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How a $500 Craigslist car beat $400K Rally Racers

Started by Ponch ®, March 23, 2010, 12:54:12 PM

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Ponch ®

March 23, 2010, 12:54:12 PM
This a pretty cool story...

How A $500 Craigslist Car Beat $400K Rally Racers



Professional motorsport is a cold, hard place. If you want to run with the big dogs, you can't just build a car in your mom's garage and show up, right? Wrong. One guy did just that. Here's his amazing story.

This is the multifaceted tale of Bill Caswell, a man who bought a $500 crapcan off Craigslist to run against the $400,000-plus rally cars in a World Rally Championship race earlier this month. It is a tale of a guy who had a welder, a bunch of credit cards, and a lot of free time but no real backing or funds. It is a story of a dude who taught himself how to build an FIA-legal roll cage, with no prior experience, because he wanted to spend the fabrication fee on race tires instead. It's the story of an enthusiast who drove a rustbucket to a third-place finish in an FIA-sanctioned race.

Most of all, it is a story of hoonage.

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE ARTICLE
"I spent most of my money on cars, birds, and booze. The rest I squandered." - George Best

Chrysler Performance West

skip68

#1
March 23, 2010, 01:19:39 PM
Thanks Ponch.  :2thumbs:       Good story.   
skip68, A.K.A. Chuck \ 68 Charger 440 auto\ 67 Camaro RS (no 440)       FRANKS & BEANS !!!

nh_mopar_fan

#2
March 23, 2010, 01:59:38 PM
That is a great read. Thanks for posting.

bakerhillpins

#3
March 23, 2010, 03:07:58 PM
Freaking awesome! I just finished watching the WRC Rally Mexico event on HD Theater. It was brutal. My sincere admiration goes out to this guy!  :2thumbs: :cheers:

QuoteThey said that I must be part Mexican because of the way I fix my car. That's a compliment, right?

:smilielol: :smilielol: :smilielol: Priceless.

One great wife (Life is good)
14 RAM 1500 5.7 Hemi Crew Cab (crap hauler)
69 Dodge Charger R/T, Q5, C6X, V1X, V88  (Life is WAY better)
96' VFR750 (Sweet)
Capt. Lyme Vol. Fire

"Inspiration is for amateurs - the rest of us just show up and get to work." -Chuck Close
"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -Albert Einstein
Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn.
Science flies you to the moon, Religion flies you into buildings.

Ponch ®

#4
March 23, 2010, 03:09:15 PM
Quote from: bakerhillpins on March 23, 2010, 03:07:58 PM


QuoteThey said that I must be part Mexican because of the way I fix my car. That's a compliment, right?

:smilielol: :smilielol: :smilielol: Priceless.



:2thumbs:
"I spent most of my money on cars, birds, and booze. The rest I squandered." - George Best

Chrysler Performance West

Troy

#5
March 23, 2010, 03:43:02 PM
That was a cool story.

Troy
Sarcasm detector, that's a real good invention.

PocketThunder

#6
March 23, 2010, 04:47:44 PM
Quote from: Troy on March 23, 2010, 03:43:02 PM
That was a cool story.

Troy


Ya it was..   :yesnod:
"Liberalism is a disease that attacks one's ability to understand logic. Extreme manifestations include the willingness to continue down a path of self destruction, based solely on a delusional belief in a failed ideology."

Finn

#7
March 23, 2010, 07:11:45 PM
What a badass! Loved the duct taped gas tank bit. :smilielol:
1968 Dodge Charger 440, EFI, AirRide suspension
1970 Dodge Challenger RT/SE 383 magnum
1963 Plymouth Savoy 225 with a 3 on the tree.
2002 Dodge Ram 5.9L 360
2014 Dodge Dart 2.4L

Cooter

#8
March 23, 2010, 07:22:51 PM
Just goes to show 'ya, you gotta watch some of those "Hacked" cars..Whether it be drag Racing, Road Rally, or road course...I've seen it too many times in Drag Racing...We had a guy come to Piedmont Dragway in a Pink late 70's, early 80's Cadillac..Had a modest tire under the back (12") DOT..Took 5 guys to lift the hood off it..I looked at the engine..Typical BBC with Aluminum heads and no nitrous. I heard one of the guys ask the owner what'd he think it would run and he stated "5.80's"..They all laughed..Staged it, made a full pass, ran 5.78 and he put it back on the trailer....
" I have spent thousands of dollars and countless hours researching what works and what doesn't and I'm willing to share"

NHCharger

#9
March 23, 2010, 07:27:48 PM
Very cool story.
72 Charger- Base Model
68 Charger-R/T Clone
69 Charger Daytona clone
79 Lil Red Express - future money pit
88 Ramcharger 4x4- current money pit
55 Dodge Royal 2 door - wife's money pit
2014 RAM 2500HD Diesel

Highbanked Hauler

#10
March 23, 2010, 10:30:10 PM
Quote from: NHCharger on March 23, 2010, 07:27:48 PM
Very cool story.

   Its amazing what you can do when you don't have people telling you that you can't :2thumbs:
69 Charger 500, original owner  
68 Charger former parts car in process of rebuilding
92 Cummins Turbo Diesel
04 PT Cruiser

bull

#11
March 24, 2010, 12:38:55 AM
That was great. :2thumbs:

LeadfootBob

#12
March 24, 2010, 10:06:33 AM
'I once asked Bill why he insisted on going through every spectator section crossed up and with the engine banging off the limiter. "Dude," he said, "I don't care if it costs me a couple of tenths. It makes the fans go nuts."'

With that attitude, how can you NOT love this guy?!  :icon_smile_big:
Proud member of the jack stand racing team since 1999.
'70 Charger 500: "Bronson", some kind of hillbilly hot rod in progress.
'89 Chevy Caprice 9C1: "it's got a cop motor..."

bull

#13
April 08, 2010, 01:05:33 PM
I just made friends with Bill on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=653681730

Mefirst

#14
April 09, 2010, 03:52:22 PM
Damn, may be I should take up Rally instead of Drag racing... Seems to be alot cheaper... Cool story!!!

/Tom

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