Cool, somebody's got to be first!
I like you're powertrain idea- but I worry you're going to be a bit surprised by the size of the 7. In 1/24, the cockpit is only 1.5" wide. Subtract 0.3" for the width of the transmission tunnel, and each seat can only be 0.6" wide. A typical Recaro is 0.8" wide (is usually put in a space 1.0" wide), and is 0.6" if you cut off all of the side bolsters.
Is that the gearbox attatched to the differential, instead of the back of the engine? Again this will present a bit of a challenge, as the transmission tunnel is only 0.3" wide (0.2 on the inside)- if you make it wider, your seat space will quickly disapear. There's a bit more room if the transmission is on the engine.
I'm totally not trying to be discouraging, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with this one. The V8 would look awesome in the engine bay (who care's about a lid if you have a V8 to show off?), but I think you may be in for some plastic surgery.
