Big-block Ferrari sets world speed record

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.

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