SEMA // CREAGER INTERVIEWS CASWELL AHEAD OF BAJA 1000

ColdTrackDays correspondent, Curtis Creager, is at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this week and had the opportunity to sit down with DIY enthusiast turned internet sensation, Bill Caswell, as he prepares his E30 BMW for this year's SCORE Baja 1000. Caswell, who partnered with Miller Electric, will be performing all of the necessary welds on his Baja Bimmer from Miller booth #23913 in the Racing and Performance pavilion.

Follow the link for Creager's interview with Mr.Caswell... [read more]



CTD: How did you get the car that your building out for this epic adventure?

BC: The car was a junkyard car that was given to me for free. The car was just a shell and was rolled in here on dollies as you can see it has no suspension, no chassis to speak of.

CTD: What are the plans for the car during SEMA?

BC: In the four days at SEMA we’re going to install the cage, put on front and rear suspension, install the front brush guard and mount the light bar. The front suspension is going to be converted to double arm. In the rear where installing really long buggy arms that are going to be 80” wide hub-to-hub, I believe the cars wheelbase is around 107 inches which should make the car very interesting at high speed!



CTD: What engine will be powering the car?

BC: The engine is a bone stock US spec 1995 M3 3.0-liter engine. I’m using a stock M3 clutch by SACHS. In the rear we’re using a speedway quick change rear-end so I can run whatever gearing I chose. I figure we should be able to get the car up to 110 to 120mph, that’s all we’ll ever need on the straight sections.



CTD: What class will the E30 be running?

BC: The car will be entered the Sportsman class, which is the catchall. Unlike other sanctioning bodies SCORE and the BAJA 1000, has a philosophy that anyone can race whatever they want providing it meets the safety requirements. Which is why I can design and build out the car the way I want.





CTD: Do you plan on driving the entire race?

BC: We’re approaching it like the old east African safari rally. We have 48 hours to cover a thousand miles. Our goal is to iron man it, basically Cameron and I are planning on driving the entire race. Apparently this is something people do after running the BAJA for years, where going to try it straight out of the box!

Stay tuned for continued coverage of this year's SEMA show and additional images of Caswell's Baja Bimmer.

Photo/Editorial: Curtis Creager