I’ve always found the original BMW M Coupe to be an oddly attractive car. Shooting brake designs are nothing new, but I’ll be damned if BMW’s doesn’t look completely unique.
The only way to make what many deem the automotive equivalent of a clown shoe stand out even more is to add a big-ass wing to it and paint it bright orange.
He also gutted the interior; had a cage fitted; and added a carbon fiber hood, roof and bumper/splitter. The seller states the “front control arms are from SLR. All bushings have been replaced with either heim joints or 75d hard poly.”
As cool as all of that is, I know you really came here for the V8. Just keep reading…
The current owner swapped out the original I6 for an LS2. That has a “cam, headers, hi[-]flow ceramic cats and custom exhaust installed by Rogue Engineering.”
This beefed-up Bimmer now makes 425 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque at the rear wheels. ‘Murica!
This German/American hybrid currently has no bidders. You can buy this little track toy outright for $45,000. If you happen to purchase it, something tells me race spectators will be able to tell which car is yours.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
