The Immortal Legend of Rusty Slammington
Behold, Rusty Slammington! This car has been killed, resurrected, disassembled, and assembled more times than you think. This is a story about a broken car and the person who brought it back on the road.
Corsia Logistics had the honor to transport this legendary car to the BMW Automobile Club Foundation of the United States for exhibition. We’re inspired to tell Rusty’s story. Hold on, because this car is a pretty mean one!
What are the origins of Rusty Slammington?
Once upon a time, there was a useless old car. There, in 2010, an almost forgotten BMW E28 made friends only with rust and dust. All the remnants of its former glory have disappeared. Even corrosion seems to have nothing to do-it has eroded the dashboard.
One day, Mike Burroughs, the owner of Rusty, took a look at this old thing, and something caught his attention. E28 issued a final lament. A decision must be made either take it to the scrapyard, or…or something? Can this corroded metal really be saved? Is it worth it? Maybe most people will give it up.
They could get the BMW out of trouble, but this is not Mike Burroughs’ style. After all, he was (and still is) one of the thinkers behind StanceWorks-a company dedicated to turning cars into works of art on wheels. So on that decisive day, Mike called. The sad old E28 will not die. In fact, its life has just begun.
How did the good ol’ Rusty claim the legendary status?
Everything looked great for ol’ Rusty. Although not everyone likes cars, people appreciate Burroughs’ dedication. It quickly attracted some fans and people who were interested in what happened next.
Sadly, things have deteriorated seriously. Only one year after the resurrection, Rusty was burned in a fire in 2011. When I say burned, I mean it. The only thing left is the metal frame. It is the final proof of Rusty’s indomitability. Tragic? Yes. despair? None!
Mike Burroughs and his company do not intend to abandon the old BMW. Encouraged by fans, they decided to bring this car back to life. In their eyes, Rusty is a phoenix. Burning is only part of its cycle. However, this time, things are much more difficult. They basically have to build a brand new vehicle around a simple steel frame. Mike Burroughs actually considered a complete redo of the old Rusty even before the fire broke out.
Here are just some of the mods Mike did to the car
The roofline got lowered by chopping 5 inches off it
The wheels were replaced with Ronal Racing splits. On top of that, they were 24K gold-plated.
The entire body of the car was treated with used diesel oil (imagine that) with the goal of blackening the rust.
Embracing the rust even further, the insides got special treatment. Instead of a cozy leather-bound interior, it is now reminiscent of a car straight out of a Mad Max movie.
To make Rusty look meaner, the suspension was lowered 4 inches. When something looks great, who cares about customs clearance (more on this later)? In hobbyist circles, this is called a “bang ride”, hence the name Slammington. The engine was completely burned out. Replaced by Toyota Supra’s 1JZ-GTE six-cylinder turbocharged engine.
The final decision was not welcomed by everyone. Some people think that installing Japanese engines on German cars is quite blasphemous. Thankfully, Mike Burroughs doesn’t care about this. With Supra’s engine, Rusty can express his angry opinions well-and it supports Mike’s choice.
Rusty Slammington — How did it evolve through the years?
How does it sound to build a car from scratch? Because that’s what Burroughs must learn. He started from an interesting place-the wheel. In his opinion, Rusty is built around them, rather than using wheels as accessories.
It should be noted that the current wheels are pieced together by Brun Motorsport Porsche 962. They have watched the game and have their own spirit. Throughout the reconstruction process, Mike managed to maintain the true appearance of the BMW while modifying almost all aspects of the bodywork.
Now the vehicle is wider, but it still stares at you with aggressive round eyes. The black jacket has a “tattoo” to remind you that you are not dealing with any ordinary old BMW. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Rusty Slammington — the car that died, alive, died and stood up again. It took 8 years, but now it’s here!
