ET Garage - Project Cars - Eurotuner Magazine

Hammer Rabbit V8
Bill Hammer is back this month with some interesting updates. Last time, he mentioned he would build a new frame section for the suspension. "That plan's now changed, but only slightly," he said. "The new plan is to build an entire chassis, then attach the body to it!"

Factors that led to this drastic decision included: how low he planned to run the car, the tire size and the front suspension setup. "I couldn't get the geometry I wanted in the front framework," he explained. "Since I was going to have frame rails front and back, and the majority of the floor would be tubular, I figured I might as well build a chassis and bolt the body to it later."

In the meantime, Bill's continuing to remove the front framework and firewall in order to acquire accurate measurements of the chassis. He also revamped his initial plans for the rear by making a rear frame to hold the suspension components, instead of using a stock Miata subframe as previously envisioned.

As you can see, Bill isn't cutting corners in his efforts to build his Rabbit V8; he's expending a great deal of brain power trying to come up with the best solution to resolve the various problems that present themselves. Don't be surprised if it's all change again next month, though!

Briere Corrado
We missed last month's update on Allen Briere's Corrado 1.8T AWD project, but he's back to give us another progress report.

"It feels like not much has been done," he explained, "but the bodywork and paint took longer than expected. I'm not a body man or a painter by any means, so the painting was done with my basic knowledge in my home garage. However, I must say I'm pleased with the outcome."

Once the wider fenders and paint were complete, Allen installed new camber plates from Euro Sport. Following that, he began refitting the motor in preparation for this summer's autocross season. "I've started wiring the Autronics SM4 and am hoping to have the car at Waterfest in FWD mode for the autocross event."

You might want to check it out at the show, and although the car won't be complete, Allen feels it's important to have the car ready so people can see its progress. "I now have a difficult decision to make about tire and rim choice," he continued. "But as for right now, I'm pushing to get it to a dyno. My main focus is to get the car running, and to ensure it's tuned to the projected 273whp."

Studie BMW
In et 5/07, we previewed one of these BMW Z4 M Coupes being built by Japanese tuner Studie. Well, finally the workshop has completed the task and, to our surprise, there are two spectacular M Coupes, fully-prepped for the track. Both use genuine BMW Motorsport widebody kits, which were manufactured in dry carbon. They also share unique damper systems, designed to push the bodyshell back into shape during intense cornering. Matched with BBS wheels and a sticky set of tires, these Coupes should embarrass the latest JDMs on the track. They join the widebody 130i from et 5/07 in the Studie garage.

Mora 840ci
We haven't looked at Fern Mora's widebody BMW coupe for a few months, but he recently updated us on the paintwork that was carried out at StangWerks.

He's happy with the three-stage Lamborghini Monterey blue paint job. Painter Humberto Mejia applied two coats of black to create an even surface. This was followed with three coats of heavy metallic basecoat in lavender. Then it received four coats of Monterey blue, and was finished with two coats of high gloss clear lacquer. We tried to tell him that was four stages, but he wasn't having it. We also reckon he'll need more engine work to drag all that paint around!

The next task is fitting JBT's big brake kit. To do this, Street Image in Baldwin Park, CA had to measure the car. Since there are no brake kits for the 840ci, special centers will have to be machined for this application.

Groma 340i
This '91 BMW 325i didn't start out as much, but Groma Race Fabrications in Irwindale, CA is prepping it for massive power. The six-cylinder factory motor and transmission were ditched for a 4.0 V8 and six-speed manual from a '98 540i. Behind the front bumper lies an enormous front-mount intercooler, which was installed along with a Rotrex supercharger to give the little E30 even more grunt. Groma also fabricated custom piping, a crank pulley and an exhaust system for the car. Inside is a 12-point TIG-welded rollcage, while the trunk houses a fuel cell with custom push-rod suspension.