Can you believe we haven’t had a single BMW 2002 on CC all year? Unmöglich! Quick, here’s 1990cc’s worth of pure Bavarian sweetness, by way of one of Tokyo’s biggest BMW showrooms. Don’t you love it when you can get the stuff uncut and straight from the best dealer in town?
This car’s been done to death on CC. This is at least the 12th post on the BMW 2002 and the 5th on the Tii. I’m not sure what grain of salt (or, in this case, drop of soy sauce) I could add to make a difference. Legendary model blah blah blah, Kugelfischer fuel injection something something, a Hofmeisterpiece of modern design yakety yak. We’ve read it before, written it before and know it all by heart.
If this one has one distinguishing feature, aside from its pristine condition (well, it is in a BMW showroom, after all), it’s the ivory paintwork. Not necessarily the most common colour on these. I’m not a fan of white cars in general, but this works. Just goes to show how great this body shape is, really.
The unmolested and scrupulously clean interior is also noteworthy. I’m usually a stickler for originality, but I find this aftermarket wheel is a genuine improvement over the standard one. Obviously, it’s on the wrong side for this country, so this is not a JDM model – I’m sure a few would have made it over here at the time, but probably only a few handfuls.
The one thing I absolutely adore about these is the taillight design. Simple, yet instantly recognizable. A lot of cars have round taillights, but nobody did it better than BMW. And just like the famous C-pillar kink, it was first seen on the 3200 CS. So I don’t know if Michelotti really helped design the -02 series, but some credit should go to Giugiaro.
I love this car – as many of you do too, I’m sure – though I’ve not experienced it first-hand. I did get a chance to see some up close. One of our neighbours in France had a plum-coloured 2002 Touring in the ‘90s, which he had bought new. It had once “saved his life,” apparently, so he had it re-built and kept it religiously garaged. Even then, they were rare cars – the tin worm had claimed many already. He was an older man and he passed away a couple years ago. I don’t know what became of the car, which I haven’t seen in about 15 years. Maybe it’s sitting in a BMW showroom in Osaka.
Related posts:
Vintage Review: 1968 BMW 2002 – Car and Driver’s David E. Davis Picks Favorites, by GN
Road & Track Tested in Europe: 1974 BMW 2002 Turbo – “Watch Out!”, by PN
Neighborhood Outtake: BMW 2002 – Evergreen, by PN
Curbside Outtake: 1972 BMW 2002 – A Study in Grüne, by Ed Stembridge
Curbside Classic: 1972 BMW 2002 Tii – Fifty Years Of Unbeatable Success, by PN
CC Capsule: BMW 2002 – Why Would You Use A Vintage BMW For A Home Depot Run?, by Jim Grey
COAL: 1974 BMW 2002 – Rust-Bucket Resurrected, by Matt Spencer
CC For Sale: 1973 BMW 2002 tii – Beautiful, But Beware!, by Tom Klockau
Curbside Classic: 1973 BMW 2002tii – In Need Of Rescue, by Perry Shoar
Curbside Outtake: 1971-73 BMW 2002 tii – These Happy Golden Years, by Ed Stembridge
Curbside Classic: 1976 BMW 2002 – The Ultimate Big-Bumpered Driving Machine, by Tom Klockau
Saw one of these at a local C’nC a couple of weeks ago. My reaction to it, after not having seen one in the flesh for quite some time, was “what a perfectly sized car”. It seems ideal. But when it was new there were many fewer Suburbans, F-250s and even RAV4s to intimidate it. Perfect sized car for then but approaching dangerous under today’s driving conditions.
Ford’s round tail light resume is pretty strong too.
Ah, the 1600 2002 body style. Never had a 2002 but I did have a 1600 with an 1800 ti motor in it. That was back around ’70 or ’71. Goddamn, I loved that thing. Wish I still had it. Had a pair of big two barrel side drafts on there – sounded like it was trying to suck the world through that motor.
What I wouldn’t give to have a word with my 22 year old self about selling that thing.
d.b. Cooper? Where you been? We’ve been looking for you!
Ah, I’ve been busy you know….but I do get tired of hiding and I wasn’t as old looking as the ‘sketches’ made me appear. I do have to look at those and laugh. It’s amazing what theatrical makeup can do.
And the new Beemers – jeez, what a bunch of overstuffed barcoloungers.
Later dude.
I thought of the Fords, too.
Beautifull car………..but i’ll take the original they used for styling……….the Chevy Corvair!!!
Paul’s extended essay on the Corvair’s infuence over European car styling was awesome. It really should be available in a textbook somewhere.
Very true. And short of a printed copy, here’s a link to said must-read article:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-how-the-1960-corvair-started-a-global-design-revolution/
There are many tastes among those of us who love old cars. Could the 2002 be one of the most universally appealing cars across all demographics? Lovers of luxury cars, sports cars, European cars, Japanese cars, and even we lover of the cleanly styled American iron of the early 1960s find a lot to love in the 2002. There are few European cars I could think of that I would prefer to own in the practical world I inhabit.
That’s a very good point!
I know these are beloved for many substantive reasons but I have to be honest, I’ve never really seen what’s so great about the styling. These look like the offspring of a early Corvair and a 64-65 Falcon sedan. Give me the E9 any day aesthetically,
The Corvair is a design icon, it set the standard for a whole new design direction, the low waist line, the floatin roof, cars like the NSU Prinz, Panhard BT/CT 24, even the Range Rover’s floating roof was inspired by the Corvair.
Do I spy aftermarket air-con under the dash ? Spoils the look of the interior, but probably necessary in some places these were sold.
Certainly one of my favourites, but when I got a brief chance to drive an “02” I realised these were made before BMW discovered rack and pinion steering.
Later models were “face-lifted” and lost the cute tail-lights.
Looks to have an aftermarket stereo setup above it too. It’s all very cluttered looking
I saw several 02’s on the highway last weekend, not convoying, but wishing a few minutes of each other and heading the same way. They’re not that rare around here, but that seemed like too much of a coincidence, so probably heading to some event. No white one though.
I saw a convoy of about a dozen -02 Touring models somewhere in the midwest years ago. I considered trying to give chase, but I was driving a moving van the opposite direction and it would have been an exercise in futility.
Beautiful car in stunning condition, a reminder of a simpler time. I may be the only one here, but this is far more attractive than any Corvair. 🙂 The way the hood and trunklid clamshell over the fenders, minimal chrome just for accentuation, lots of glass, no larger than it needs to be, just perfect.
A beautiful example of a classic model. In my opion the Alfa 105 coupes and the Fiat 124 Sport coupes were even more attractive, but were no where near in terms of build quality.
And don’t those Cromadora alloy rims (almost identical design to the ones fitted to many Fiat’s of the same era) suit the car so well. The E3 BMW’s also had Cromadoras as an option, but for some reason BMW switched to a different supplier (Mahle?) and was fitting a very boring looking rim similar to the revolting Alpina style.
Now THIS is a BMW!
This line of cars made BMW’s reputation in the USA as the “Ultimate Driving Machine” even if it wasn’t used yet as BMW’s advertising slogan.
My only…Only…complaint with this car was/is the ventilation.
The combination of the tall glass “greenhouse” and the inadequate but noisy, dealer installed air conditioning kits made this car quite uncomfortable to drive or ride in during the 8 months of the year that New Orleans calls “Summer”.
When you see them in modern traffic it’s amazing how small the 2002 is and how bloated the 1 Series is. I hadn’t noticed the wheels but they are period correct and a change from the more common BBS honeycomb style.
One of my business administration professors in college during the 1970’s drove a dark green 2002. He looked like David Niven, had a sophisticated, athletic aura about him since he was a skier. Although I’m sure they were wonderful cars, so everyone says, the taillights reminded me of the ’62 Rambler Classic…. How declasse!
I haven’t seen one of these in the wild in like, forever. I’m sure that they were never all that common in middle America to start with and the ones that were here have mostly gone the way of nearly all 40 year old cars, or have been maintained/restored and only driven occasionally. I was in the Air Force with a guy who had one of these (circa 1978) and, while not the fastest car by any means, it certainly seemed agile and responsive. It was one of those cars whose whole somehow exceeded the sum of its parts. His 2002 was actually a European spec model that he had purchased in Germany and then shipped back to the states. I’m not sure of the details but he had somehow managed to massage the paperwork (scratched enough backs?) to make it legal to drive in the U.S. Not sure how legal it really was but it did have California license plates.
Beautiful car. My dad had a ’74 (so big bumpers, revised taillights, grill, marker lights, steering wheel, with integrated A/C and Blaupunkt cassette player–fancy!). The dealer (Hans’ Autodrome, Pottstown, PA) claimed it was the very last tii imported into the US–who knows. Beautiful copper metallic paint that had some sort of clear-coat that wore and pealed terribly. A mystery problem with power cuts and stalling coming with no pattern or warding was solved, after what seemed ages, as the result of cracks in the flexible fuel line. But my dad loved driving the car. Alas, he sold it in 1980, in the midst of the fuel crisis, for a Rabbit diesel, right before I got my driver’s license, for $5200. He’d bought it in ’75 for $6200–not a bad depreciation! I wonder if I’d be a worse driver if I’d learned on his tii.
Some years ago I struck up a conversation with a guy in Seattle who had a 2002 (not a tii) with REALBMW vanity plate. I asked him what made it a real BMW, and he said the round tail lights. IMO both styles of tail lights were good-looking.
Call me a heretic – it’d make a nice change from lunatic, as it happens – but I’ve never been able to get all lathered up about the look of these. They seemed designed for Elmer Fudd-sized heads, with more car than needed above the beltline. The styling may’ve been borrowed from the Corvair, but some Bavarian didn’t notice that the original is a whole FIVE INCHES lower, all to good aesthetic effect. And that proportion-failure apart, aren’t they just a bit severe and serious to be considered pretty?
I’ve once driven a 1600, which despite all that glazing and me not then being overly tall or round, felt like I was pulling on a tight Bavarian ski costume: a snug fit, kindly put. It was most sweet to drive, sure, but again, that body was too serious about its battle with the air, and the resulting row between them was a bit much. The steering was also a minor let-down, a bit of nautical tacking needed as speeds rose.
Finally – at the rear, ofcourse – those vaunted taillights are ok, but so they were on the Mk1 Cortina, somewhat degrading the money spent.
In summary, then, they’re cool if you fancy Brutalism, have a large head but aren’t too fat or tall, like sailing, are a bit deaf, and don’t mind having a cheap ass.
I test flew a couple of later models and was disappointed in how they steered, good but far from great and not as nimble as the car I was trying to replace so no sale. They went really well on racetracks back in the day, but on the bumpy excuse for roads Downers serve up over here not so much.
At 6-1, 48 Long suit size, I also found it a tight fit.
The larger 1972 6 cylinder Bavaria model fit me just right.
I got my first speeding ticket in a friend’s 2002. The irony is we had traded for the weekend … he had my motorcycle, which was much faster, and I got his 2002. But I got the ticket. Radar, on Skyline Blvd in Oakland, California. I was 19.
One of the elders in my sister’s church restored a lovely dark blue 2002 Touring in the late 1980s. I remember him telling me it took him 2 years just to find all the parts as there wasn’t the support network back then. Never got to ride in it though. He probably didn’t want a smelly teenager in his pristine car.
This beige 1972 2002tii was my second 2002; the first was a standard 1971 2002 that was sadly involved in a head-on incident. The tii was really one of the great cars of that period: precision-built, quiet, solid and fast.. A fellow employee-prankster, where I worked at the time, went to the trouble of attaching a small plaque on the front bumper that stated, “Toyota Eater.” This friend drove a 1968 Camaro, and he laughed at the BMW’s small size.