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Tired of slaying dragons, this racer switched to a BMW | #TBT
By Marjorie Suddard Nov 28, 2024 | BMW, BMW 2002 | Posted in Features | Never miss an article Photography Credit: R Harrington Anyone who's ever sat through a course in English literature has probably encountered the epic poem of Beowulf, which is about a man who slays a terrible dragon named Grendel.
The most versatile race car is a Mack truck?
By J.A. Ackley Jan 12, 2025 | Mack Trucks, Mack, Mackvader | Posted in Features | Never miss an article Photography by J.A. Ackley What’s one of the most versatile vehicles ever made? A Mack truck. It didn’t make your list, right? At the helm of the 13,000-pound Mackvader, Mike Morgan has entered his 1998 Mack CH in several forms of motorsports: road racing, autocross, drag racing, oval track racing, top speed challenges and even drifting. “It’s like an old muscle car,” Mike says.
Repainting an Engine Bay in 8 Easy Steps
Sometimes you can’t just clean up the engine bay, and a repaint is the only answer. Although this sounds like a recipe for a long job involving an engine hoist and a couple of your best friends, if you work smartly and methodically you can do an engine bay repaint without pulling the drivetrain. We installed a Moss supercharger in our Triumph TR6, but before we installed it we needed to give its new home a fresh look. Here’s how we kept the job simple.
Peter Brock Column: Without Bill Mitchell, the Chevrolet C2 Corvette May Never Have Happened
I had the rare opportunity as a young designer to work at GM Styling in the mid ’50s. I wasn’t aware at the time just how crucial that era would be in terms of the future of the American automobile industry and Chevrolet in particular, but time has a way of clarifying history that’s impossible to ascertain at the moment it’s happening.
Faster autocross times? There's a driving school for that.
[Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2008 issue of Grassroots Motorsports] Story by David S. Wallens and Tom Heath On the surface, autocross looks so easy. All you have to do is drive through the cones quicker than anyone else. In reality, there are so many subtle nuances that it can take years to figure out the sport’s finer points. If only there were a way to speed up the process.
A Supra-powered Plymouth Scamp
Story by Richard Truesdell Sure, there are a few examples of hotrods built in the 1930s, but it’s generally accepted that hotrodding–as we have come to define the term–dates back to the time immediately following World War II. Many returning GIs had received technical training while serving in the armed forces, and they were eager to put those skills to good use in their civilian lives. This was the catalyst for the birth of hotrodding, especially in Southern California.
Racing an old Toyota camper because why not? | Low-Buck Tech
Lemons is a place where you can race just about anything as long as it passes safety tech. The $500 budget is enforced electronically with negative laps assigned to cheaters, and there are three very arbitrary classes (and several even more arbitrary awards) that you can win with speed, lack of speed, creativity, mechanical ingenuity, or a combination of those plus infinite other variables.
Cadillac Cimarron | Mediocre then, Radwood-ready today?
Benjamin Franklin once opined that “in this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” And while he might have been right, it could be said that he missed one more certainty: lists. People love lists. Music? We have a top 40 for that. Movies? Of course. Automobiles? Yep. We enthusiasts love reading and debating lists that discuss all aspects of the automobile: best engines, cleverest wheels, grooviest colors and–the lowest of all hanging fruit–worst cars ever made.
Not a BMW, but a Buick | Low-Buck Tech
Story by Eric Rood Despite some outward appearances, the Semi-Sentient Centenarians’ Lemons car is not an E36-chassis BMW. We know, it’s tough to pry apart the classic Bavarian livery from the car, but this is actually a 1996 Buick Century–a 1996 Buick Century that regularly beats up on BMW teams.
Trading Speed For Emotion | Column
I agree that emotion always wins out. In 2006, I rescued a 1985 MR2 with 275k miles that had a rod thru the block. I built it up to be reasonably competitive in NorCal SCCA autocrosses, but I could only beat the CSP Miatas when it rained or when traction was low due to low ambient temps.
Fuel Tips: Fuels for a Post-Apocalyptic World
It’s the end of the world as we know it. No birthday party. No cheesecake. No jellybean. The big question: How on earth are you going to power your post-apocalyptic death machine? As the past hundred years have shown, gasoline makes a fine fuel for cars. “Gasoline’s energy density is pretty high,” notes Zachary J. Santner, technical specialist with Sunoco Race Fuel. In very simple terms, this means that gasoline provides a lot of energy relative to its mass.
Low-Buck Tech: Merging a ´47 Plymouth With a V6 Camaro and a Ford
Story by Eric Rood For years, 24 Hours of Lemons organizers have crowed about their desire–nay, need–for a team who has swapped engines pointlessly between two cars. The aptly named Bad Decisions Racing pulled off such a ridiculous swap and set a high bar. Their two-car swap? A 1947 Plymouth De Luxe and a 1995 Chevy Camaro. The swap started when Bad Decisions debuted the ’47 Plymouth in 2016. The Plymouth sported the original flathead six-cylinder engine and three-on-the-tree manual transmission.
When the deal is too good to be true | Column
" More and more, these news sources are biased. " I'm out late Woody (Forum Supportum) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork 12/4/20 9:14 a.m. In reply to Tim Suddard : I know it's not really the point of the column, but DeWalt makes an adapter that lets you use the new 20v batteries on your old 18v tools. $39 on Amazon. I was about to get the adapter and two battery combo for 20v to 18v tools, just then Lowes had a two 18v battery sale.
Low-Buck Tech: Beat the System, Lose the Race?
Racing is filled with people trying to Beat the System. Whether it’s Smokey Yunick or the guy from your local autocross who spends more time reading the rulebook than working on his driving, there’s always someone trying to find the secret advantage that’ll help them win. Most sanctioning bodies respond by adding page after loophole-closing page until their rulebooks crash internet servers.
13 steps to ensure you don't blow up your engine on first start-up
When ranking automotive thrills, starting an engine for the first time has to be near the top of the list. Will it start? Will it leak? Will it run well? Will it keep running? What’s that noise? Why is that so red? What’s that smell? If all goes well, the uncertainty soon bleeds away, leaving nothing less than euphoria as the realization of a job well done sets in. A thrill indeed. Unless something goes wrong.
10 must-have tools for a scratch-built car
[Editor's note: This article originally ran in the June 2010 issue of Grassroots Motorsports.] Story by Liz Miles Looking to build a car from the ground up? Finally ready to take the plunge and turn your own ideas into a four-wheeled creation? While every great car contains equal parts sweat and inspiration, you’ll also need something to help with the design, fabrication and actual assembly process.
Shooting Classic Cars with Classic Cameras
Dork 2/17/20 10:26 a.m. I was a film photographer both on land and under water for decades before digital came about but I would never go back again. The freedom that being able to shoot as much as you want to try and get exactly the right shot, without incurring pretty hefty processing bills is worth it alone. Reader 3/9/20 11:12 p.m. wspohn said: I was a film photographer both on land and under water for decades before digital came about but I would never go back again.
Saving the best for last? | Toyota MR2 Spyder buyer's guide
A light curb weight and low polar moment of inertia made it thrilling to drive despite its low … Up the Waterspout Cut to a few years later: It was 1999, and Toyota was facing a buyer demographic problem. The median age of a Toyota buyer was among the highest in the industry—older than 60—and creeping higher. Realizing the need to appeal to a younger buyer with products that were less expensive and more attractive, Toyota executives launched Project Genesis.
Benz on a Budget: Values are Only Going to Increase
This story first ran in our March 2008 issue. Some information and prices will be different. There are still bargains to be had, however. Story By Andy Reid Janis Joplin wanted a Benz, and now might be the time for you to think about one, too. Everyone seems to know that the company has made some wonderful classic sports and grand touring cars for more than a century. While many of these machines commanded a premium price when new, some of them now represent terrific values in today's market.
1984-'89 Nissan 300ZX: Buy one now? | Buyer's Guide
Photograph Courtesy Nissan [Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the June 2016 issue of Classic Motorsports.] When it comes to Z-cars, everyone wants the original 240Z. It’s viewed as the true athlete of the family thanks to its minimal mass and lightning-fast reflexes. Plus, it’s the one that made automotive history, displacing traditional European sports cars from their perch while scoring countless race wins.
Fake Out: Spotting Counterfeit Speed Parts
Story by Matt Cramer, Photography as Credited Copycat products have been a fact of life in the performance parts industry for decades. And for a long time, makers of these knockoffs ranged from above-board to sleazy yet legal. There was an ethical line in the sand that even the shady manufacturers just didn’t cross: pretending the fake parts were the genuine articles, taking advantage of a brand’s reputation for quality to sell a cheaply made clone.
Depreciation Station: 2012+ Fiat 500 Abarth
This article is from a past issue of the magazine. Like stories like this? You’ll see every article as soon as it’s published, and get access to our full digital archive, by subscribing to Classic Motorsports. Subscribe now. Photo Courtesy Fiat Chrysler Automobiles When Fiat delivered the all-new Abarth 500 to us for the 2012 model year, we instantly fell for the pint-sized terror–especially at its $22,000 price point. We called it a true competitor of the much-heralded, more expensive MINI Cooper S.
A Look Inside the Quail Motorsports Gathering
Reader 8/19/17 9:15 p.m. Tim: Isn’t this just a little ridiculous? Half a grand to spectate at a car show, even if it is a fancy car show? This is hardly the only show that’s this pricey, too. Does it really cost that much to produce a show like this? Or is the price that high to keep out THOSE people. You know, THOSE people who would arrive in their Toyotas rather than their G5s? Those people with grease under their fingernails instead of ink stains from writing “two comma” checks to RM Sotheby's?
Little Car Show: Celebrating All Things Quirky and Small
Still quivering over the Autozam. Ransom PowerDork 8/20/17 1:25 a.m. Love the Cyclops! That thing sure made an impression on me as a kid... Turns out the Autozam is a Mazda, sold under another name. I ran into my buddy, Jeremy Barnes, who is head of PR for Mazda and he told me that. I actually learned from of all places playing GT6 about the Autozam being a Mazda. I saw a chasing classic cars episode a while back that had Wayne visiting that show. It looks like a great time.
Audi Sport quattro: still a powerful cruiser | From the Archives
[Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the June 2016 issue of Grassroots Motorsports.] Do you love E30-chassis BMW M3s but hate how common they are? Would Evos intrigue you if they weren’t so played out? Are you a fan of authentic Cobras but think it’s a bit too common, since a few hundred exist in the world? Don’t worry, we have just the … This content is available for GRM+ members and Grassroots Motorsports magazine subscribers only.
Efficiency Experts | Chevrolet Volt vs. VW Beetle TDI
[Editor's note: This article originally appeared in the June 2013 issue of Grassroots Motorsports, before the "Dieselgate" scandal and when both the Volt and Beetle TDI were new cars on the market.] It’s probably time to admit it: The future may not be as exciting as we’ve been led to believe. We can all certainly be thankful that August 4, 1997, came and went without Skynet becoming self-aware, though we did eventually get Facebook, which may have actually been worse.
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