1993 BMW E36 325is SPEC3 Project

A car being developed for James Packer of National Auto Sport Association

We are helping him prep the car and designing, fabricating, and installing components to convert his newly acquired 325is into a SPEC3 car.

First and most importantly on the list of projects is a 6 point roll cage with foot protection (8 points). This cage is a work in progress but car will be completed and track ready by the end of March. The fabrication and welding on this roll cage is in collaboration with Diversifab

The SPEC3 series is a Spec Racing class that will be run nationally at NASA race events. The series features the BMW E36 chassis with 2.5 inline 6 cylinder motors. 2 and 4 door models are eligible. Much like the successful SpecE30 series, the purpose of the SPEC3 series is to allow the drivers to race BMW's competitively within a reasonable budget. To keep the spec parts affordable, the Series Director (Chris Cobetto) has developed sponsors for this series with a variety of highly respected performance parts manufacturers. This new class debuts in 2008.

This cage was built from 1.75x.095" wall 1020 DOM tubing and polished pre-welding to give a more uniform surface finish, clean the tubing of all mill scale and containments, and remove any stress risers from the surface of tubing. We utilized TIG welding for 98% of the construction. Great care was taken to form and have the tubing slightly wedged into the shape of the body to maximize body to tubing contact to help stiffen the car. For SPEC3 welding to the body beyond the designated main anchor plates is prohibited.

A gallery with build pictures of the SPEC3 build

A gallery with on track photos of the SPEC3 car

A gallery with race pics from Hyperfest 2008