jac1d
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Well I didn't have any home runs looking at the wheelbase for the 3 series but I did notice one juicy tidbit...
The 2007+ 1 series cars have 104.7" wheelbases, and according to my googling the CS has a 105" wheelbase. Can someone confirm that? If that is the case then the idea of a reskin from that perspective is very intriguing, as the wheel arches will pretty much line up.
Of course the 1 series has very short overhangs, as is the style today. The total length of a 1 series, according to wikipedia, is onyl 171.7" while the CS is a rather generous 186.4", so you're looking at 14"+ of difference. Not having a coupe handy I don't know how that is distributed front to back, but assuming it is even for a moment thats quite a bit of additional overhang.
Interestingly, the CS is only 66.8" wide and the 1 series is 68.8 inches wide, so a full 2 inches wider! That's a bit unexpected, as the 1 seems so small.
However, all that being said, with the fibreglass front clip being available, and the wheelbase matching up, if you had access to the brightwork and someone could create a rear end clip (and I'm guessing Mr. Glass could), then I bet you could reskin the outer shell and maintain the driveline and modern interior, complete with airbags etc.
The other item that jumps out at me is the rake angle of the windshield. Looking at photos they don't look that far off but someone would need to measure.
In terms of the roofline, if you started with a 135i cabrio, then you would get the added rigidity of the convertible, which could be helpful if you're playing with the body skin, and you have the added benefit of being able to recreate faithfully the roofline of the CS. If you use a 135i coupe you're somewhat stuck with that roofline.
Just thinking out loud.
Of course the challenge is that the 1 series isn't selling all that well and hasn't trickled down in to the project car stratosphere yet. The 3 series would certainly be more appealing from that perspective, but that bang on wheelbase match is hard to ignore.
-Jeff
PS - To answer previous questions, I'm in Vancouver, BC. I know the Jamaican and the Manx, and a myriad of others of the same ilk, although only by reputation not through ownership.
The 2007+ 1 series cars have 104.7" wheelbases, and according to my googling the CS has a 105" wheelbase. Can someone confirm that? If that is the case then the idea of a reskin from that perspective is very intriguing, as the wheel arches will pretty much line up.
Of course the 1 series has very short overhangs, as is the style today. The total length of a 1 series, according to wikipedia, is onyl 171.7" while the CS is a rather generous 186.4", so you're looking at 14"+ of difference. Not having a coupe handy I don't know how that is distributed front to back, but assuming it is even for a moment thats quite a bit of additional overhang.
Interestingly, the CS is only 66.8" wide and the 1 series is 68.8 inches wide, so a full 2 inches wider! That's a bit unexpected, as the 1 seems so small.
However, all that being said, with the fibreglass front clip being available, and the wheelbase matching up, if you had access to the brightwork and someone could create a rear end clip (and I'm guessing Mr. Glass could), then I bet you could reskin the outer shell and maintain the driveline and modern interior, complete with airbags etc.
The other item that jumps out at me is the rake angle of the windshield. Looking at photos they don't look that far off but someone would need to measure.
In terms of the roofline, if you started with a 135i cabrio, then you would get the added rigidity of the convertible, which could be helpful if you're playing with the body skin, and you have the added benefit of being able to recreate faithfully the roofline of the CS. If you use a 135i coupe you're somewhat stuck with that roofline.
Just thinking out loud.
Of course the challenge is that the 1 series isn't selling all that well and hasn't trickled down in to the project car stratosphere yet. The 3 series would certainly be more appealing from that perspective, but that bang on wheelbase match is hard to ignore.
-Jeff
PS - To answer previous questions, I'm in Vancouver, BC. I know the Jamaican and the Manx, and a myriad of others of the same ilk, although only by reputation not through ownership.
