If you’ve spent any time on car internet in the past few years, you’ll know about Mike Burroughs’ Ferrari 308. Possibly the coolest time attack car on the planet, it uses a turbocharged K24 Honda engine capable of up to 1000 horsepower. At least, it did until a rod decided to exit the block in spectacular fashion.
Burroughs, founder of the StanceWorks YouTube channel, has had a rollercoaster year since completing this wild Ferrari build, which included a racing debut on the other side of the planet at Australia’s World Time Attack Challenge event at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Upon its return to the States, Burroughs took the Ferrari straight to its next event, the Global Time Attack finale at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in California. While shakedown went off without a hitch, the first day of competition was far from trouble-free. While on a flying lap, the engine decided to chuck a connecting rod down through the billet aluminum oil pan, destroying a bunch of other expensive parts in the process. Ouch.
Burroughs is understandably crushed by the incident, but quickly chalks it up to “shit happens” and shifts to a diagnosis mindset so he can find the cause of the destruction so it doesn’t happen in the future. Of course, a true cause won’t be found until the car is back at the StanceWorks shop and disassembled. Thankfully Burroughs plans to get the car back together and on track for next season as soon as possible.
This isn’t the first major mechanical failure the Ferrari has suffered since the build’s completion. While in Australia, second gear in the car’s sequential transmission failed, forcing Burroughs to drop $11,000 on a new gearbox. We can only imagine how expensive a new 1,000-hp K24 will be to replace.
