Lovely looking car - but beware!!!

[petecossie]

Interesting little video, so this is an example of how some of the stolen cars are rebuilt into what looks to be a great looking special car. Could also be a death trap.

Green cut-and-shut BMW crushed by Midlands police (msn.com)

 

[Robert Hill]

Just been watching video one more death trap off the road makes you think about kit cars being safe

 

[t-tony]

Sorry but why ii it a death trap? That's like saying all these Z3 kits that people on here have built and are building are all death traps.
The Police are justifying the crushing of perfectly usable car parts. I agree with taking them away from the people who have stolen them but then to just scrap them, to me is just a waste.

Tony.

 

[the Nefyn cat]

A fine example of the ///M police doing their job.

Having said which, since when did changing engine and suspension parts become "cut'n'shut"? I do hope that no one on here is driving around with non-standard parts fitted to their Zs, could be a death trap.

 

[Paul Rice]

A fine example of the ///M police doing their job.

Having said which, since when did changing engine and suspension parts become "cut'n'shut"? I do hope that no one on here is driving around with non-standard parts fitted to their Zs, could be a death trap.

Non standard Stubby aerial removed and original fitted, feel much safer now

 

[IanA]

This does look a bit vindictive given the usual lack of interest in returning stolen cars to the rightful owners. The experience that friends have had is that if a car is stolen and then resold a few times, the original owner has little claim on the metal. Does that apply to stolen parts as well? Buying known stolen parts is a crime. I'd like to hear the views of the owner as well. "Misrepresented number plate"? How many Rollers, Bentleys and Fezzas are stopped for that?

 

[IanA]

As the owner of two body-swap Z3s, the appeal to me is that they remain properly engineered cars with systems designed for a top speed of 140mph. I appreciate the margins of safety that accrue when used on public roads.

 

[the Nefyn cat]

3 litre petrol engine and gearbox from M3s?

 

[mrscalex]

Sorry but why ii it a death trap? That's like saying all these Z3 kits that people on here have built and are building are all death traps.
The Police are justifying the crushing of perfectly usable car parts. I agree with taking them away from the people who have stolen them but then to just scrap them, to me is just a waste.

Tony.

Saved me the typing. My thoughts word by word.

 

[MisterP007]

Interesting thread here.

Surely better to send the whole thing to a licensed dismantler so the parts can be saved at least.

Also, I had better remove all the non-standard (some secondhand, bought on ebay from obvious car thieves, some new and bought from Stealerships! (obvious thieves)) from my two Fauxrarris.

Agree with @IanA that care needs to be taken building these re-bodies to retain the original structural and mechanical integrity of the Z3,. Relatively easy to do as the Z3 body panels are all non-structural, bolt-ons in any event and the 250SWB/250Cal re-body kits are glued and bolted on without any change to the Z3 monocoque/drive train underneath.

I was watching the video and noticed one of WMid's finest may have made off with the alloys!!! Aslo, seeing those 4/6 pot calipers in the crusher "brakes" my heart

 

[ktnez99]

That’s an upsetting video to watch! I suspect it’s been crushed because it’s made up of at least 2 M3s, the plates didn’t tally, etc. etc. However, why couldn’t the car have stayed in tact? Am I missing something? Or would that fail to deter car thieves from stealing cars? It’s made up of 4 cars…all previous owners will have claimed on their insurances - assuming their insured…this is the Wild West Midlands where car crime is prolific…someone has bought this car in all good faith and it looked stunning. Is it the safety aspect that’s the question or the criminality side that’s caused it to be crushed?

 

[Pingu]

The problem is them calling it a "cut-n-shut" when they produce no evidence to prove that it is.

I suspect its made from at least three stolen cars (2x M3s + one estate car).

The only potential danger is from the estate body not being rated / strengthened to take the M3 torque.

It would still have had the problems that come with building a car from stolen parts, but it would have been perfectly possible to get an IVA for that car and make it legal (https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-approval/individual-vehicle-approval).

The authorities wanted to prove a point - and they have done. I'm not sure it's the point they wanted to make, though, as they just come across as vindictive idiots.

The best solution would be licenced breakers and proceeds to the Exchequer. The scroats could even buy their cars back if they wanted (but in a thousand parts)

 

[MisterP007]

That’s an upsetting video to watch! I suspect it’s been crushed because it’s made up of at least 2 M3s, the plates didn’t tally, etc. etc. However, why couldn’t the car have stayed in tact? Am I missing something? Or would that fail to deter car thieves from stealing cars? It’s made up of 4 cars…all previous owners will have claimed on their insurances - assuming their insured…this is the Wild West Midlands where car crime is prolific…someone has bought this car in all good faith and it looked stunning. Is it the safety aspect that’s the question or the criminality side that’s caused it to be crushed?

The ONLY reason it was crushed was to send a "sound bite/TV clip" message to the car thieves who will clearly stop stealing cars immediately because of it. Apparently, not a single car has been stolen since the video was released.

Total waste of a lot of good car parts to keep other "legal" Beemers running.

 

[MisterP007]

The problem is them calling it a "cut-n-shut" when they produce no evidence to prove that it is.

I suspect its made from at least three stolen cars (2x M3s + one estate car).

The only potential danger is from the estate body not being rated / strengthened to take the M3 torque.

It would still have had the problems that come with building a car from stolen parts, but it would have been perfectly possible to get an IVA for that car and make it legal (https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-approval/individual-vehicle-approval).

The authorities wanted to prove a point - and they have done. I'm not sure it's the point they wanted to make, though, as they just come across as vindictive idiots.

The best solution would be licenced breakers and proceeds to the Exchequer. The scroats could even buy their cars back if they wanted (but in a thousand parts)

I'm with you @Pingu

 

[Zont]

Terrible from WM Police. Total waste of resources, as others have said, clearly been used as a click baity press tool.

 

[mrscalex]

Agree with Police wanting to send a message and being blinkered to other conclusions. But possibly bound by law. What law and what triggered it I don’t know.

And remember cut and shut will be a term the writer of the article came up with.

 

[mrscalex]

And remember cut and shut will be a term the writer of the article came up with.

Talking rubbish. The Police say that. Cobblers in that case. They should know better.

 

[ktnez99]

The problem is them calling it a "cut-n-shut" when they produce no evidence to prove that it is.

I suspect its made from at least three stolen cars (2x M3s + one estate car).

The only potential danger is from the estate body not being rated / strengthened to take the M3 torque.

It would still have had the problems that come with building a car from stolen parts, but it would have been perfectly possible to get an IVA for that car and make it legal (https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-approval/individual-vehicle-approval).

The authorities wanted to prove a point - and they have done. I'm not sure it's the point they wanted to make, though, as they just come across as vindictive idiots.

The best solution would be licenced breakers and proceeds to the Exchequer. The scroats could even buy their cars back if they wanted (but in a thousand parts)

Speaks volumes about West Mids Poluce

 

[the Nefyn cat]

Speaks volumes about West Mids Poluce

So long as they can find a representative who's at least moderately articulate, that'll have to do. "Misrepresented number plate"
The only M3 bits on there seem to be the brakes and suspension, been a long time since BMW put a six in an M.

 

[t-tony]

All the years I was aTester, I only had one proper “cut and shut” car in for test. I had no reason to fail it, the owner was aware of its history. This was before written advisories were issued even voluntarily by test stations. It didn’t even have a vinyl roof!

Tony.