Interesting Stalker article in Car and Driver.

[Kitcat]

Built by the manager of GM’s Vette and Camaro performance section. And for its engine? If you guessed a small block V-8, you guessed wrong. He used a BMW 3.0 straight six. Whaa? Says the V-8 would be too much power. Too much for what:)? 

Edited November 29, 2021 by Kitcat

[Croc]

I like BMW straight 6s!  

 

Do you have a link to the article for us?

[JohnCh]

Here you go.  In return, please track him down and entice him to start a thread here about the car

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a38224306/gm-engineer-alex-macdonald-fabricates-sports-car/

 

-John  

[Anaximander]

I think the GM engineer is a very smart guy that built a one-of-a-kind Stalker. However, I LOVE the LS3 series of engines for their power and relative lightness. They fit beautifully in this M-Spec Classic R.

Edited November 30, 2021 by Astro Bob

[Lightguy]

I had a straight six M6 and it had plenty of power and twice the weight.
I like the orange frame and suspension bits. 
The interior looks very cleanly designed.
Which model Stalker is this ?

[JohnCh]

Build thread is available on GRM. 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/brunton-stalker-m-spec-bmw-n52/149440/page1/

 

-John

[bball7754]

Quite a build, worth the read.  

[Lightguy]

On 11/30/2021 at 2:26 PM, JohnCh said:

Build thread is available on GRM. 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/brunton-stalker-m-spec-bmw-n52/149440/page1/

 

-John

OMG !!!
That thread is fascinating but the main thing I'm learning from it is ;
BUY A COMPLETE KIT !!!

[JohnCh]

Interesting @Lightguy, my key learning is that I should have studied Mechanical Engineering   It's fascinating how much he has made this car his own.  Really admire the craftsmanship and thought process behind it all.

 

-John

[Anaximander]

John, 

 

When I first saw the build, I thought, wow, like some mechanical engineers I have known, they go way beyond thinking things through to the point of incredible minutia. I think there is some of that in this Stalker build but I don't think I have ever seen a more thought out Stalker than the one we are talking about. My fourth Stalker which was an XL was assembled by a former professional experimental aircraft builder and that Stalker was opined by Scott Minehart, the manufacturer of Stalker cars, to be one of the best builds he had ever seen. He advised that he could not have taken all of the extra time necessary to add the little touches done to the car or he would have lost his butt on a similar build due excess labor involved to get it to that level. Most likely, many of his customers would not have wanted to pay all of the additional labor costs involved to take a car out to the "enth" degree. 

 

As Lightguy had mentioned, buying a complete kit would be a whole lot easier than all of the thinking that went into this M-Spec build. Due to my own lack of engineering skills and complex parts modification and fitment, I am glad that I did not have to go through the enormous tasks undertaken to make this one-off car that our thread is discussing. As I continue to read the story of the build, I continue to be amazed at the plethora of decisions that had to be made to fit and adapt that BMW engine/transmission into the kit he had purchased from Stalker Cars.

 

Bob

[Croc]

That Grass Roots Motorsports build thread is epic.  Finally found the time to work through it.  Lots of very interesting thinking and decisions during the build.  He was able to do the build the way he wanted as his fabrication skills are light-years ahead of mine.  It just goes to show what you can do when you throw the cost side of the cost/benefit equation out of the window.  

 

Definitely recommend people read through that thread.   You will learn a lot.  

[Kitcat]

Not only is the builder an amazing mechanical talent, he writes extremely well. Certainly better than the GRM staff, and that’s no criticism of them.

 

I loved that, as I was wondering where he found the time for this incredible build, he casually dropped the fact that he was simultaneously training for a Triathlon!

[TBone1209]

All that time that could have been better spent driving!