Going faster with the model that put BMW on the compact performance car map

Think BMW 2002 and the image which comes to mind is the boldly striped Turbo opposite-locking its way around the Norschleife, the driver white-knuckled in the grip of turbo lag.

The reality though is rather more prosaic: for every Turbo, the Bavarians produced thousands of cooking ’02s – the model which came just in the nick of time for BMW, which was facing ruin before the arrival of the Neue Klasse in 1962 owing to a lopsided range of bubble car Isettas and fiercely expensive luxury cars with not much in between.

The 02 range (the ‘2’ signifying two doors) kicked off in 1966 as an 85 bhp 1573cc 1602 before being given a 1990cc 100 bhp engine to become the 2002, in which guise it became mightily successful, allowing BMW to break the USA market for the first time. The 120 bhp Ti ran twin carbs, the Tii was good for 130 bhp on Kügelfischer mechanical injection and the Turbo made 170 bhp.

PRODUCED: 1966-1977
ENGINES: 1990cc SOHC 4-cyl
PRICES: £500 (tatty) to £5000
UPSIDE: BMW engineering
DOWNSIDE: Low compression limits tuning. And they do like to rust...
WHY YOU WANT ONE: It’s not a 3-Series
CLUBS
BMW Car Club - www.bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
BMWCC ’02 Register - www.bmw2002.co.uk
SPECIALISTS:
Fritz’s Bits - 01823 674459
Jaymic - 01263 768768
PARTS PRICES: (supplied by Jaymic)
Twin carb conversion: £1440
Brake upgrade (requires Tii struts): £967
Lowered springs: £182
Lowering springs and Bilstein dampers: £624
Stainless performance exhaust: £420

Read the full article in the May 2011 issue of Classic Car Mart, plus if you love BMWs check out our BMW 5-series E28 buying guide right here. Back issues available here.