This 1949 Ford Is Hiding A Big Turbo BMW Heart

What you're looking at is a 1949 Ford Shoebox "anti-purist" build that was first found sitting in a garage for about 20 years. Someone had begun to build a hot rod from this and had started the chopped roof conversion but never saw it through. John says that he specifically chose this car for the single bullet grille, and when a friend crashed a similarly sizedBMW 3 Series, specifically a 2008 335i - that's the one with the immensely capable N54 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine - John decided to buy the wreck from his friend's insurer. Incredibly, both cars cost a total of $3,400, and John really scored with the Bimmer considering that it has a DOC Race single turbo kit, including the upgraded intake manifold and presumably a host of other supporting mods to allow the massive aftermarket turbo to perform at its best.

Both cars saw their bodies removed from their chassis, and the 335i slid under the Ford with ease. Amazingly, the factory air conditioning and heating systems were retained, as was the cruise control. With the help of some friends, John spent the past year and a half's weekends building the car, his first project in 15 years. He says that while he loves the admiration that onlookers give when they see this car and while he loves the way it drives and looks, what makes this build special is the time spent working on it with his friends. The car now features massive 20-inch wheels and custom bodywork, but rather than make it a show car, all the welds from all the bodywork are being left there to tell a story. It's a remarkable build weighing 3,300 pounds and measuring 16 feet in length, and we're sure it'll be with John for years to come.