Bob Norwood’s 288 GTO rebody

In 1985 Bob Norwood was certifying Ferrari 288 GTOs for US customers. New cars purchased in Maranello were adapted for use in the US. During this process Bob recognized the 288 GTO to be a stretched 308 with wider fenders and an inline engine layout. The doors directly interchanged with a 308! In the mid 80’s there were many salvalged 308’s that could provide the main chassis on which to construct a 288.

The first of such 288 GTO rebodies Bob Norwood built is the car pictured above. The car was powered by a 1984 Can Am series engine and subsequently served as Bob’s daily driver. Sport Car Illustrated featured his car in 1988 before it ran 199.997mph at Bonneville, briefly holding the class C record. In 1990 the car was refit with a 512 Big Block Chevrolet engine with twin turbos.

It was purchased by Dr. Bill Gorden who ran the car in many Bonneville events garnering several more records over the years. Tom Stephens drove this car during the 2000 Speed Week winning a class AA/BMS record of 245.913mph. In 2007, under the directed enthusiasm of a new owner, Tom Stephens again drove the car to an unofficial speed of 292 mph. The engine was upgraded to a 540 engine and subsequently netted runs at 256mph @ 9psi boost,265mph @ 11psi and finally a 277mph @ 17psi. We are most proud of its new AA/BFMS record of 275.4mph.

Over the years Bob has transformed several 308s into unique 288 GTOs. If you would like to know more about Bob Norwood and his 288 GTO Rebody please visit his site at http://www.bobnorwood.com