$2000 Challenge: Like a fast family reunion for hardcore car nerds

1st: McSpool | 1999 Mazda Miata

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTU$
• Autocross Time: 50.315 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 11.804 sec.
• Concours Score: 20.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1980.52

While looking for an LS, Mikey Hoffstetter found a BMW N54, the brand’s twin-turbo engine from a decade-plus ago that found its way into numerous sedans, coupes and SUVs. On this example, both turbos, aftermarket replacements, were bad. He still bought it. 

To fit the engine into his Miata chassis, though, Mikey had to cut, cut and cut some more. He relocated the radiator to the trunk. Mikey’s sister, Jessica, painted the WWII-theme nose art on the doors. (That’s Marilyn Monroe on one side.)

After making its $2000 Challenge debut last year, the Meemer, as it’s known, returned with some upgrades: the least expensive intercooler found on eBay, smaller Maxpeedingrods GT35 turbos and some work to make the car “reliable-ish.” During pre-event testing, one of the shortened axles snapped, so both were rewelded. Full video on our YouTube.

• 1st overall ($1000 Tire Rack gift card)
• 1st in GTU$ ($250 GRM Store gift card)
• 1st in GTU$ Drags
• 2nd in GTU$ Autocross
• 3rd in GTU$ Concours (case of assorted products from CRC Industries)

2nd: Team BDE | 1965 Datsun 1500 Roadster

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTU$
• Autocross Time: 50.926 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 13.831 sec.
• Concours Score: 20.75 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1946.35

It’s far from stock. “This is a Datsun roadster body out of a farm field and a 1984 F Mod formula car chassis that’s been hacked and extended, and we put springs on it and a different motor and all kinds of stuff,” team leader Robbie Cutcliffe explains, summing up an 850-hour build in one run-on sentence. Power now comes from a 2009 Honda CBR600RR–stock output is about 120 horsepower at 13,500 rpm. 

We’ve watched this $2000 Challenge entry evolve over the years. For 2023, it got a new suspension, replacing the original rubber pucks that served as both spring and damper with a true independent setup using rear Honda CBR motorcycle shocks at all four corners. The swap required a new rear end, too, as the original stick axle had to be replaced. (The rear suspension broke during the competition, but Robbie stitched it back together in the parking lot.)

Robbie’s 8-year-old son did the graphics. “I was really nervous about letting him go crazy on it,” Dad admits. “As soon as he got going, I was like, ‘You’re way better than me anyway.’

“I’m standing there in the garage watching him work and he says, ‘Mistakes make it look better because drawings aren’t perfect,’ and I’m like, ‘He’s a better philosopher than me, too.’”

• 2nd overall ($500 Tire Rack gift card)
• 1st in GTU$ Concours (CRC BenchTop Pro SmartWasher from CRC Industries)

3rd: Corses Historique | 1985 Chevrolet Corvette

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTU$
• Autocross Time: 50.731 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 13.163 sec.
• Concours Score: 19.50 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1995.61

The key to a successful $2000 Challenge car? “Find a good, reliable chassis and basically have fun with it,” notes car owner Steve Stafford, an event regular and motorsports aerodynamicist in real life. “Use something reliable as a starting point.”

While his C4 Corvette–now configured to resemble an early ’90s IMSA GTP car–looks radical, it’s fairly stock underneath that fiberglass, plywood and aluminum tubing. For this year, he also tweaked the suspension, lowering the ride height and working on his setup. The car’s cross weight checks in at a perfect 50%.

• 3rd overall ($250 Tire Rack gift card)
• 3rd in GTU$ Autocross

4th: Shelby Dodge Auto Club/Team Mini Me | 1996 Dodge Neon

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTU$
• Autocross Time: 51.045 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 12.421 sec.
• Concours Score: 17.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1976.07

Why has this group been a staple of the $2000 Challenge since its first running nearly 25 years ago? “Number one reason is the people,” explains the team’s Bill Cuttitta. “It’s good to race with like-minded people who think outside of the box.”

Sadly, though, team member Barry Miles passed away in December. “When he became ill, he said he wanted to run the Challenge one more time with this car,” Bill says. “We’re here to honor that wish. He loved the event and was the one who convinced us to start doing it as a group in 1999.”

The car’s recipe is a simple, proven one: big engine in a smaller car. In this case, power now comes from a turbocharged 2.4-liter engine pulled from a swapped Neon and augmented by a low-buck nitrous setup that uses a fifth injector and a fish tank valve. The suspension is likewise simple, as it’s based on an old SCCA Showroom Stock kit: Konis and lowering springs of unknown origin. “Everything that we did on this is like the same old-school crap that we were doing 25 to 30 years ago,” teammate Pat Culkin explains. 

In addition to keeping it simple, he recommends $2000 Challenge builds that can run in other venues, noting the Neon’s SCCA and drag race tech stickers. “I like having stuff that’s more versatile,” he adds. While chasing the pink Taurus, Pat snapped an axle on the drag strip.

• 3rd in GTU$ Drags

5th: Travis Turner | 1969 Lotus Europa

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTU$
• Autocross Time: 54.310 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 12.031 sec.
• Concours Score: 19.25 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1613.76

“It’s the GRM free Europa,” Travis reports. “It’s been attempted to become a Challenge car by at least five different people, including me.” That streak goes back approximately 18 years, he figures. 

Travis got the car–for free, of course–from Paul Fenner, another longtime $2000 Challenge participant, but it came with a string attached: Travis had to buy a rolled-over Toyota Avalon, Paul’s intended engine donor vehicle. 

“I liked Paul’s plan,” Travis adds. “He did a lot of research. I think it was a good idea and decided to take it on. That was in 2020.” Travis made it all work–watch our YouTube channel for more–building the car in his two-car garage. “Sometimes in the driveway,” he adds. “I don’t have a big shop or anything.”

• 2nd in GTU$ Drags
• Challenger’s Choice ($500 Tire Rack Gift Card)

6th: The Blockbusters | 1986 Pontiac Fiero

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 52.874 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 12.542 sec.
• Concours Score: 17.75 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1950.78

When seeking improved performance, how about simply following the factory’s lead? Fiero enthusiasts know that the 1988 cars–the final year for the model–featured a revived, improved rear suspension. This team of automotive engineers found a 1988 rear cradle that wasn’t good enough to use, but it was good enough to copy in tubular steel. Then they fit a modified Mercury Marquis anti-roll bar and rod ends. 

Last year, this team ran a 3.4-liter Camaro V6 in the Fiero. For 2023, the team fitted the entire drivetrain from a supercharged Cobalt SS. “The guy crashed it going like 150 on the highway and just completed tacoed it,” the team’s Jacob Sheradin explains. “It sounds like it has cam. It has a pulley.” The group figures the new engine is good for more than 250 horsepower, a 100-horsepower bump over the previous setup. 

• 1st in GTN$ ($250 GRM Store gift card)
• 1st in GTN$ Drags • 1st in GTN$ Concours (CRC BenchTop Pro SmartWasher from CRC Industries)
• 2nd in GTN$ Autocross

7th: Material Girl Racing | 2013 Ford Taurus

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTW$
• Autocross Time: 51.621 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 12.533 sec.
• Concours Score: 15.75 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1492.30

Forget your Miata. You need a Taurus SHO cop car: two turbos, all-wheel-drive traction and room for the entire crew–in this case, four high school girls. Alan McCrispin, one of our weekend’s pro drivers, said it nearly reminds him of a Subaru STi.

Katie, the ringleader, so to speak, has been joining her family at the $2000 Challenge for years. Last year, she formed a team with three friends: Teresa Pearlman, Sam Sentell and Gia Privitera.

For the team’s debut last year, they replaced the bent control arms and fixed the wiring harness–rodents chewed it up, they assumed. Tacked-on fender flares and some cat-inspired graphics camouflaged the damaged bodywork.

For this year, the team returned with a new name–Material Girl Racing–as well as a new paint job inspired by drag racing legend Shirley Muldowney. “We went to the largest retailer for some special UV-resistant paint,” Katie explains, pausing for dramatic effect. “We went to Walmart. Got some house paint. And we mixed it with glitter.” For this year, the team also reflashed the ECU, installed a racing bucket and worked to shed weight wherever possible. 

During the event, they made a discovery: a button on the end of the shifter that provides maximum engine braking while downshifting to the lowest possible gear. Basically, it unlocks a pursuit mode.

• 1st in GTW$ ($250 GRM Store gift card)
• 1st in GTW$ Autocross ($500 Tire Rack gift card)
• 1st in GTW$ Concours (CRC BenchTop Pro SmartWasher from CRC Industries)
• 2nd in GTW$ Drags

8th: Wreck Racing | 1990 Nissan 300ZX

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTU$
• Autocross Time: 52.463 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 15.051 sec.
• Concours Score: 20.25 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1950.78

A shortened build cycle didn’t stunt Wreck Racing’s creativity, as the team fitted a burned-up, EV-powered Factory Five 818 chassis with a Honda K24 engine and topped it with a modified Nissan 300ZX body. 

This definitely wasn’t a bolt-together project. “To mate the K24 to the existing transaxle,” the team explains in its build book, “we designed a custom adaptor plate out of welded scrap aluminum.” And to fit the Nissan body, they had to move the front wheel arches back 3 inches. The fire destroyed the 818’s shifter cables, so new ones were fabricated.

Some dumpster diving also paid off: The fuel lines came from a nearby motorsports team.

• 2nd in GTU$ Concours ($100 gas card from CRC Industries)

9th: Emotional Damage | 1991 Mazda Miata

Photography Credit: J.A. Ackley

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 50.238 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 13.517 sec.
• Concours Score: 14.50 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1971.70

“Runs and drives like crap!!!!!” the Facebook Marketplace ad plainly stated, showing a dirty, forlorn Miata sitting on the deck. The listing also promised a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine. Asking price: $2200.

Jonathan Whitaker paid $1400 for the car and found some surprises soon after. Surprise one: Someone had swapped in a 1.8-liter engine from a 1994-’95 Miata. Surprise two: The car also had a Torsen diff from a newer Miata. And surprise three: After a day on the dyno, the Miata made 256 horsepower along with 250 lb.-ft. of torque at the wheels. (While the car also came with a SpeedyEFI standalone ECU, Jonathan found it to be a bit primitive.) 

The entire build took just five weeks, including the anime paint job done with spray paint found in a garage.

• 1st in GTN$ Autocross ($500 Tire Rack gift card)
• 2nd in GTN$ Drags
• 3rd in GTN$ Concours (case of assorted products from CRC Industries)

10th: Andy Suprenant | 2002 Toyota MR2 Spyder

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTU$
• Autocross Time: 50.212 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 14.694 sec.
• Concours Score: 16.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1875.23

Is a project car ever truly finished? Andy wonders the same thing, pointing to his stripped-bare MR2 Spyder as an example. This car has made four consecutive $2000 Challenge appearances with something new each time: It lost some weight, it lost a lot of weight, and then it got more power courtesy of a 2ZZ engine swap. 

Last year, he notes, fellow competitors suggested that a shorter, lighter wheel-and-tire package might help autocross performance–although the MR2 was already a solid second-place finisher. Andy swapped over to some “cheap” 13x8-inch wheels wrapped with Avons this time and found himself standing on the top rung. 

• 1st in GTU$ Autocross ($500 Tire Rack gift card)

11th: Patrick Caherty | 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Monza

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTU$
• Autocross Time: 53.230 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 15.666 sec.
• Concours Score: 19.25 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1989.10

“We’re looking at a ’65 Corvair Monza as seamlessly integrated with as many parts from a ’94 Corvette as I could smash into it,” Patrick explains. That means the patinaed tub now contains Corvette power, Corvette brakes and Corvette suspension. “I built it in a 2.0-car garage that I share with all of my bicycles and my lathe, drill press and workbench–and my wife’s car occasionally.”

Work continued into the host hotel parking lot the night before the event, and fellow competitors joined in. One last issue they had to tackle: engine heat. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so hot in here,’” Patrick recounts. “Someone was like, ‘Dude, moving blankets, duct tape.’”

Now that he knows the plan is structurally sound, he’s pondering a wider wheel-and-tire setup, one that may involve box flares–think ’70s-era IMSA racer. 

12th: David Brown | 2004 BMW 325i

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTU$
• Autocross Time: 50.895 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 15.459 sec.
• Concours Score: 12 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1938.48

David presents an easy formula for a track rat: His E46-chassis 325i still runs the original 2.5-liter engine, which remains unopened after some 235,000 miles. He’s lightened the car while fitting BC coil-overs and some Hoosiers. The open differential remains, while an exhaust header has been installed because the cats were clogged. 

It pulls the 3.0-liter E46s on track, he notes. The car has only seen two track days, but with “a bunch” of people sharing it, he adds.

13th: Dave Robertson | 2007 BMW 328i

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTU$
• Autocross Time: 51.959 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 15.078 sec.
• Concours Score: 12 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1428.00

A track rat that’s a little newer than the trusty E46-chassis BMW? How about an E92, the follow-up model? David Brown bought this one via an insurance auction a month before the $2000 Challenge and asked Dave, an old friend, to pick it up and transport it to the event. The car cost $825 plus fees, bringing the total to $1228. Prep was simple: Pull the rear seat and fit some used Hoosiers on a set of used wheels.

14th: Mel Brown | 2007 BMW 328i

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTW$
• Autocross Time: 52.626 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 15.108 sec.
• Concours Score: 12.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1613.00

Here’s another quick BMW build involving David Brown, as he purchased this one from an insurance auction the Monday before the Challenge. On Wednesday, 21-year-old Mel Brown, David’s nephew, flew to South Carolina to help retrieve the car. They taped the front fender back on, fit some 200tw tires and made the big show in Florida that weekend.

• 2nd in GTW$ Autocross

15th: Jeremy Randolph | 2003 BMW Dunebuggy

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 53.707 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 16.175 sec.
• Concours Score: 13.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1996.50

Despite this BMW kart’s bare-bones looks, Jeremy has been working to make it a bit less primitive since fellow longtime entrant Robbie Cutcliffe ran it last year. “I made it a little more civilized,” Jeremy notes. “I put a dashboard on it. I put leather heated seats in it. I put a hood on it, radiator core support, headlights. Fortunately, there are eleventy billion E46s in the junkyard.”

So why the E46 kart? “I’ve been looking for a kart, and then this thing is all-wheel drive and had the potential for four seats,” reports Jeremy, who’s been coming to the $2000 Challenge since the first one back in 1999. “I thought it would make a cool Jeep stand-in.”

• 3rd in GTN$ Autocross

16th: Dwayne Hutchinson | 2001 BMW 330ci

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTW$
• Autocross Time: 54.665 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 15.465 sec.
• Concours Score: 12.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $977.17

David Brown introduced Dwayne, a childhood friend, to track events last year. A week before the $2000 Challenge, Dwayne picked up this BMW. “Dwayne got bit by the bug,” David quips. And since that event, they both joke, the car has sat. “It’s still a 1-week-old-build car,” Dwayne laughs.

• 3rd in GTW$ Autocross

17th: Wreck Racing Classic | 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300D

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 59.891 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 16.413 sec.
• Concours Score: 17.75 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1784.57

The plan, Matthew Foster explains, was to build a rallycross car. The 350 Chevy engine, originally fitted to a 1972 pickup, came from his parts stash. The Benz chassis previously belonged to his grandfather, although the sedan had been sitting outside for years and needed new floors. 

“All-terrain tires, mounted on Mercedes SL wheels, were added for increased rally performance,” he notes, “and a GPS speedometer was mounted in the dash using a 3D-printed bracket.”

• 2nd in GTN$ Concours ($100 gas card from CRC Industries)

18th: Wong Kei Racing and Fabrication | 1967 Datsun Roadster

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 56.650 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 14.881 sec.
• Concours Score: 12.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1954.08

Who needs a fancy wrap? Kurt Hennard added the plaid to his Datsun’s bodywork with tape and spray paint. “The fender was just screwed up and shitty,” he explains, “so we decided it would be fun to put some weird-color paint on it.” Then he distressed the paint with 1000-grit sandpaper and polished it up. “Just a little artistic endeavor,” he adds.

Aside from the updated graphics and a limited-slip differential grabbed from a Ford Ranger, the Datsun is a carryover from last time, with power still coming from a Nissan KA24DE fitted with a $20 turbocharger from a diesel Chevy truck.

• 3rd in GTN$ Drags

19th: Nicholas Weaver | 2001 Audi TT

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 55.973 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 15.990 sec.
• Concours Score: 12.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1916.88

Here’s another repeat entry and another recipe for simple, reliable performance. “I do a lot of Volkswagen Audi part-outs, so I was able to get some good deals,” Nicholas explains. The Audi is mostly stock aside from Bilstein coil-overs, a Neuspeed rear anti-roll bar, rear toe rods, colder plugs, a cold-air intake, Hankook tires and a reflashed ECU. 

What’s new for this year? “One sticker is different,” he points out. The car will soon break out of the budget class, though, as a new engine and KW suspension are in the plans. “It’s an awesome time and you get to see these really, really cool cars,” Nick says of the $2000 Challenge. “Seeing some of the stuff people show up with is absolutely insane.”

20th: Team Brandon | 1994 Ford Mustang GT

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTW$
• Autocross Time: 56.399 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 16.449 sec.
• Concours Score: 9.75 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1857.57

“I believe that everyone should know how to drive a manual transmission, and my son would be a new driver soon,” John Sommersdorf states. His son’s first car, this Mustang, had been sitting since 2016: The ignition had been punched, and it was said to need a new alternator and water pump. John traded a gun for the car. 

“While looking on eBay and Amazon,” he adds, “I also ordered a cold-air intake and a short-throw shifter.”

21st: William Ehrman | 1990 Saab 900 Turbo Convertible

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 59.039 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 17.328 sec.
• Concours Score: 12.75 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1606.47

William has been coming to the $2000 Challenge since about 2005. This time, he enlisted a new teammate: his 16-year-old daughter, Becca. “Naturally, my first place to look for a car was the GRM forum,” William reports. “It was being sold by a forum member, which meant I was probably dealing with a stand-up guy. Spoiler alert: Damn right he is!” 

The Saab had been sitting since 2014, so the father-and-daughter duo replaced the slashed convertible top while fixing the electrical problems and performing a tune-up. They then drove the car 800 miles to the event. “I know it’s a little scary,” Becca says of the prospect of building that first project car, “but it’s so worth it.”

22nd: Team Saab Story, the Redux | 1998 Saab 9000 CSE

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 59.189 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 16.189 sec.
• Concours Score: 10.75 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1890.11

When this Saab first appeared at the $2000 Challenge back in 2017, Wyatt Fletcher unceremoniously dumped the transaxle guts at the drag strip’s starting line. The victory lap came in the form of a 180-mile AAA tow to his parents’ house. “We took home last place for our efforts, which still felt like a win given that we competed at all,” Wyatt says. 

“It took me three years to find a replacement trans,” he reports, adding that a bit of project creep increased the degree of difficulty. “It’s actually quite a car,” he says of the Saab in its current condition, as it received a freshened suspension during the driveline work. Why put the work into this project? “The creativity, the camaraderie,” he reports. “These are people I understand.”

23rd: Evan Williams | 2011 BMW 535i xDrive

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTW$
• Autocross Time: 54.877 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 14.765 sec.
• Concours Score: 3.75 pts.
• Budget Spent: $2000.00

Evan was told by the seller that this BMW needed a new transmission. Since Evan works for the company that makes the unit, he figured he’d take the gamble. That swing paid off: To date, Evan hasn’t been able to replicate the alleged transmission issues, meaning he bought a running, driving modern BMW for $2000 even. The finish was completely swirled, he adds, so $2000 Challenge prep centered around paint correction.

• 3rd in GTW$ Drags

24th: Jordan Wheeler | 1991 Mazda Miata

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 62.010 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 15.047 sec.
• Concours Score: 11.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $599.94

How can you easily participate in the $2000 Challenge? Buy a $500 turbo Miata from a fellow GRM forum member and then install some used wheels fitted with fresh Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS tires. Total time spent on the build? One day.

25th: Chris Rodrigues | 2004 Chrysler Crossfire

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTW$
• Autocross Time: 55.950 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 15.563 sec.
• Concours Score: 0.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1000.00

Chris also took the easy route, purchasing a car that ran at last year’s $2000 Challenge. “I haven’t done anything to the car besides drive it,” he reports, “although I do have plans to gain some budget back and make some modifications. The car has had some things removed to reduce weight, but nothing too serious.”

• 1st $1000 Budget ($250 GRM Store gift card)

26th: Scott Lowden | 1972 Triumph SpitSix

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 67.521 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 20.197 sec.
• Concours Score: 14.50 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1337.00

Scott, a longtime Triumph enthusiast, took a gamble: The listing for an auction of airplane parts also included the words “Triumph motor.” He made a little stand so he could transport his potential quarry back home in his Lexus. 

He arrived at the auction to find others assuming that the inline-six engine was from General Motors, but Scott knew what it really was. The auctioneer asked if there were any takers at $500. Scott replied with $25. “And he gives me this drop-dead look that was hysterical,” Scott recalls. After a very short bidding war–more like a quick skirmish–Scott had his new engine for $60.

He fit the six-cylinder engine in his $300 Spitfire–a popular swap back in the day–and installed used Konis and coil-overs. A set of adaptors allowed fitting of the early Miata wheels. “The Miata wheels, people give these away,” Scott reports. “There’s nobody in the world who wants them–except me.”

• 3rd in GTN$ Concours (case of assorted products from CRC Industries)

27th: D&S Racing | 1979 Chevrolet Malibu

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTW$
• Autocross Time: 73.605 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 15.850 sec.
• Concours Score: 13.50 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1934.81

“It’s my high school car,” Stan Dorsey says of his Malibu. He bought it back in the fall of 1987. “I liked the way it looked. It seemed quick, but it wasn’t.”

After throwing a rod, though, the car was parked for some 20 years. A recent engine swap brought it back online, but Stan fitted something a bit unexpected: a Toyota 2JZ. The car’s sea trials came during the drive from Stan’s home in Indiana to our Florida event, and the biggest issue was a 40-year-old circuit breaker causing the fans to stop spinning. 

Stan’s been a $2000 Challenge regular since 2002. What keeps him coming back? The people, he says.

• 3rd in GTW$ Concours (case of assorted products from CRC Industries)

28th: Happy Cactus Racing | 2005 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 57.835 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 17.888 sec.
• Concours Score: 0.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $2000.00

Matthew Kennedy and his girlfriend now live in Seattle but were going to be on the East Coast for a wedding. So, they figured, why not return to the $2000 Challenge? The Jetta came from a friend living in South Carolina who has “since upgraded,” Matthew explains. They had no plans for what to do with the car after the event. In fact, they attempted to auction it off to fellow competitors just before the awards ceremony.

29th: The Green Party | 1978 Ford LTD

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 75.562 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 22.199 sec.
• Concours Score: 13.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1896.54

“I found the car on Marketplace in a search for the most cheapest, ridiculous vehicle that could drive back to my house,” Derek Nixon reports of his one-family survivor that previously spent 20 years in a barn. “We limped the tired old 351 home and had a great time boating and breaking down around town while trying to get the last bits of life out of the stock configuration.”

When his fellow Georgia Tech alumni pulled the diesel engine from their Mercedes-Benz 300D, Derek saw the makings of a cool, unusual swap. Both engines use front-sump oil pans, he notes, making it a fairly easy project. On the way to the $2000 Challenge, he reported no issues along with 29 mpg.

30th: Down to the Wire | 1995 BMW 325i

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTN$
• Autocross Time: 90.511 sec.
• Drag E.T.: 18.033 sec.
• Concours Score: 0.00 pts.
• Budget Spent: $1200.00

Adding forced induction to a $2000 Challenge car is nothing new, but in this case, Mark Stively removed it. The previous owner, a past $2000 Challenge competitor, had fit a turbocharged LS. The simplified setup allowed Mark, a first-timer at the event, to move the V8 farther back in the chassis. “I loved it,” Mark says of the event. “I wish the transmission would have held through the whole thing. By the time I got to the drags, I had first gear and third gear. Second and fourth were gone.”

31st: Granny Savage Hot Rods | 2000 GMC Sonoma SLS

Photography Credit: Dave Green

• Class: GTW$
• Autocross Time: N/A
• Drag E.T.: 12.171 sec.
• Concours Score: 15.25 pts.
• Budget Spent: $2000.00

Alan McCrispin, one of the event’s guest pro drivers, called Johnny Willis’ truck one of the most fun entries of the event: a 5.3-liter V8 with a turbo, a welded differential and the factory bench seat. “I was sliding from the door all the way to the center of the seat,” he says. “It got so bad, I was palming it.”

• 1st in GTW$ Drags
• 2nd in GTW$ Concours ($100 gas card from CRC Industries)

Over-Budget Challengers

Photography Credit: Dave Green

The $2000 Challenge welcomes more than just cars built for $2000. How about modern specials, home-built creations, turbocharged Vipers and even an airplane? Yes, a plane: Jeff Bloch, aka Speedycop, showed up with Spirit of Lemons, his famed, polished, de-winged 1956 Cessna. 

The more, the merrier, right? The $2000 Challenge weekend now features classes for all-comers: SCCA regulars, past $2000 Challengers and those who aren’t good at math. 

Something new for this year: a tech talk by Daniel Cummings, last year’s overall winner. The topic was project car management–in real life Cummings is a mechanical engineer–and for show and tell he brought along his rotary-powered, wide-body MG Midget, a popular build on the GRM forum.

Over-Budget Results

Photography Credit: Dave Green

Autocross Top 3

• GTU
  • 1st: Lou Hudyman, 2020 Porsche GT4: 47.545 sec. ($500 Tire Rack gift card, $150 RockAuto Gift Card from ACI Automotive)
  • 2nd: Daniel Cummings, 1978 MG Midget: 49.835 sec.
  • 3rd: Carlos Morales, 2015 Porsche 911 GTS: 50.339 sec.
• GTW
  • 1st: Dan Simionescu, 2005 Mazda Miata: 49.182 sec. ($500 Tire Rack gift card)
  • 2nd: Scott McGlone, 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STi: 49.196 sec.
  • 3rd: Gerry Bonet, 2017 Ford Focus RS: 49.968 sec.
• GTN
  • 1st: Brad Alderman, 2020 Mazda Miata: 50.895 sec. ($500 Tire Rack gift card)
  • 2nd: Derek Stewart, 1999 Mazda Miata: 52.585 sec.
  • 3rd: Timothy Cahill: 2015 Cadillac ATS: 56.357 sec.

Drag Racing Top 3

• GTU
  • 1st: Jonathan Whitaker, 2002 Dodge Viper GTS: 11.362 sec. (Millermatic 211 MIG Welder from Miller)
  • 2nd: Lou Hudyman, 2020 Porsche GT4: 12.266 sec.
  • 3rd: Nick Sheehan, 2011 Chevrolet Corvette GS: 13.297 sec.
• GTW
  • 1st: Michael Simmons, 2021 Tesla Model 3 Performance: 11.492 sec.
  • 2nd: Scott McGlone, 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STi: 13.462 sec.
  • 3rd: Michelle Tootle, Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0: 13.469 sec.
• GTN
  • 1st: Timothy Cahill, 2015 Cadillac ATS: 13.606 sec.
  • 2nd: Pedro Tovar, 2001 Nissan SE: 13.981 sec.
  • 3rd: Jeff Bloch, 1956 Cessna 310: 14.585 sec.

Fastest Dynamic Time

• Lou Hudyman, 2020 Porsche GT4 ($150 RockAuto gift card from ACI Automotive)