Steel widebody 308?

Hey guys. I know this car has been discussed before, but I never saw a definitive answer. I own this car now, and I really want to figure out the history behind it. I am hoping that you are willing to spare a few minutes to hopefully share your opinion.

The car is a 1984 308 QV Euro spec that appears on the surface to have a Ferrari 288 “style” body kit on it. The part that is strange is that the previous owner claims this is a factory produced widebody, but has no documentation on it. The quarter panels are steel, and not fiberglass, and they do appear to be factory installed. If someone did it aftermarket it is an unbelievable job.

I have all of the history back to the second owner, but nothing from the first owner. The second owner claims this is exactly what the car looked like when he got it, with 2 exceptions.
1. The car had been painted black,
2. It had standard 308 mirrors on it..
3. He added the GTO badging.

He had the car completely stripped and painted back to red (which appears to be the original color.) and he claims the steel quarter panels appeared to be factory installed.

The VIN on the car is ZFFLA13B000048651.

Does anyone know of any other steel widebody cars?

Are there any shops that we’re doing steel widebody cars in the 80s?

Does this car look familiar to anyone that may have more history on it?

Do you have any other suggestions on avenues for research?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. I am running out of people to ask.
Thanks
-Toby
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Yes, it does.

 

Thanks. I have sent emails to every GTO builder I can find, and they all are fiberglass. I can’t find anyone that does steel or has ever done steel. It’s very strange. I really want to know the story.

 

I do have a receipt in the history for the marker light swap. I believe I have the original ones in a box of parts I got with the car.

the car was completely disassembled and reassembled to paint it back red, which could be where the tail lights were swapped. To be honest, I hadn’t even noticed that until you said it. That repaint was done by Norwood I believe. According to the previous owner, after stripping the body Norwood said that they believed this was a factory widebody. I wish I could get someone from Norwood that could remember and confirm that.

this car was built near the same time as the design and build of the GTO in 1983. I am sure they were building and testing various body panels. I think it is very remotely possible that they released some cars that they had tested panels on. When you only build 1000 cars per year you don’t just throw away cars. I know it is an extreme long shot, but not impossible. Who knows.

 

Not exactly...
Standard "euro" QVs all have body color vents; only the US version had black vents; so, for an "euro" car, THAT is normal.
What is NOT normal for an "euro QV" is the engine hood with the five extra air extracting slot behind the plenum, running from side to side; euro cars only have two rows of parallel vents, one each side, separated by the plenum all the way. So the engine hood comes from an US model, not an euro, and is a later addition; the US-type Hood had extra vents y versus the euro one to help the dissipation of additional heat generated by the catalysator (euro QVs do not have cats).
Perhaps this car had emission devices (catalysator, etc...) added when it entered the US?

As for been factory made, well; after fifteen years of interest in thèses cars, my own Policy, now carved in stone, is that UNLESS there is a signed PROOF that it has been done by the factory (order sheet specifying the mod from the customer ordering the car, aknowledged by the factory, etc...or a later answer from the factory to a request from an owner saying "yes we did it") it is NOT factory-made.

At the time these cars were built, the factory did not offer any other option than those listed in the catalogue. Contrary to what some say, the factory almost never accepted any special order, this was just not available on these cars. There are one or two known examples of "special orders" usually limited to a special color, nothing more.
And some development cars, such as the factory-ade 328 cabriolet, or the first 328 GTB which has a different interior, but those cars are documented and aknowledged by the factory.

Furthermore, most european countries have very strict laws regarding what can be modified on a car: in France for instance, whatever you change from the standard configuration submitted to the road-certification department makes the road-certification invalid and the car non-registrable and non-insurable.
The U.K accept some deviations, but U.K cars have the steering wheel on the other side. Germany also accepts some mods.

So many people with "Something" modified on their car will tell you "this is a factory special-option, etc..." and every time they question the factory, the answer is always the same: "we did not do this, there were no option available on these car, and we didn't take special orders".
So, sorry for being blunt, but my policy is: "Written proof from the factory, or it didn't happen".

I know of only ONE "wide-track and enlarged fenders" QVs, but it is a GTB, which is here in France: its history is clear, it is a former tyre-test car of Michelin for their track at Ladoux. And if my memory serves me well, the mods were not factory-made (I have its chassis # somewhere in my archives).

Rgds[/QUOTE]

Thanks. Very helpful. I completely agree with you. I am 99% sure someone modified this car at some point. I would just like to find the information on who and when so that I can further document the car. I also love a good mystery.

 

Thanks
I would love to know who owns this if anyone knows.

 

for what it’s worth, the HREs do not fit right. The rear wheels stick out about an inc or so too far. Overall they do look sweet though.

 

I don’t. It’s hard to get in there to get a good picture. I will see if I can get something this weekend though.

 

there is no way to get any pics with it painted and assembled. I did go over the whole car though, and the car is all steel except the chin spoiler. Fenders, hood, quarters, sail panels, tail panel are all steel. Even the vent grills on the front are all steel. Every 288 kit I have seen is all fiberglass. I have no idea how someone would have done this in all steel. It would have been insanely expensive to have it done as a modification.

 

That car looks awesome. It’s not the price of the steel that will get you, it’s the price of the labor! I don’t have those skills.

 

I would really love to see any notes you have if there is any chance you can find them. I am still trying to find the shop that did the modifications on this car.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

-Toby