In a freak fire accident last night, the garage which housed the 2010 Speedhunters Rat and Car of the Year burned down. Everyone involved is okay but the car itself is just a shadow of what it once was
We've been following Mike
Burroughs' build of rusty for a few years now. And to many of us, it was like watching a child grow. Some absolutely hated this creation whereas others loved it and was inspired by it. In a time where bolt-on parts is a just mouse click away, Mike took the hard road and built Rusty with his own hands. Many parts were one-off fabrications. We're sad to see such an iconic car pass into time.
We send our deepest condolences to Rusty's creator, Michael Burroughs but knowing Mike, I'm sure he'll pick himself up, dust off his pants and shirt and get cracking on his next project soon enough!
-Linhbergh
Photos by Michael Burroughs and Matt Moye
Tragic.
One of the first cars I ever seen on Speedhunters. Also one of my favorites. Sad to see it go like this. R.I.P Rusty.
Redefined.
How the hell did that happen?
I notice some parts look removed...... were thoes sick rims able to be saved? The motor is gone too..... what's happening here.... hmmm
That sucks
sooo sad. the death of probably THE MOST (dare i say?) innovative bmw out there...
Unbelievable.
a terrible loss
..
Put it back together. It will look the same...
dam....hope everything goes well..
that is tragic. we'll remember this car as if it was a person..
rip
finally god could not let that abomination roll on his earth any more. death by fire
That's not patina, that's fire damage!
Rebuilt the burnt shell.
/END
I thought that was the look you were going for.... sorry.. hope everything is okay.. FIRE ARE SCARY AND DANGEROUS really sorry I pray next time you realize no one would steal it you could have kept it in the driveway... SORRY, REALLY THOUGH
that sucks, i know how this feels my brothers shop burned down not to long ago.
insurance job..... big time
" The motor is gone too..... "
If you look closely at the pic, you can see the block on the floor,
right below where it should have been, damn shame!
This is truly sad news. RIP Rusty.
i absolutely loved this car and it inspired me with my car .. it was a beautiful creation and i take my hat off tou you sir Michael Burroughs for your imagination and giving us all something great to look at !! chin up and build something new !! happy creating and i look forward to your next masterpiece !!
This is the next step in its build...surely.
All the parts taken off when it caught fire. What a coincidence. Knowing how MB spams everywhere with his cars this is probably just a publicity stunt. Either that or he's looking to scam his insurance company.
Good riddance, a ruined BMW is allowed to finally rest in peace.
So sad to see that! Any word on there being a car next to rusty, just hoping that his s52 e46 didn't also go up in flames:(
you'll be missed!!!
props if he rebuild that shell.
How did the wheels fare?
Seeing how the panels are now already distorted by head, it might be a good time finish the welds on the roof? Then try out a different sort of running gear? E28 parts aren't that hard to come by, and I've seen worse rebuilt into show cars.
Good luck, Mr Burroughs, whatever you choose to do.
P.S. Keep it "Fire finish" this time.
A legend has died:(
about bloody time, i never liked that car style. poor car though.
:'-(
That manifold should be the centerpiece of a Rusty Slammington memorial. RIP rusty...
what happened to the gold plated wheels?
RIP.
Sad, bad ...
One of my all time favourite cars ever. I'm genuinely sad to see it's gone.
I wish the best of luck to Micheal Burroughs for his next project.
RIP, I hate seeing this shit happen. Especially this car, it has influenced tons of people. Keep your head up mike.
Saddest thing I've seen in awhile, I was looking forward to seeing this car in Ocean City, MD this year if he was coming again. Brought a tear to my eye. Sorry for your loss.
"a shadow of what it once was" Just slap a set of gold ronals on that and your good to go.
I hope Rusty will return!
This car is cursed.
RIP rusty you were a great inspiration
old pic of rusty
http://www.eurghetto.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/spasticdwarf03.jpg
This is sad news! i loved the car..
We can rebuild him, we have the technology....he will be faster, cooler, and stanced beyond belief.
im one of the people who loved this car, an let it inspire me to stay on the path im on with my car. i hope everything works out an he builds another to equal or higher standards.
Completed the look...
Oh sad!!
I loved Rusty..... 
This honestly made me really sad
This car was by far one of the best I have ever seen my whole life. I'm not going to lie, I'm with Toker, I really wanted to cry. Good luck with your next car, and seriously people, it's fine if you are not a fan of the car, but show some goddamn respect.
This made my day.
I too started my speedhunters experience with this car. Lets not dwell on what once was and revel in the anticipation of the next peice of "stupidity" that will be. RIP Rusty.
Wow thats a shitty day right there, so sorry for you man. I didnt like the car one bit but I sure dont wish a fiery death on any mans project car, thats a shame. Just go bigger and better next time around, right?
Sad day for mike
but Idk why everyone is worried so much. Knoing mike he will be sad/mad for some time. then some though will come to his mind and Rusty will be back probably still looking burnt and sporting some new engine and rims.
Lets hope he doesnt crush the chassis
rip
AND NOTHING OF VALUE WAS LOST.
Seriously, that car is a shitpile. Whoops, I mean WAS a shitpile.
What a loss.....will miss Rusty
Looks like the fire started in the same bay the car was in. Looks fishy for sure
Noooo!! That car had a lot of soul. Any clues to how the fire started?
Rest in peace Rusty.
looks pretty much the same to me, just missing a few bits here and there
My Condolences. I don't know if it can come back from this one. R.I.P Rusty.
Pour some out for one's homies.
rust in peace.
DEGAF that car was lame as a hell
That car has had one hell of a life
So sad, that man and his car are such a huge inspiration of what is possible with vision, determination and lots of hard work. However it's going to be very exciting to see what he dreams up and builds next.
This is awful!!!!!!!!!!! How is the OP going to get attention now?
Hope mike brings rusty back from the dead again! If he doesnt, R.I.P my fav wallpaper car of all time.
So all the parts were removed prior to the fire?? so he doing another bmw?? Something smells fish here. Slap parts back on and a rewire and should look just like it did. You can tell the fire started on the bmwvside of garage. Must of been an electrical fire since the car looks to not have moved for awhile. Im calling shenanigans
I have been an arson investigator for nearly 5 years now and I have to say all the stuff worth money on that car seems to have been removed before the fire broke out. In my profession that does not look good. Not to say the car was not being worked on at the time but based on my past experience, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's usually a duck. the car was clearly the source of the fire. Not my case but I'd say Mr. Mike has some explaining to do.
was never a big fan of this car. but Mikes style was hella cool. sorry to see it go this way...
was his e36 saved???
thats sad.. i liked that one.
half torn down car. . .
expensive bits removed. . .
maybe he was hoping home owners would cover this one.
That's terrible, such a bummer. Easily the most original car ever created. My condolences to Mike B.
i remember when my best friends house back in 2004 burned to the ground.Gas fumes in his garage ignited when his water heater kicked on and blew his garage door off,destroyed the Pg&e transformer in his yard killing power to 20 city blocks. burned his house to the ground killing 3 of his dogs in the house.and melting the side of his nabors house. He lost his ninja steet bike and a Vw golf project and the house. But it didn't mater.. Besides the sad sad lost of his dogs his family excepted with there lives. _ you can always buy another car or bike or whatever . In the end its just stuff.
R I P Rusty. What a one of a kind car. He will be miss. Sorry about your car Mike B.
Its my idea so don't take it.. I'm the one making, The "REST IN PEACES RUSTY", Shirts ...
It looks exactly the same.
Im sorry to see that your car didnt make it I thought it was cool looking
Sad, I am not normally a huge rat fan, esp not with a bimmer as the base but that car just had something. It just was cool, regardless of how I normally felt about those types of mod rides. Sad to see.
IF this is the bmw im thinking of then whys the roof bak at standard hight theres not chop
WTF HAPPENED?!! O_O
I was there a few days before and this is truly unbelievable.. simply priceless stuff in this garage. RIP rusty.. get well michael,
Where is the rest of the car? No car in the other side of the garage? He had time to grab his camera and take a picture mid fire? I can't see that car being insured for much and I don't think he would sacrifice a legendary car but it certainly does seem fishy.
I really want to see it rebuilt as is though.
noooooo:(
i feel sorry for his next victim.
And nothing of value was lost.
Check out the video of the fire :(((((
http://uk.jalopnik.com/5790896/rusty-slammington-destroyed-in-fire
This is the saddest day for fanboys and wanabe's alike.
Love ya rusty. Rest In Peace.
OMG! Fuck thats so sad.....
holly shit!!!! my favorite car is death, no way !!!! I m really sad =(
R.I.P Rusty.
haters will hate but it was one awesome car and you gotta admire the time and effort put in.
=( sadface...
Looks much better now.
and nothing of value was lost
for people wondering where most of the car went, if parts were made of aluminum, the odds of them surviving a fire are absolutely tiny. I've seen melted rims before. The engine, however, is clearly just outside the garage door in the second photo.
hmmm...why are all the parts from the car gone like the hood, the fenders, and the whole front end
If only it was like a phoenix that'd rise from the ashes... but he had a good run. RIP Rusty.
I'm glad that everyone is unharmed though.
I too, loved and adord rusty, watching the build, following the cross crountry trip and loving the constant rebuilding of rusty. It hurts that rusty went out like this. mike borroughs, my deepest sympathies. I wouldnt know what to do if my project ended with such a tragic end. the only question i have now is, WHATS NEXT?
It lived hard and died fast. Rip you rusty car
Surely there must be something that can be salvaged and used on rusty v.2
hmm.. fishy. insurance fraud?
good. performance or gtfo.
This isn't a tragedy, it's an opportunity.
BUILD SON OF RUSTY
so sad to see this, probably one of the most original and most inspirational cars ive ever seen. but hey, this thing has been destroyed in accidents before, if he rebuilt it again, it would be unbelievable
that roof does not look chopped.
NNNNNNNNUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
As with meat, fire makes it better.
Fix it!
Don't see what all the crying is about, car will look the same as it did before burnt or not. And to everyone saying this is a good thing, whether or not you liked the car (I personally thought it was absolutely stupid), this dude lost all his tools, his workspace, and his pride and joy. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Best of luck to him and I just hope his next project doesn't include intentional rust because I know it will be whored out everywhere possible on the internet.
I'm gonna go ahead and figure on an electrical fire.........from the car...........starting with the dash
My, my, relax ya batties all you haters!!!!
BTW, the wheels were magnesium!!! Does anyone know what happens to Magnesium in a fire??? IT EXPLODES!!!!! Would be a lot more damage if they were on the car! Hmmmmmm
Get ready for the ultimate rat-rod rebuild.
EPIC COMMENTS! I didn't care for the car one bit, but I'm sorry for the owner. I can only imagine the blood, sweat, and tears he has poured into his artwork. For that, I'm sorry for his loss.
I feel we should all bow our heads for a moment of silence.....
Once again, I believe that Mike will be able to pick it up and raise himself to higher glory. Just like how he did with Rusty Slammington.
God is merciful and put this BMW to rest... It had suffered too much already ;P
man i am upset about this for real..... wow
http://m.jalopnik.com/5790896/rusty-slammington-destroyed-in-fire
Seems there is a video of the fire....taken by the owner himself.
I just don't get why its just the shell of the car?all the parts were removed before the fire?I'm saying insurance job.Or this is the next step in his abomination "rusty"..instead of rust he now thinks the fire damage look is cool..God I hate self entitled Hipster jackoffs....
INSURANCE JOB
On a side note....is it me or does that not look like his car?...looks like a stock roofed car...doesn't look like it has any sort of chop....
nooooo, not the 1jz!! D:
Okay the true story was the he tryed to start a bmw engine he had out side of the car and its made a spark near some people/oil and the trail back to a 5 gal petrol drum and the reason the engine and the wheels wernt on it is because he was smoothing the engine bay.
That is just bad , beyond bad. A tragic loss for the owner and to the world of customized cars.
Roll In Peace
Roll In Peace Rusty Slammington
even if the car was of no value in your eyes.. the effort put in and all that this car induced deserves respect
RIP Rusty.
RIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft%3A*&q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.stanceworks.com%2Fforums%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D18&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=
Insurance Fraud.
hahaha Bullshit! this game has been played. ok thanks bye
Such a sad moment to see that car turned into a heap of melted metal. But, as you guys also mentioned, Mike Burroughs wont give up easily. Stanceworks go!!
what a sad seenery!!!!!!!!
i love the goldy rims.. bye rusty..
I honestly thought the car was overrated, there are a million piles of crp out there that dont get the same recognition. I really hope this didnt inspire others to build crappy cars unless you want to be single for the rest of your life lol. Regardless, he did not deserve this. Hope he can continue and have his next car a little more tasteful.
Bye Rusty.
I'm shattered, most iconic bmw.
credit, if you rebuild it man
NOSSSSSS!!!!!!!
Rusty came back from the dead before!just maybe again it might happen only Mike himself will know the answser to that once he has checked the chassis out?glad no one got hurt tho could of been Mike himself in there or one of his buddys!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO rusty :(. its a tough lost. im sad and pist
NOSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!! oh man your killin me,,lol You made my day jay..lol
For those saying the engine isn't there, look in the 2nd picture, in front of the garage.
Sorry, but i just have to say this. What happened to the 24k Gold Plated magnesium Ronal Racing splits?
i think the world had it out for that car.
"Built by his own hands".................bwahahahahahahahahahahhaha, seriously............
insurance fo sho! where dem rims at?
Rusty will never die.
He returned once, hopefully he will again.
IM NOT BUYING IT
Cmon the car has no engine, xmember, suspension, or fenders?!?
The roof line dosent even match the chopped roof. its not the same car.
You guys actually falling for this crap? Next thing we are going to see is some gay "resurrection" article about it being burned to the ground and coming back to life.
This is a bunch of attention whore bull crap. We have seen it before in the past.....
good one
"I have been an arson investigator for nearly 5 years now and I have to say all the stuff worth money on that car seems to have been removed before the fire broke out. In my profession that does not look good. Not to say the car was not being worked on at the time but based on my past experience, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's usually a duck. the car was clearly the source of the fire. Not my case but I'd say Mr. Mike has some explaining to do."
His was was apart, but all the pieces were in the garage. He had rims, tools, his suspension, EVERYTHING in that garage. Check this link: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1636255
Everyone is saying Rusty to rest in pieces, but what about helping Mike? I`m suggesting that Speedhunters start a fundraising to help Mike fix back up Rusty.
haitArs did it :/ damn you haitArs!
This hurts to see. Go scrape some frame in heaven, Rusty.
@ Kristkaps
....screw relief to Japan, let's help rebuild some dysfunctional 'dope status' car.. come on man.
BULLSHIT! Wannabes be ashamed. Speedhunters be ashamed.
so sad to see it go: I attend MTSU this car (and shop) was located right across the street from campus...I remember seeing it when it still had some paint....best of luck guys, and so sorry to see what happened to Rusty, Borroughs
IT WAS BAWN IN THE FIRES OF MOUNT DOOM...ONLY THERE COULD IT BE UNMADE.....
Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber (Platoon theme song) comes to mind as I reflect on the entire build log from the bimmer forums...
... Karma returns ?
this seems to get more fishy as it unfolds....
http://vimeo.com/22223287
IT WAS BAWN IN THE FIRES OF MOUNT DOOM...ONLY THERE COULD IT BE UNMADE.....
Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber (Platoon theme song) comes to mind as I reflect on the entire build log from the bimmer forums...
OMG
It's an accomplishment to make something so unrefined look so majestically beautiful.
R.I.P.
R.I.P i saw this car in real life it was so nice i hope speedhunters will help him rebuld one rusty car agian !!
i cant explain the heavy feeling in my stomache as i scroll through this page to see this. I know that feel, bro.
Sad to see such a controversial car gone.
http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16717&page=12
With tears running down my dropped jaw face. Please tell me it's not so. My favorite car since it was black on black with just a rusted hood. One of the most interesting car builds i've followed to date. Mike please rebuild or at least start something else as good or better. Rusty will forever have a saved file on my hard drive.
http://i54.tinypic.com/2w348ec.jpg
What goes around comes around they say.
The fuck?! If you can't use a welder safely then do your car a huge favor and just put the welder down. Well, anyways.... we all knew in the back of our minds that this is where the car was going to end up sooner or later with an owner that didn't know when exactly to just stop. But hey knowing the way Mike seems to do things... you never know, maybe he'll leave it in the rain to rust, then through an engine, brakes, suspension, wheels, and tires on it and he'll have the next big fad on Speedhunters... Lighting your car on fire. Just watch him win this years car and rat award again with the poor thing. Eitherway, RIP Rusty... for now.
It's so sad.
I finally got to see the car in person for the first time at H2Oi,
it was so tuff
I'm sorry for your lost Mike Burrough..
you really made this car the best rat rod it become...
I hope you overcome this tragic quickly.. It's the end of a new beginning Mike..
Continue your passion.. I'm now going to take a second course.. engineering b'coz this site inspired me and gave me what my real passion is.. and also by you,. your radical rat rod that i really Appreciate most,
the details and how well you made it..
one of the few rat rods i loved, saddd T_T
i love u rusty
very sad loss of one of the most origional inovativ e28s on the planet ! if the shell aint warped throw an engine in and let it live
I always hated that car.
I hope it's actually gone.
IT WAS IN A FIRE?
LOOKS LIKE THE SAME CRAPPED OUT PIECE OF JUNK TO ME.
hopefully it will just be rebuilt instead of scrapted
RIP Rusty
vroom.your a douche.alex...you waste energy with your comments and i cant tell that you got off on this. i didnt even try to find anymore negativity in here.....hold on....let me retract that statement..the fish...damn. your a sad individual. i shake my head at people like you. that car was a man's passion...his expression...and because it wasn't to up to your standards....you take a piss at it...or cheap shots. people like you give the auto enthusiast a bad name. oh btw...before you bash..don't worry about some little petty comeback war. i think i said enough to make more than you three think. god bless
I just go to know Rusty... im sad.. RIP Mr. Slammington
sounds like insurance fraud to me lol
Rusty Slammington, a car that is either absolutely loved, or absolutely hated. There was never any middle
I remember this day, it was a sad moment for one of my favorite cars in the scene and by far my favorite euro. I'm glad that now years later rusty was reborn, and in a way I feel only Mike would pull off.