Horrible Experience with Norwood Autocraft! Beware of Bob Norwood

That's two different 308's.

This is the one being sold:

http://bobnorwood.com/Ferrari%203%20Liter%20power%20on%20the%20salt.html

It currently has a Ferrari 308 QV motor destroked to 2.0 for a specific Bonneville class. The car was ready to go there two (or three?) years ago but the event was rained out. There was a plan to take a 3.0 motor as well and swap engines while there to set records in the 2.0 and 3.0 classes. I ended up buying the 3.0 parts for my own 308.

The big block car had a 288 style body on it, including the correct 288 wheelbase. It's not Bob's, I forget the owner, but I think it's currently in a museum in Utah. The safety rules changed the year after it set a record, so its record can never be broken.

 

Old article on the big block 308/288

http://bobnorwood.com/Terminal_Velocity_Norwood_8_2-Liter_Power_on_the_Salt.html

And a short you tube video of its last visit to the salt.

 

Yes, Bob and his guys suck at internet marketing. LOL.

There is more detail to the 308 being sold. Sometime around 2006 Bob had a garage fire. The car burned pretty badly. Insurance paid to save it and Stuart's (very high end body shop in Dallas) took on the body repair. The car was on display in its burned form at the 2007 Italian Car Festival in Grapevine, TX. The plan was to bring it back the next year and display it again in it's finished condition. But the ICF was cancelled for a couple years. Anyway, the car is beautiful now and has never been back to the salt.

It would be amazing to put a 3.5 crankshaft in it, retune the 400hp motor for the street.....oh and add headlights.

Aaron

 

My friend Will just posted photos on Facebook from 2007.


Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Please could you tell us more.

 

Again?

 

Just saw this loooong chat topic and I think that everything has been beat to death exhaustively...

That being said, allow me to chime in... I'll try to be brief:

- Glaswegian's do NOT come from Edinburgh (I'm a Glaswegian and I KNOW... Also, the 'wee man' is far more dangerous than the 'big yin', I'm the latter)
- I have known Bob N. personally and professionally since when he was located close to Javier's (Park Cities) and trusted he and James P. for over 20 years with my turbo-charged 308 QV (shipped it to Germany five years ago and it is still running strong, just wish I still had access to Bob and James)
- Bob has always been a straight shooter and honest in every dealing I have had with him. Additionally, he has saved me thousands over the regular Ferrari dealership (I can provide objective evidence of this if anyone is interested). I know the amount of hours/work he put into my 308, the cost of parts, etc. and from my experiences over two decades, he is NOT a rip-off artist.
- Bob hot rods cars... This is not a regular car dealership and recall that James even differentiated this by stating that he (James) does not engage in hot rodding (i.e., as Bob did and still likely does, but what James has moved away from these days).
- Hot rodding Ferraris is not exactly common in the industry and there is a lot of NRE along with extended labor hours, unforeseen problems, etc. Bob was very clear on this in everything he did with my car (and I assume others') via verbal, as opposed to written communication; a very 'must be there in person' relationship and I spent hours with him and around his shop. The expectations are very different in terms of timelines, cost, and deliverables. We are talking a man that hot rodded a 512TR to 1175BHP on a rolling dyno (I saw the printout and had a ride in the 'fear-limited' car)...
- As such, I can fully understand why Bob wanted a prospective buyer to physically inspect the car in question: Look at the pictures guys... This is something that must be physically inspected.
- This is not your typical Ferrari Dealership (remember the bit about "He hot rods cars"?): I can understand Bob seeing time spent 'working a sale' as being time wasted. Unless things have changed dramatically, we are talking a guy that lives in his shop and he'd see it as time taken away from working on a car. Further to this, I don't see him spending time reading Blogs (OK, maybe he should).
- The other gentleman (ahem) representing him may not be the best source of input and Bob may be too busy/absorbed working other projects to police this. The business model/income stream is not your typical dealership crawling with lot lizards (did I mention the bit about Bob hot rodding cars?).
- I can't see Bob reneging on anything, so this part doesn't make sense (a disconnect in the story/comms/arrangement between Bob and his er, 'gentleman assistant'?).
- I can see a "no show" offering $40K less than what was originally thought to have been agreed because of 'the wrong rims' as being perceived as playing games by a man that does not suffer fools gladly (OK, no wise cracks about the other er, 'gentleman assistant'...).

Sorry to be long-winded, but wanted to add perspective from actual face-to-face experience over two decades with the man. He has my respect, but remember that you are dealing with an artist...

Oh, almost forgot, did I mention that Bob hot rods Ferraris?