BMW Rat Rod...love it or hate it

[DartorDemon]

I love E28s and E30s, but that thing looks like ass.



And even more so with the damn stretched tires.

[Ash]

Great Post Tony. What an awesome build. I can see how it's style is laughable to some, but there's no denying the commitment to vision this guy had. I could definitely see that as a "BMW Art Car". It has'nt won any world renowned races, or been painted by a famous artists, but was built by a true enthusiast, and shows that you don't have to run with the herd.

[monza]

Some great photography, hated the car from the start, horrified at the end.

[Mr. Anderson]

What vision? He changed his mind a hundred times through the build.

[ill steez]

I'm not in love with the most recent iteration, but I liked it a lot with the P51 graphics.

I bet the next stage in that thing's life will be a convertible.

[mc84_zz4]

Before they hacked the roof it was cool, then the lowering and wheels got out of hand, it probably rode like crap too.
I agree on the P-51 grahics, those were cool! :

[SicMonte]

I kinda like it....

[DreamSpeedPerf.]

I loved it..that's just me, I like things that are different...well this is coming from the kid that wants to make a drift monster out of a jeep....

[ace_xp2]

I wish doing front glass like that was legal, I'd have a Lexan window in a heartbeat.
If this car was that low with better rear camber and no "poke", I'd love it.

[PhillipM]

I was with it all the way till the roof hack. They should have just cutt the roof off.

[Steve68]

I liked it! I'm a E28/30 fan, I own a 61K all orig. 88 M3,

I liked everything, till the roof chop and the import motor, but, I'd take it with the import motor, bet ya it scoots!

[twosaturns]

he's just a hack stealing other ideas. the roof chop looks SO out of proportion, I absolutely HATE that fcukin 'hellaflush' look w/ all that camber, WTF the point???
the hot rod vette hack article makes more sense than this...

[zuess4u]

Great Post Tony. What an awesome build. I can see how it's style is laughable to some, but there's no denying the commitment to vision this guy had. I could definitely see that as a "BMW Art Car". It has'nt won any world renowned races, or been painted by a famous artists, but was built by a true enthusiast, and shows that you don't have to run with the herd.

Ditto, enjoyed the pics, the off the wall vision and SOME ideas..hard to imagine you can get someone to help you do such things...lol

[Ash]

Would I have done all that to a car, hell no....I would have probably stopped when it still had a black hood, but you don't have to adopt something to appreciate it. I may be wrong, but the Hellaflush style (stateside) started with the VW crowd (the reason BBS RS's are so sky high), then the VIP, and now embraced by the import scene as a whole...main focus being stance, height, and width. Just because he took a single car through several complete incarnations in a relatively short amount of time, and built upon each one, doesn't make it incoherent. It takes most of us years to get one vision of our car done...he finished his three or four times. This dude took a BMW and built a hellaflush-gasser, except stance and appearance took the place of all out quarter-mile performance. Aren't we all just hacks stealing ideas from each-other, look at where PT cars are today and look back 6 or so years at other car cultures. People bashed on Carbon Fiber when they were on Imports, but now incessantly request a certain sponsor make a mold for theirs, bashed on bagged trucks but now save for the same suspension, and wheels...... ehh,the examples could go on forever. Progression is cannibalistic.

[claytonisbob]

I hated the early stages of this car (the yellow rust), and I thought the chopped top was kinda lame, but I will say the car looked pretty cool as above. IDK about the KC lights, but the rusty bomber look is cool.

I would NOT however call this car at any point a Rat Rod. It's just a rusty bimmer.

[fantasygoat]

I loved it. It was essentially worthless, so it's not like they were cutting up some treasured classic. Can't say I care for the extreme camber issues on the wheels but the look was great. I enjoyed the creativity involved.

I mean, you can only look at so many red classics with TTIIs on them before you need a break.

[Mathius]

how is that a rat rod?
it doesn't have a flat head under the hood- it has a hood, which is also breaks a few rat rod rules, i think- or a really long shifter with a skull on the end..
it also looks safe to drive down the road..

There are no rules to rat rodding, except this.... Rat rodding doesn't happen deliberately. This isn't a rat rod. This is a poser. You can't make a new car into a rat rod. That's what these idiots don't get, especially people like that moron Joe Elmore on power block. Rat rodding isn't about planning something or going out and getting a street sign and cutting out part of your hood and welding it in. You don't MAKE a rat rod. It's about buying an old heap and getting it on the road as cheaply as possible and working on the car as you go, without being afraid of achieving some type of acceptance or norm. Its a constant transition. Taking a car and using a rusting solution on it is fine if that's your thing, but don't call it a rat rod because it's not.

Mathius

[Bryce]

Did anyone see the BWM that Byrd is building on Two Guys Garage on speed? M3 with a ls and a t56

[LV42DAY]

this is what happens when you have parents that give you a rediculous allowance from an early age. you get older and have no respect for cash, then waste it on stupid sh*t like this. what i find even more interesting is that it was in several magazines, lol. i guess it is a conversation starter to say the least. conversation that usually would start off with "look at that hunk of crap"

[LV42DAY]

Did anyone see the BWM that Byrd is building on Two Guys Garage on speed? M3 with a ls and a t56

its been done. nothing new there.