13 May 2014

Wheels Day Week: Pro Street E21

Words & pictures: Amazosan


As a BMW E21 fan, I've been watching the buildup of this car on the E21.net forum with great interest; and after seeing the finished car up close, it was well worth the wait.
Don't think that this is just a car built for looks; it hides some serious intent. The engine is a 355ci small-block Chevy lump, backed up by a TH350 transmission; I'm not sure of the spec, but it sure looks built to boogie. The bulkhead was bashed back 8 inches to fit the mighty Mouse in the engine bay, and knowing an E21 bulkhead intimately (there's one hanging on my wall in storage), that is a big difference to standard.
It's 'back-halved' (i.e. the whole rear of the car has a scratch-built chassis), with a new rear floor to accommodate a widened transmission tunnel and boot-mounted fuel cell, with the roll cage tying into the front strut towers. Front struts themselves appear to be 323i items (larger diameter dampers than 316 items) while the rear end is a 9 inch Ford item, narrowed er, nine inches to 38 inches wide, with a Detroit locker differential and Strange halfshafts; its mounted on coilovers with custom-built ladder bars.
And I bet that it will fly down the 1/4 mile like a small Bavarian car with it's arse on fire.

- Amazosan



The car in the buildup stages:


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