WARHORSE
This 328 has known only racing for most of its life. It’s entirely
fitting that the old battler has just been given a thorough
restoration and new livery, ready to carry on competing
Story & images by Richard Dredge
I
t's a well-known ‘fact’ that classic Ferraris have the
durability of rice paper. Just ask any bloke down the
pub and he’ll confirm that engines are fragile,
bodyshells rust and the running gear wears out in
no time at all. Except it's not like that, as Chris
Butler has found out over the past decade, with a pair
of 328 GTB race cars. One of which is not just any 328;
Chris reckons that the car featured here is one of the
most heavily campaigned Prancing Horses anywhere in
the world, because it's been raced consistently over
the past three decades, with plenty of success.
We caught up with Chris at a recent Silverstone test
day, where he was ensuring his 328 was ready for the
forthcoming season in the Pirelli Ferrari formula classic
(see separate panel). But this wasn't just any
shakedown day; Chris was being reunited with histrusty 328 after a thorough going-over by the chaps at
renowned Ferrari specialist, Barkaways. Founded and
run by Ian Barkaway, it's a company that's best known
for its exacting concours restorations, so overhauling
Chris's racing car was something of a departure.
Says Chris: “I've been an active member of the Ferrari
Owners' Club (FOC) for almost two decades, and a
long-time FOC circuit racer. During that time I've got to
know Ian pretty well. Last year at a club gathering, I
was teasing Ian about his love of meticulously
preparing static show pieces – when what he should
be doing is the same thing with race cars. I've enjoyed
a fair degree of success with my car and it's well
known because its history within the club goes back
so far. Ian decided that maybe it was time to add
another string to his bow”.