The Cheapest Ferrari Engine On Aliexpress Is A $40,000 V8 You Probably Shouldn’t Buy

You’ve made it. You’re a big-time YouTuber and you’ve just bought a wrecked Ferrari for your next big video series. Only, there’s a problem. The engine is toast and you need to find a replacement. You could call head office over in Italy, and sign a huge check… or you could try and find a bargain on AliExpress instead!

Yes, AliExpress is the Chinese online marketplace that really does have everything. That extends to finely fettled engines for Italian exotics. There aren’t many listed, as you might expect. Still, you really can just throw “Ferrari engine” into the search box and turn up some apparently genuine results.

The cheapest example I found? You’ll pay just $40,422 and 35 cents for an F136 engine out of the first-generation Ferrari California. Add on the $646.58 shipping charge, and you’re paying $41068.93 for eight cylinders of glory, red crackle paint and all. That is, of course, assuming tariffs are worked out with China, but we’re already in fantasyland so let’s just keep going.

You probably don’t need me to point out that this isn’t a great deal, at least as far as dollars per horsepower are concerned. The original California offered 454 horsepower from the naturally-aspirated 4.3-liter V8, along with 358 pound-feet of torque. You’re paying $90 per horsepower based on those figures.

Meanwhile, you can readily get an LS engine from a 2002 Corvette for $2,850 before shipping on eBay, call it $3500 all in. With 350 hp on tap, you’re paying just $10 per horsepower by comparison.

Of course, one doesn’t buy a Ferrari engine from AliExpress for rational reasons; it’s an emotional decision. Indeed, you’d have to be pretty emotional to consider sending over $40,000 to someone you’ve never met, thousands of miles away, with little hope of ever seeing it again if something goes wrong. Perhaps that’s a harsh and uneducated view of the AliExpress platform, but I would suggest “buyer beware” is a very valid ethos in such a situation. It’s just such a weird place to go and buy a Ferrari engine.

However, if you’re worried about trust, you can always fly out to China to check out the engine prior to shipment. Quite literally—the seller notes you’re more than welcome! “Of course we will extremely excited if you come to China and our company are very eager to make the long-term business with you powerful buyers!” reads the sale page. They back this up with photos of them hanging out and sharing meals with their customers from around the world! Honestly, it looks pretty fun to be chatting engines and chowing down on some delicious Guangdong cuisine.

I was able to glean some additional detail from the seller. Apparently, the Ferrari engine does come with an ECU and loom. This is a big win if you’re intending to swap the Ferrari engine into some other vehicle. It’s probably less important if you’re doing a direct swap into a stricken vehicle which has its original ECU intact. With that said, I did get the feeling that the seller was just telling me what I wanted to hear. I wouldn’t bet a sheep station that the engine would show up with all the necessary computers and wiring intact, particularly since they’re not shown in any of the pictures, but hope springs eternal.

If you want an even fancier Ferrari motor, though, AliExpress can absolutely provide. The same seller also has a larger 4.5-liter F136 engine on sale for $62,654.65. However, this one is curious—it’s listed as a “original fully functional 458 488 V8 engine.” It could surely only be from the Ferrari 458, as the later 488 switched to the smaller twin-turbo F154 engine.

With shipping costs of $898.03, it’ll set you back $63,552.68 in total. Assuming this is the original 458 engine spec, it put out 562 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque as stock. That’s a nice lift of 108 horsepower over the California engine, but you’re obviously paying a lot for it. $22,483.75 in fact. Those extra horsepower are costing you over $208 each!

What’s funny is that the AliExpress prices aren’t even that competitive. We’re used to everything being cheaper in China, but that’s not really the case here. eBay has 458 engines for under $50,000 from the US and Germany, and under $30,000 if you’re willing to look in Latvia. Even with shipping tacked on, you’re still well ahead compared to buying from AliExpress.

Of course, these engines are expensive wherever you look—but the high prices come as little surprise. You don’t buy a Ferrari engine for cheap power. You buy a Ferrari engine for the sound, the prestige, and the fact that it’s the automotive equivalent of racy lingerie for your engine bay.

Buying an engine like this and swapping it into pretty much anything will make you a god at your local Cars and Coffee for all time. Seriously, go throw one in a Buick Roadmaster or Ford Tempo and report back on how much everyone was poring over your build. In fact, the more regular the car, the better. People want to hear a rusty old Volvo 240 wail like an ecstatic Italian porn star, more than they want to see a Ferrari-swapped Supra elegantly drifting and reminding them of their own impotent driving skills. The combination of the exotic and the humble, that’s where it’s at.

In any case, if you’ve gotta have that spicy Italian, you can get it from AliExpress. It’s not the cheapest route, nor is it the easiest one, but hey, why not do it for the memes? The YouTube thumbnail will surely put a few grand in your pocket all on its own.

Image credits: via AliExpress, eBay