The things that you find on the wilderness that is the internet. I found these pictures while looking for info for a Drag Racing History article for the blog. Some of the photos aren't of the greatest quality and there is absolutely curse word all information attached; I'm guessing by the number plate it's in Sweden. But boy, does it look cool; like something that might have been featured in an issue of Chrome & Flames circa early 90's. Well, lets put the clues together and see if we can see what makes this 2002 tick.
Well first off that roof chop; at a guess it must be two inches lower, with the front and rears screens laid back to suit. Then there's that Zender body kit, reminiscent of the X-pack kit that graced many a MKII Escort in the 80's. If the rear lights are leaving you a little perplexed as to their origin, they're from an early BMW E21. The lights were easy, but the wheels are foxing me; they look like 8x13" cross-spokes, but the make eludes me, but the tread on those fat tyres is unmistakably BF Goodrich Radial T/A.
That engine sure looks like it's built to boogie; a BMW M30 straight-six, with triple Webers and a tubular exhaust manifold; no doubt it hustles this child of the New Class along at an indecent rate of knots. The rear end must have surely been uprated to match, as a standard '02 diff would never be able to take the abuse that engine could throw at it; maybe the small case differential followed the rear lights from the E21?
The centre console in that interior sure did; I'd recognise it anywhere. Hard not to really, given that I could probably recite E21 part numbers from memory having owned quite a few of the first 3er. Those seats have been pirated from a CSL coupé however, and very nice they look too. The eagle-eyed among you might be wondering what on earth those pipes are on the passenger side; well they're water pipes as they lead to the boot, where the radiator, battery and practically anything that didn't fit into the engine bay live, seeing as that mighty M30 has claimed dibs on most of the under-bonnet real estate. I sure hope the owner doesn't get any leaks or overheating issues, as anti-freeze would probably be a tad irksome to remove from one's Hush Puppies. A discreet cage rounds off the interior fixtures.
No doubt it's not to everyone's tastes, but I'm loving it here.
- Amazosan
