Photo: Rampage Racing
What makes a cult car? Often, it's just as much about the shape as the engine or the way it handles. BMW's history books are filled with weirdly wonderful shapes that often go extinct after a few years only to come back as "icons." The Clown Shoe is one of them, a Z3 M Coupe that looks like no other.
Back in the days when straight-six engines didn't have turbochargers, BMW made a weird little car. It was based on the Z3, had the M engine, and a shooting brake body designed for practicality rather than looks. Now, as you can imagine, it didn't sell in huge numbers, but the internet always says it's cool and demands BMW make another one.
This is one of those things that only die-hard builders even consider, just like the M3 Touring/Wagon. We've seen a handful of those, but the M2 Clown Shoe by Rampage Racing is probably the only car of its kind in the world.
The UK builder behind the project wanted something unique, and he started with something called the M140i. Now, Americans can't buy this car, but it's basically a hatchback version of the M240i Coupe that used to be available up until last year with a 3- and 5-door body. The engine is the same for both cars, a B58 six-banger turbo making 335 horsepower.
When fully finished, the project car looks like it just left the factory with this look, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The front end has been completely swapped over to the style of the M2. Now, that means it comes with different headlights, an M2 bumper and the obvious flared out fenders.
The magic continues at the back, where this custom Clown Show got M2 fenders grafted onto its old bodywork. The bumper is also upgraded, integrating a diffuser and a quad-pipe exhaust system from the M Performance parts catalog.
This is one of those things that only die-hard builders even consider, just like the M3 Touring/Wagon. We've seen a handful of those, but the M2 Clown Shoe by Rampage Racing is probably the only car of its kind in the world.
The UK builder behind the project wanted something unique, and he started with something called the M140i. Now, Americans can't buy this car, but it's basically a hatchback version of the M240i Coupe that used to be available up until last year with a 3- and 5-door body. The engine is the same for both cars, a B58 six-banger turbo making 335 horsepower.
When fully finished, the project car looks like it just left the factory with this look, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The front end has been completely swapped over to the style of the M2. Now, that means it comes with different headlights, an M2 bumper and the obvious flared out fenders.
The magic continues at the back, where this custom Clown Show got M2 fenders grafted onto its old bodywork. The bumper is also upgraded, integrating a diffuser and a quad-pipe exhaust system from the M Performance parts catalog.
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