https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-800-clunker-transforms-into-a-race-car-11576593045?mod=hp_listc_pos1
Praveen Penmetsa of Long Beach, Calif., 43, co-founder and CEO of Motivo Engineering, on his 1990 BMW 325i, as told to A.J. Baime.
I was looking for a car to drive on racetracks. I have been in all kinds of exotic machinery, but I wanted to approach this car with the same philosophy I use in business: How can I do a lot with very little? How can I get the most speed, the most safety, the most fun, for the least investment?
One day in 2007, I was driving through Costa Mesa when I saw this broken-down BMW in front of someone’s home. I have a thing for white cars, and this was exactly the model I was looking for. [The car is from the second generation of BMW’s 3-series. The German company launched the seventh-generation this year.] So I knocked on the door. The guy said that the car did not run, that he did not know why, and that it had been sitting a long time. He said, “Pay cash and it’s yours.”
Photos: A BMW Brought Back From the Grave
A California businessman shows off his 1990 325i, a car that was all but abandoned before he decided to buy it and make it fit for racing
[IMG alt="
Mr. Penmetsa loves to chase far more expensive machinery in his 1990 BMW track car."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136975?width=1260&height=840[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
When Praveen Penmetsa found this BMW, it was covered in cobwebs, it smelled funny and it didn't run. Now he uses it for track days at racetracks around California."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136942?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
The 1990 325i BMW launched its 3-series in 1975. This model is from the German firm's second-generation 3-series."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136943?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
Mr. Penmetsa's car in profile. He removed all the soundproofing to reduce weight. Now he sometimes wears earplugs because the vehicle is so loud."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136944?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
The logo for Mr. Penmetsa's company, Motivo Engineering. It designs and builds everything from autonomous cars to broccoli-planting robots."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136945?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
Mr. Penmetsa's original investment in this car was just $800. He thought: 'What do I have to lose?'"]https://images.wsj.net/im-136946?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
Since it is outfitted for racetrack use, many comfort elements, like carpeting and air conditioning, have been removed."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136947?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
The BMW has two purpose-built racing seats with five-point harnesses."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136948?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
While Mr. Penmetsa's BMW is built out for racetrack use, it remains street legal—thus the California license plate."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136949?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
The original stock in-line six-cylinder engine, which has powered this car over 240,000 miles."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136950?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
The logo for Mr. Penmetsa's company, Motivo Engineering. It designs and builds everything from autonomous cars to broccoli-planting robots.
Ted7 for The Wall Street Journal
4 of 10
The car had 210,000 miles. It smelled rotten inside and was covered in cobwebs. I paid $800 and called for a tow truck.
The first thing I did was buy a new battery and replace the fuel pump and the fuel filter. Right away, the engine started. So for less than $500 of repairs, I had a working car. I pulled out all the soundproofing. I installed a custom-made roll-cage. I bought a used racing suit, a used helmet and borrowed some better wheels from a friend.
It took four years before I was able to take the car to its first track day, at Buttonwillow, two hours north of Los Angeles. By the end of the day, I realized that the smartest way to find more speed in the car was to focus not on the car at all, but rather on me. So I started picking up skills and improving.
Over the years I have worked on this car always with the philosophy of doing the most I can with the least investment. I have taken it to tracks all over California. It is street legal, so I don’t have to trailer it. It is so loud that I wear earplugs when I’m driving, and when I get to a track, I swap on racing tires and I am ready to go.
People love to see this car that has over 240,000 miles hunting down new Porsches. For an $800 initial investment, I have gotten my money’s worth.
Praveen Penmetsa of Long Beach, Calif., 43, co-founder and CEO of Motivo Engineering, on his 1990 BMW 325i, as told to A.J. Baime.
I was looking for a car to drive on racetracks. I have been in all kinds of exotic machinery, but I wanted to approach this car with the same philosophy I use in business: How can I do a lot with very little? How can I get the most speed, the most safety, the most fun, for the least investment?
One day in 2007, I was driving through Costa Mesa when I saw this broken-down BMW in front of someone’s home. I have a thing for white cars, and this was exactly the model I was looking for. [The car is from the second generation of BMW’s 3-series. The German company launched the seventh-generation this year.] So I knocked on the door. The guy said that the car did not run, that he did not know why, and that it had been sitting a long time. He said, “Pay cash and it’s yours.”
Photos: A BMW Brought Back From the Grave
A California businessman shows off his 1990 325i, a car that was all but abandoned before he decided to buy it and make it fit for racing
[IMG alt="
Mr. Penmetsa loves to chase far more expensive machinery in his 1990 BMW track car."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136975?width=1260&height=840[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
When Praveen Penmetsa found this BMW, it was covered in cobwebs, it smelled funny and it didn't run. Now he uses it for track days at racetracks around California."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136942?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
The 1990 325i BMW launched its 3-series in 1975. This model is from the German firm's second-generation 3-series."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136943?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
Mr. Penmetsa's car in profile. He removed all the soundproofing to reduce weight. Now he sometimes wears earplugs because the vehicle is so loud."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136944?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
The logo for Mr. Penmetsa's company, Motivo Engineering. It designs and builds everything from autonomous cars to broccoli-planting robots."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136945?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
Mr. Penmetsa's original investment in this car was just $800. He thought: 'What do I have to lose?'"]https://images.wsj.net/im-136946?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
Since it is outfitted for racetrack use, many comfort elements, like carpeting and air conditioning, have been removed."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136947?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
The BMW has two purpose-built racing seats with five-point harnesses."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136948?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
While Mr. Penmetsa's BMW is built out for racetrack use, it remains street legal—thus the California license plate."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136949?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
[IMG alt="
The original stock in-line six-cylinder engine, which has powered this car over 240,000 miles."]https://images.wsj.net/im-136950?width=1260&height=NaN[/IMG]
The logo for Mr. Penmetsa's company, Motivo Engineering. It designs and builds everything from autonomous cars to broccoli-planting robots.
Ted7 for The Wall Street Journal
4 of 10
The car had 210,000 miles. It smelled rotten inside and was covered in cobwebs. I paid $800 and called for a tow truck.
The first thing I did was buy a new battery and replace the fuel pump and the fuel filter. Right away, the engine started. So for less than $500 of repairs, I had a working car. I pulled out all the soundproofing. I installed a custom-made roll-cage. I bought a used racing suit, a used helmet and borrowed some better wheels from a friend.
It took four years before I was able to take the car to its first track day, at Buttonwillow, two hours north of Los Angeles. By the end of the day, I realized that the smartest way to find more speed in the car was to focus not on the car at all, but rather on me. So I started picking up skills and improving.
Over the years I have worked on this car always with the philosophy of doing the most I can with the least investment. I have taken it to tracks all over California. It is street legal, so I don’t have to trailer it. It is so loud that I wear earplugs when I’m driving, and when I get to a track, I swap on racing tires and I am ready to go.
People love to see this car that has over 240,000 miles hunting down new Porsches. For an $800 initial investment, I have gotten my money’s worth.
