motorcycle weighing just 267 kg dry, the equation becomes explosive: a power-to-weight ratio of almost 1,500 horsepower per ton, well beyond the best sports bikes on the market.

Rather than grafting this engine onto an existing base, Maxwell Hazan built the bike from scratch:

• A bespoke frame designed around the Ferrari block,
• Carbon fiber trim,
• An exhaust system designed by SC Project,
• And a six-speed manual gearbox to tame it all.

Visually, the HF355 retains the air of a classic sportsbike, but the two banks of V8 cylinders protruding from each side are an immediate reminder that this is a mechanical UFO.

"It's my first time on a 400-hp motorcycle".

This weekend, Hazan took his creation to the Streets of Willow circuit in California, for a day organized by the California Superbike School. In a video he shared on social networks, we see him pulling the HF355 out of the pickup, clearly as excited as he is nervous:

"It's my first time on a 400hp bike. No matter what happens, it's going to be fun," he confided before taking to the track.

Originally, he says, the idea came to him almost by chance:

"I was looking for an engine for another motorcycle on eBay, and came across this Ferrari V8 in Anaheim. I had no intention of building a Ferrari motorcycle, but when I saw the size, ideas started to sprout. And a year later, here we are."

Once on track, the magic happens. The roar of the Ferrari V8, unleashed by the SC Project line, resonates like never before on two wheels. Hazan gets his bearings, takes one corner after another, and on his return, his smile says it all:

"Fantastic. That was incredible. Ferrari V8 Bike!"

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A publication shared by California Superbike School (@superbikeschool)