500 hp 348- Forza

Did you guys happen to see the write up in Forza magazine on the twin-turbo 348 producing over 500 hp? Nice article and story behind it.

Brian

 

There is a twin-turbo 360 featured in the most recent Forza (#84, April 2008), but I don't remember an article about a twin-turbo 348. The modified 360 gives about 538 horses at the rear wheels.

 

I don't have it next to me... but is for sure a 348 modified to match what the owner saw some 20 years ago at Ferrari. Apparently he saw an illustration of a prototype 348 GTO and mimicked its design.

Brian

 

I'd like to read that! Let us know when you find out where you saw it.

Brian, when's that nice day coming?

 

The 360 TT was in last months Forza and that car is for sale right now--- This month's Forza has the 348 TT---Awesome car... Jeff--your mail must come slow out in the North West

 

I remember seeing the 348TT on fchat - the owner is a member here

 

Isn't that a Norwood car?

 

Seems to have cycled through Norwood x2...

 

...and it can be yours! http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/car/609244576.html

 

It's interesting that three cars are reviewed by this mags and then happen to be on sale shortly after.

- Dino's 348
- Hubert's 360
- This 348

Heck, if you ever see my car on Forza, please bid on it.

 

Okay Jeff, maybe you found it in the mail today but it's May's #85 editon. Robert Taylor is the owner and, some say he's on these forums, he has quite a history and depth in F-cars. Even though it's not a true thoroughbred, I enjoy the development of the project and the detail he goes into his history with it.

Sunny days... they seem to be hit and miss these days. Spring is just around the corner and i'm sure we'll see a couple of those sucker days. :O)

Brian

 

The 348 TT really looks nice without the side louvers.
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I knew when I looked at that 348 in forza the front wind canards were on the wrong sides. On the Forza 348 the alloy strip is actually pushing the air away from the horizontal surface. The alloy strips ultimate purpose is to keep the air from falling off the edge of the horizontal surface. FWIW the ricers use these and here are some pics with them installed the right way.
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They remind me of disposable razors, the twin blade kind!

 

Yeah, the Gillette Mach Ricer fins boost the horse power and allow it reach the claimed 800hp.
Although that cars is incredible with just 500hp, I am skeptical of it ability to produce 800hp.

 

Not to offend the owner, but for 140g's I think I would buy a brand new 997 turbo.

 

Roy's got a TT360 Modena available, and it's a Beauty!

http://www.catsexotics.com/used_vehicle_details.htm?vehicleId=28596dfb4046387400ea5d8716f94b14

 

OK, I picked up Forza #85 at the news stand and read the article. I'm a bit confused....

"First up was the removal of the side strakes, which turned out to be no small task....I think we spent 50 or 60 hours on each side. I wanted to make it look like they were never there." Well, excuse me, but what you have there simply looks like a 348 that has had the side strakes removed (10-15 minute job) and the hole in the door panel filled in. Hardly a styling "coup". 50 or 60 hours per side???? Come on. If you wanted it to look like the strakes were never there, why did you leave the mounting screws in plain sight?

OK, but this is no ordinary 348 - it's a twin turbo, it's got 500 HP! What's it like to drive, what are the performance numbers? Uhhhh, you'll have to use your imagination, I guess. We aren't saying. Total cop out.

 

The car and the article are lame in my opinion. Nothing more than a Norwood turbo job, with the side strakes cut out, an after market wing bolted to the back, and canards put on backwards. I'm gonna have to call BS on this one. To me it seems like a made up story to try and pump up the sale price of the car. Plus the dude was on here last year talking about the thing before it came out in the mag. Didn't believe the story then, and don't believe it now.

 

I rarely comment on forums when the subject of discussion is a story that I wrote and photographed, simply because people can tend to make uninformed comments:

"The car and the article are lame in my opinion. Nothing more than a Norwood turbo job, with the side strakes cut out, an after market wing bolted to the back, and canards put on backwards. I'm gonna have to call BS on this one. To me it seems like a made up story to try and pump up the sale price of the car. Plus the dude was on here last year talking about the thing before it came out in the mag. Didn't believe the story then, and don't believe it now."

Obviously not everyone has to like a particular story, but to imply that the story is made up to "pump up the sale price" is an outrageous claim. As someone who covers a lot of cars, it is an unfortunate reality that owners often decide to sell their cars after a story comes out. As a journalist and photographer, I have no control over this, but if the owner of a car says its going on sale immediately after the story comes out, I don't cover the car. The magazines I write for have absolutely nothing to do with cars that were featured and then coincidentally come up for sale.
As far as the owner talking about it before the story came out, that is normal. I shot his car in San Francisco last November after he drove it down from Oregon. By the way the owner is one of the coolest, most enthusiast Ferrari guys around. Whether you think his car is lame or not, there is no denying his enthusiasm for Ferraris.
I have never been and never will be involved in a "made up" story." I take pride in my integrity as a journalist. In regards to the side strakes, its self evident that much of the writing that goes into these stories is based on interviews with the owner, thus the quotes around the statement on how long he remembers it taking to remove the strakes.
As far as driving it, some owners are more than happy to hand over the keys to their cars, such as Hubert Tsai and his TT Modena, as well as many members of Ferrari Chat (Corbani and his Dino, etc) who have let me drive their cars. Others are more reticent. In this case, the story behind the car was very interesting anyway.