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The Pub For General Automotive Related Talk |
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#1 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Central Q..10kms west of Rocky...
Posts: 8,307
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Big-block Ferrari sets world speed record
Words - Gautam Sharma Chevy power propels specially prepared Ferrari 288 GTO to a world record at the Bonneville Salt Flats The very notion may seem sacrilegious to any Ferrari purist -- plucking the twin-turbo 2.8-litre V8 from the iconic 288 GTO and usurping it with a 540-cubic-inch (8.8-litre) big-block Chevy. Yet this is exactly what Washington Ferrari collector and retired investment banker Steve Trafton, 64, did to set a land speed record for the 'AA/Blown Fuel Modified Sport' category at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah earlier this month (watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_622rP7bqI). The radical engine transplant and various other tweaks enabled Trafton to clock up a two-run average speed of 443.12km/h in the 1985 288 GTO. In the process, he eclipsed by more than 5km/h the previous record set in 2008 by a highly modified Berkeley (a specialist British sports car from the 1950s). However, comparing the two record-breaking cars is a bit like equating apples to oranges, according to Trafton, who was quoted by the Seattle Post Intelligencer as saying: "That (the Berkeley) was a streamlined, aerodynamically engineered car." "Ours is stock body. It not only holds the world speed record for its class, it's the world's fastest Ferrari and the world's fastest sports car," he said. Cars built to qualify for the AA/Blown Fuel Modified Sport class need to be equipped with modified engines of 500 cubic inches or greater. In the case of Trafton's Ferrari, the 8.8-litre GM donk is fed by a pair of 80mm Borg Warner turbos huffing about 17psi -- and this combo is allegedly good for an output in the 2000-2500 horsepower (1490-1865kW) range. The bespoke GTO was built by a US-based Ferrari workshop known as 'P4 by Norwood', which has since been promoting the car as a showcase of its expertise with prancing horse-badged products. Visually, Trafton's Ferrari stays faithfully true to the original, although there's the obvious rear wing, blocked out front grille and special rubber used for the world-record attempt. Die-hard Ferraristi may not like it, but we're prepared to extend a hat tip to Trafton and P4 by Norwood for chalking up the record in the delicious-sounding GTO. Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
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CSGhia |
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#2 | ||
Watts a panhard.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 929
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Fantastic machine, nothing like the sound of a twin-turbo cross plane V8.
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I don't have low self-esteem. I have low esteem for everyone else. |
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#3 | ||
Lucky, lucky bastard!
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Sydney, NSW
Posts: 1,321
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Wow that was fast! The in car footage was awesome! 444km/h!!!!!!
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2015 Mondeo Trend 2.0T Diesel, Deep Impact Blue 2012 FPV GT-P 6spd Auto, Lightning Strike |
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#4 | ||
re
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Victoria - where being slow & incompetent is considered being "safe"
Posts: 1,323
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I was reading this at the start and was thinking that Bob Norwood would be involved somehow. Nice to know that he is.
I thought that the car started out as a "normal" 308/328 and was then cut up a bit to match the longer wheelbase 288 GTO panels?
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Scuderia Rev: Otto the tow pig - 2007 3.0 litre Coupé, vernünftig schnelle aber kein peilstab, Bathurst 2007 und 2010 zwölf Stunde Gewinner Jaffa the angry ant - mid 70's Honda 市民の, 73 と立方インチ LSD Elle "the body" shell - early 70's Datsun フェアレディ coupe. いい体は彼女の内側、内側と土台を待つ |
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