• Once retailing for $217,000 and up, the F430 is more obtainable on the used market today, enabling longtime Ferrari fans like Terry Nguyen of Seattle, WA, to pick one up as a project car.
• The mid-engine 4.3-liter Ferrari V8 in Terry’s 2005 F430 features a custom center-exit exhaust, Fabspeed headers, and a custom tune that makes 450whp.
• With a background of owning an Acura Integra, Lexus IS, and BMW M3, Terry has carried over some of his past influences on Ferrari, such as air suspension, Recaro Pole Position seats, and Volk Racing TE37 wheels.

DREAMS AND SUCCESS

Like the F355, F360, and F430, some of our favorite Ferraris came outfitted with one of the most obscure bolt patterns, 5×108. There’s probably some rhyme or reason why Ferrari engineers decided this, but it meant aftermarket wheel options would be slim to none (perhaps how Ferrari wanted it). If you made as much money as me 20 years ago, though, putting different wheels on a Ferrari didn’t really matter because I could barely afford a Honda Civic. Fine Italian, mid-engine sports cars belonged in the garages of civilized, older, rich guys, not modified car enthusiasts like you and me. Fast forward to today, and the once $217K-and-up F430 has become more attainable on the used market with some high-mileage examples dipping below the six-figure mark. Great news, right? Well, while my bank account sees a little more than my hourly wages in college, I’m still not in any shape to pick up a ‘Rari of my own. However, some very successful 30- and 40-year-olds out there have made it big and can now afford the dream car they wanted decades ago. Terry Nguyen of Seattle, WA, is one of these individuals who has accomplished quite a lot in his young career, which has also allowed him to pick up the Ferrari F430 he once fantasized about while sitting in a high school classroom. He’s also doing his new project car justice by producing what every Japanese car fan wanted to see on an Italian sports car, and that is fitting Volk Racing TE37 wheels on it.

NOT WHORED OUT ON A FERRARI

It’s safe to say that TE37s are whored out to death with every car from S2000s to Evos and STIs rocking the same six-spoke wheels. However, on the right (and rare) car, they seem to give all JDM fans a warm tingly feeling inside, despite being so common on project cars worldwide. Terry’s F430 runs a set of square 18×10-inch Mag Blue TE37s, and he was able to fit them on the 5×108 hubs using custom wheel adapters. I should note, he also has a set of redrilled Takata Green TE37s that he switches up when the mood strikes. It’s still not easy finding wheels designed for a Ferrari, but some options make retrofitting aftermarket wheels possible.

AIR IN THERE

Aside from the wheels, the average person might not notice all the other changes Terry made, but there’s actually a good amount of mods. The air suspension is perhaps the most overlooked upgrade donning a custom system developed by Sadistic Iron Werks. I like it as it doesn’t make Terry’s car look too slammed or stanced out but possesses just the proper ride height when aired down. Being able to air up is also a significant plus, as repairing the bodywork on an F430 doesn’t come cheap.

DOESN’T END THERE

Speaking of bodywork, what you’re looking at isn’t the stock exterior of an F430 but a more aggressive front bumper from the Scuderia model. In addition, a rear bumper from an F430 Challenge race car that features a titanium exhaust exiting through the center replaced the standard rear bumper.
Inside, Terry sourced Recaro Pole Position seats that were originally intended for a Subaru. Surprisingly, the Recaro’s color matches the stock interior to a tee. The trunk houses all the air goodies in a well-designed enclosure, while there’s also a full stereo system added, again things you wouldn’t expect to see inside an F430 and things we’re sure you can appreciate much like the TE37s.

Gallery