How does insurance work for this? If the audi caused the fire whos insrance pays? The Audi owner, the carrier? Obviously if it was the truck then the settlement is simple the truck / carrier pays and or the car owners insurance pays and then they go after the carrier? It seems messy no mater how you look at it. If they can documentor or get estimates of fair market value if you were to pay to have a professional shop build you that BMW it may be very large payday.
The new owner posted this on corner-carvers:
"Yes, the car was on it's way to me. I am sick. I really feel bad for Terry and everyone who spent countless hours building the car. It has been a long time since I was so excited about a new toy. I received the title and four new 285/30R18 street tires the day I found out. As could be expected, insurance is a nightmare. The trucking company's insurance has refused to pay anything. Currently, my own insurance is processing the claim. I have to prove the cash value of a car I never received. Luckily, there is extensive documentation. Hopefully it all works out, but it has added insult to injury.
Oh, and the fire started with a battery jump pack just in front of the car. There has been some shady responses from the driver and his insurance. He told the fire chief that the jump pack started the fire. Initially the insurance agent tried to say the E30 may have started the fire and I could be responsible for the damage. I told her about the fire chief and she quickly changed her tune. The next knife in the back is her telling me that the policy doesn't cover vehicles older than 25 years. She says the trucking company should have realized this and not accepted the car (booked with a broker who contracts a trucking company). She said the company is still liable, but this insurance doesn't cover the damage. To get them to pay, I am probably going to have to lawyer up. My hope is my insurance will cover a reasonable value and they can go after them. "
Sounds like a nightmare. He had a 530hp V8 ready to go in it, along with more upgrades beyond the significant ones done after the challenge (M3 suspension/brakes, custom shocks, new wheels).
In reply to Schmidlap:
I'd heard that Vorshlag did a lot of work to that car after the Challenge. I think there's a bit more than $2K in it now..my heart breaks for the guy.
Man, that is a E36 M3ty situation by any account. Hopefully the new owner's own insurance will step up to the plate on fighting the trucking company, the broker, etc because it sounds like someone is trying to CYA. Poor car. 
Crap that sucks...
That car was hawt.
Damn. Condolences. Good news is, it looks freakin badass imo. I'd cherry out the engine bay and clear the exterior.
In reply to friedgreencorrado:
Yeah, they sold it on ebay for $18,000 after making these upgrades: "Off came the $10 used shocks and homemade coilover conversion and on went AST 4100 coilovers. $200 worth of circle track steel 15x10" wheels were removed in favor of $2500 worth of CCW 3-piece 18x11" wheels with 285 Hoosier race tires. The front E36 325i brakes and spindles left to make way for E36 M3 hardware. The old engine was an iron block/aluminum headed 5.3L "LM7" engine, which was a truck variant of the popular Chevrolet LS1 engine family. With stock internals + a big camshaft it made 355 whp, which was plenty of grunt to motivate this 2580 pound car. We've run it on a road course at a NASA Time Trial event and it was quick enough in early 2011 to run with TTS cars. In early 2012 we pulled the heavier iron block LM7 and replaced it with an all-aluminum "L33" 5.3L V8, for an 80 pound weight savings, which has all stock internals and the original camshaft. This engine sits in an engine bay that has been coated with grey POR-15. The transmission is a Borg Warner T5 connected to the engine behind a ($580) Quick Time SFI-rated scattershield, with a C5 Z06 Corvette clutch and pressure plate. The front suspension includes custom Vorshlag-based camber plates (redesigned in 2012 for less caster), E36 M3 lower control arms, and the aforementioned AST 4100 struts - made for an E36 M3. The rear suspension has beefed up E30 lower trailing arms, custom Nylon subframe and control arm bushings, aluminum AST 4100 shocks in the proper E30 length, and an adjustable camber and toe eccentric kit. We also ditched the stock "single ear" rear diff mount for the dual-ear E36 diff cover + a fabricated steel tubular structure to hang it from. The stock spare tire well sheet metal has removed and some .125" thick aluminum plate is in its place. Lots of fabrication work went into that. An Odyssey PC680 gell-style AGM battery resides in the stock location behind the right rear tire. Brakes on this car consist of a transplant fro the E36 chassis, like much of the suspension. The front brakes are (now) E36 M3 spindles and 12.5" diameter rotors, M3 calipers, and PFC-01 track brake pads. The rear consists of E36 3-series disc brakes transplanted to the E30 trailing arms, with new E36 rear wheel bearings and new E30 M3 rear halfshafts. The differential is a Limited Slip unit from an E30, but there is no parking brake. Fuel System updates in 2012 include a complete re-plumbing of the system using -6 AN fittings and stainless braided lines at all locations, all the way into the tank, P-clamped every couple of feet and routed cleanly under the car. Fire sleeve covers both the feed and return lines inside the engine bay and these connect to an LS1 fuel rail with AN fittings welded in place. A Russel billet fuel filter is used along with a new 255 lph Walbro in-tank fuel pump, feeding 21 #/hr LS1 Camaro injectors, a 3.5" MAF, and a custom tune on the GM based ECM. The intake manifold is a Camaro LS1 unit with a Camaro LS1 throttle body as well. A custom cold-air inlet with a big K&N open element air filter in a sealed heat shield completes the intake tract."
The guy who bought it off ebay made some changes: "He has done a lot of track-worthy improvements to the car since he bought it and upgraded even more of the budget constrained items that we had built into it originally. Brand new Hoosier R6 tires, the exhaust is all new behind the headers, with a dual side exit system. He had it professionally re-tuned for the L33 and new exhaust layout. " The car was making 368whp in this configuration.
He then blew up the engine, bought a race prepped GT2 car and decided to sell the BMW for $8500. It was on the transporter going to the new owner when the fire happened.
The car is currently sitting in a lot in the town where I'm living. I just went and checked it out and nearly cried. You can clearly tell how much work went into this build (I also followed it from the beginning)
It looks like there is probably nothing salvageable besides maybe one of the wheels and the rear suspension bits.
What a shame. I remember when that was posted to BAT.
Schmidlap wrote: He then blew up the engine, bought a race prepped GT2 car and decided to sell the BMW for $8500. It was on the transporter going to the new owner when the fire happened.
if it still had a blowed up engine in it, WTF was the jump pack for?
Shut up, Grumpy Cat!
In reply to Mitchell:
I believe my garage should be wall papered. Perhaps Grassroots will come out with vinyl wrap for garage walls
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