
The "rally racer and ultimate DIY enthusiast" made news in March when he took on $100,000+ competition in an old 318i during Rally Mexico. While at SEMA, Bill will be converting a 1989 BMW 3-Series coupe [E30] into an off-road Baja blaster in order to compete in the SCORE Baja 1000's Sportsman class (starting November 17th). Now that's hardcore.
Here's a breakdown of Bill's SEMA welding schedule prior to tackling the rally: roll cage on day 1, front cage/suspension on day 2, rear cage/suspension on day 3, and "accessories" on day 4. Day 4's work will include finishing the main cage and crafting other Baja racing necessities such as a front brush guard, fuel cell, light bar, and more.
Miller Electric Mfg. Co.'s marketing VP Tim Swanson says, "Bill's passion for racing combined with his desire to create fits nicely with our vision...Rally and Baja racing requires a diverse skill set, from detailed fabrication and welding to high-speed driving. We're looking forward to watching Bill build and race the Miller car."
If you're interested, definitely follow the live updates on Bill's build during SEMA (which can be found at the link below).
By Phil Alex
About Bill Caswell (from Miller Electric Mfg. Co.):
Formerly a finance banker from Chicago, Caswell left his job in 2009 to focus on rally racing, competing in several races in the U.S. in cars that he built, modified and fabricated himself. Caswell made a name for himself in March of this year by placing third in the Rally America class of Rally Mexico, an FIA-sanctioned event run concurrently with World Rally Championship in Corona, Mexico.
Link: Miller
_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________
_______________________________VIDEO_______________________________
The company said it plans to make its racing comeback to the series with the M3 model as the firm's basic DTM vehicle.
Dr Klaus Draeger, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG with responsibility for development, says: "The return of BMW to the DTM is a fundamental part of the restructuring of our motorsport activities. With its increased commitment to production car racing, BMW is returning to its roots. The race track is the perfect place to demonstrate the impressive sporting characteristics of our vehicles against our core competitors in a high-powered environment. The DTM is the ideal stage on which to do this."
BMW has won the touring car series twice in the past with Eric van de Poele (BE) and Roberto Ravaglia (IT) who celebrated two DTM titles with the original E30 M3 back in 1987 and 1989, while before that, Volker Strycek (DE) won the DTM premiere in 1984 in the 635 CSi.
_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________
The car's interior has also been enhanced with numerous parts such as an Alcantara sports steering wheel, carbon fiber trim, M gear knob and aluminum pedals. It remains unknown if the dealer made any performance upgrades. Check out the pictures below and tell us what you think.
Via: 1addicts
_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________