It was only yesterday when we talked about a BMW M2 Competition with a HEMI V8 engine swap and now we’ve discovered another unusual combination. The unique build started off with a 1949 Ford that had been sitting in a garage for two decades somewhere in Phoenix, Arizona. Separately, a 2008 BMW 3 Series Coupe in the 335i specification that had been crashed was bought from the insurance company.
The two cars couldn’t be any more different, and yet John from Sahuarita, Arizona decided to buy both for just $3,400 and merge them to create a truly special car. Completed over the course of 18 months during weekends, the marriage between the old Ford and modern BMW meant putting the body of the so-called Shoebox on top of an E92.
The Bimmer’s chassis and inline-six engine are hiding underneath the rusty body of the classic Ford, which also borrowed the factory air conditioning and cruise control from the 3 Series Coupe. It goes without saying the bodies of both cars had to be chopped to some extent to complete the merger and it was a team effort from six people involved in the ambitious project.
As if the Frankenstein build wasn’t already peculiar, a cutout was made in the hood to make room for the turbocharger and a short stack exhaust. Some of the rusted panels were replaced while keeping the welds visible to illustrate the two-in-one car has an interesting history.
It’s worth noting the car is 16 feet (4.87 meters) long and weighs 3,300 pounds (1,496 kilograms). It rides on custom 20-inch wheels and has a basic interior, aside from the modern amenities sourced from the BMW. The combination between two vastly different cars from distant eras is intriguing and dare we say the result is captivating, especially since the two donor vehicles were about to be destroyed until John saved them.
