Last week, we featured the AMB 001 built by Brough Superior, a limited-run superbike designed in partnership with Aston Martin, that was recently up for auction on Sotheby’s Motorsport (SOMO). This week, we’re diving into something even wilder: a one, Ferrari-powered motorcycle that rewrites every rule in the book.
Known as the #HF355, it was built by Maxwell Hazan. Now, if you follow the high-end custom fabrication scene, you should be familiar with Hazan’s bespoke choppers and more. An engineer, artist, and problem solver, the L.A.-based fabricator’s work beautifully bridges the car and bike worlds in the #HF355.
We’ve seen car-meets-motorcycle formats before, with builds like the Dodge Tomahawk concept. But when it comes to Ferrari in particular, we haven’t had much luck, outside of the and the Maserati-Powered Lazareth LM 847. For decades, Ducati and MV Agusta, based in San Marino, have been called the Ferraris of the motorcycle world, not just because they’re Italian, but because they exude that same obsession for form, and emotion, that we’ve come to expect from Ferrari.
The #HF355, though, is the closest thing to a prancing horse on two wheels, and at its heart sits a 3.5-liter V8 from the mid-engine Ferrari 355 with individual throttle bodies, built into a bespoke motorcycle chassis. Hazan stripped it of any excess weight and then built the bike around it. There is no frame; instead, everything bolts directly onto the engine and transmission, and even the fuel tank is structural. That’s how he was able to keep the dry weight around 550 pounds, with the engine alone weighing just 237 pounds in stripped form, according to Hazan.
The stock engine puts out around 400 horsepower, and weight is 550 pounds dry (590 wet), and if we’re doing the math right, thats a power-to-weight ratio of ~1.47 lbs/hp, which on paper, should make it one of the most extreme performance machines ever built. For some context, that is better than an F1 car (~1.68) and on par with the Kawasaki Ninja H2R (~1.53). Of course, without the electronics, aero, and downforce of an F1 car or MotoGP bike, taming that ratio on two wheels would be challenging, but in terms of raw numbers? It is mighty impressive.
Serviceability was a priority for Hazan, not an afterthought .Because the engine uses a dry sump system, the oiling is packaged up top, which frees up space, reduces complexity, and keeps everything accessible. Heat? Not really a problem. The engine originally lived in a 3,500-pound road car packed with insulation, AC lines, and catalytic converters. Further, a ducted radiator beneath the bike handles cooling, assisted by four computer-controlled electric fans. The engine is managed by an MS3 Pro standalone ECU, running an Alpha-N setup that’s ideal for high-strung throttle bodies.
Coming to the bespoke bodywork, everything on the #HF355 was built from scratch. Hazan fabricated the exquisite bodywork in composite materials, shaped through his own molds. He even engineered aerodynamic winglets into the front fairing. An acrylic windshield is molded from the original prototype piece to create a seamless fit. Nothing you see here is off-the-shelf. Even the driveshaft and flywheel were trial and error, and were tested with different materials until the right balance was struck.
There are no production plans, nor a pre-order list. The sole reason that the #HF355 exists because one man decided to build it. However, going by the comments, it appears to be very popular and what elevates it into a collector’s crosshairs is how it functions, because what you’re looking at is a fully operational, running Ferrari-powered motorcycle that may soon be streetable, and hearing this thing come alive should put a smile on your face.
Image Source: @Maxwellhazan, @Iconicmotorbikes