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Who Is Schneller? |
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Mike Morris
founded Schneller BMW Performance officially in 1994. A BMW enthusiast
& BMW Car Club Member since 1984, Mike was drawn into the BMW
business through his passion for tuning & tweaking BMWs, ultimately
making them “FASTER”, which is what “SCHNELLER” means in German.
So, there is no “Mr. Schneller” although Mike is often addressed as
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| Schneller made its appearance
on the BMW Tuner Map in 1994 when Mike built, a BMW that the factory
would never produce: a BMW 3 series powered by what was then BMWs most
powerful street legal engine, a tuned 360HP S38 M5 engine. At the time
it was one of the quickest & fastest BMWs available. Accelerating
from 0-60mph in 5.25 seconds w/ a top speed of 170-180mph (170 was
observed, but engine revs were still climbing & not yet at redline!)
it even offered more performance than BMW’s 240HP 6 cylinder M3
introduced later that year.
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The car was not only
fast, but with a redesigned suspension & brakes it could also handle
& stop as well. The drive train conversion was executed with factory
like perfection and what’s more, the car was 50 states smog legal. The BMW enthusiast
press picked up on the car. It was reviewed in EUROPEAN
CAR, England’s PERFORMANCE BMW, and
BMW Car Club’s ROUNDEL
magazines. All this press put Schneller in the BMW performance
limelight. Three additional M335s were thus produced, 2 from NY State
and another all the way from Oxnard California. As Mike became known for his expertise in BMW drive train conversions, customers sought him out to build some unusual cars: a 360HP 6 speed M7, a 360HP M5 Station wagon, and a true sleeper European Spec 520i powered by a 300HP S52 M3 engine. Mike Morris, concurrently with Pete McHenry of Precision Performance in Alexandria, VA pioneered the BMW M50/S50 performance engine conversions for the BMW e30 Chassis. This popular & relatively affordable drive train conversion led to some 30 additional performance car conversions using BMW’s 6 cylinder (S50 & S52) M3 engines as their basis. Some of these cars have fallen into the hands of other internet “tuners” who now sell internet parts kits & “how to” instructions for the backyard mechanic seeking to do this conversion on their own. |
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| The EUROPEAN CAR article attracted Hamilton Massachusetts native Jennifer Wright to Schneller. A car enthusiast herself, and always wanting to drive fast cars on the track, Mike & Jen had a lot in common. | |
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| Soon love was in the air, and after a trip to Germany & a few days of hot rodding around the famed Nurburgring Race Circuit, Mike asked Jen to Marry him. They then stole away to the British Virgin Island of Tortolla that winter where they were married. | |
| Two years later their son Hans was born. Weighing in at 7 lbs 11 ounces that then became the number of the Schneller race car. | |
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| Surrounded by fast cars & mechanical things, Hans has developed into a little gear head himself and in 2006 at the age of 7 he completed the Junior Karting Program at F1 Boston. | |
| Both long time BMW Car Club
Members, Jen & Mike have participated in & sponsored numerous
club driving schools and have since both become licensed BMW CCA Club
Racers & HI Performance Driving Instructors. Should you sign up for
a BMWCCA High Performance Driver Education event in New England, you
might well get Jen or Mike as your instructor!
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| Jen Lifting a wheel at NHIS in NH… | |
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| Mike at Le Circuit Mt
Tremblant, |
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| While she is a fast &
capable driver, Jen’s primary occupation is being the proprietor of
JEN WRIGHT SIGNS, a sign
and graphics company that specializes in commercial & residential
signage, ranging from simple computer generated & cut vinyl
graphics, to hand lettering & gold leaf signs. Jen also entered
politics in 2006 as the first female elected to the position of
Selectman for the town of Newbury, MA.
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| Pow Wow River Grille, Amesbury, MA… | |
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| Benson & Hedges Touring Car Replika by Jen Wright for Declan Mulready… | |
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| An established &
reputable family owned business, Schneller has been servicing BMWs for
some 14 years now. Given the length of time in business, local
BMW drivers have surmised that if Mike could build fast BMWs and
race cars, then he could probably do one heck of a tune-up & brake
job. Hence Schneller has evolved into a BMW Service Shop that has its
roots set deeply in BMW performance. Area BMW drivers now reap the
benefits of this evolution.
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