(first posted 8/30/2016) There’s a wise old saying that warns not to propose marriage to a woman until you’ve met her mother. What if potential MIL is out of the country for an extended period, and you’re in a hurry? You could do what I did in 1977: look in the garage to see what she drives. There I found a BMW 2002 stashed securely away. And it wasn’t an automatic either. It’s all I needed to know: “Stephanie, will you marry me?”
The BMW 3 Series has become the icon of the sporty upscale coupe. It all started with the BMW 1600/2002, beginning in 1966, a half century ago. What made the 2002 the hot car of its time? Was it true virtue or a healthy measure of hype? The late 60s were a time of great change, and the little BMW arrived well equipped to make its mark. That turned out to be quite a big one. And in the process, it no less than vaulted its maker from relative obscurity to the top of the premium car segment? Who in 1966 would have thunk that would happen? Absolutely nobody.
BMW was just barely coming off life support, thanks to the “Neue Klasse” cars that arrived a couple of years earlier. The 1500/1800/2000 sedans (CC here) were leading edge in their configuration, suspension and engine, but no one will accuse them of being beautiful. They were a tad too Germanic: tall, boxy, and a bit dowdy. Just the ticket for Germans who wanted a sporty sedan to haul the whole family with. But that’s not where the action was in the US market; those early four door BMWs were modest sellers here.
BMW’s brilliant move was to spin off a slightly smaller two-door variant, the 1600-02, sometimes referred to as the 1602. And they engaged Michelotti to make the styling a bit less home-baked. Even with all of 85hp (I’m going to use the Euro DIN hp numbers throughout this article because they more closely correspond to today’s SAE net horsepower rating), the lightweight (2000lb) 1600 was a sprightly performer for the times.
But it was its fully independent suspension that really made it stand out in the crowd, as well as its all-round balance and poise. Alfa Romeo, whose hot little sedans had defined and practically owned this segment, finally had some serious competition; too much so, actually. The 1600 co-opted the lusty sportiness of the Giulia.
The supple yet reasonably well-controlled suspension (trailing throttle oversteer came a bit too readily) was perhaps the single most defining aspect of the 1600/2002. Yes, there were other hot little European sedans to be had, such as the Ford Cortina GT, the Alfas, the Opel Kadett GT 1900, and the Fiat 124, among others. And import drivers had come to appreciate the remarkable capabilities (and quirks) of Mercedes’ and VW’s rear swing axles. But neither of them targeted the sporty sedan market. With the exception of the similarly irs equipped (but less sporty) Peugeot 504, Americans for the most part were uninitiated with its benefits in a sporty sedan. Certainly, the domestics did nothing to further that, except for the Corvair. But rear-engined cars, and their unique little vices were a class unto themselves.
But the little BMW 1600 was the mold from which all modern RWD cars have sprung, and once one experienced its joys, very few if ever went back to chattering, shuddering, stiffly-sprung live rear axles. Detroit’s only formula of how to make cars handle better was with stiffer springs and shocks. Great for a perfectly smooth road or the track; wretched on a bumpy winding road. The BMW broke the pony cars’ thrall with superb handling along with a ride that didn’t break it’s drivers’ backs.
I had a religious experience at the hands of a priest in seventh grade (no, not that kind). A new young priest arrived at Immaculate Conception in 1966, driving the first 1600 in Towson. As the youngest cleric on the totem pole, he got to oversee the CYO (youth organization). He was cool, bright, and car nut; I got to ride with him to a retreat way out in Northern Baltimore County, and he drove like the very devil himself. I had never experienced someone driving the snot out of a car quite like this; it was a divine revelation.
The little 1600 had to be spanked hard to fly, but in the right hands it did, although it’s chassis was capable of much more. BMW was on it. Soon Europeans were relishing the 1600 Ti, a juiced up little bomb, and a foreshadowing of what VW did with its original Euro-only GTI some years later.
But the 1600 Ti’s timing was too advanced, literally, for the US. Smog controls nixed it, but BMW’s brilliant US distributor, Max Hoffman, had the solution: imitate the Americans. Forget high-winding little engines; just drop the bigger 2 liter engine out of the 2000 sedan in the 1600. It was cheaper to build than the 1600Ti, and Americans twist more towards torque than absolute horsepower. The 2002 was conceived in America, and then conquered it.
One hundred horsepower; that’s what the 2002 legend was made with. Later versions undoubtedly had even less. But in 1970 it was good enough for a 9.6 second run from zero to sixty (C/D), the same as a 1975 Trans Am 400. And the bigger four’s torque forgave lazy shifting: this was not a high-strung mill, and peaked at 5800 rpm. Everyone raved about it, and Stephanie’s brother convinced their Mom to spend a major chunk of a small inheritance on hers. This despite the fact she was a single working mom with four kids. Someone had their priorities…on second thought, maybe the 2002 in the garage should have given me pause.
I didn’t get a lot of seat time in her car, but a brisk late-night dash up 395 to Mammoth Mountain for a weekend of skiing was more than enough to leave indelible impressions. It was softer than I might have expected, hardly a nervous sports sedan. The engine pulled nicely in the mid-range, but its upper registers were dulled by emission controls. It all felt very solid and chunky, and the visibility was of course stellar. I vividly remember driving over a rough rail crossing, bracing myself for the harsh, jarring response; the little Bimmer just sailed over it.
The several times I had to rescue MIL because her BMW had overheated in LA traffic are also memorable. The 2002 was not without its faults, overheating being the worst of them. The cramped rear seat was pretty high on the list: this is a tiny car for today’s standards, but the accommodations for the driver were excellent: fine seats, tasteful and high-quality interior appointments compared to Detroit’s cheesy seventies’ bordello-look, and unparalleled visibility. The 2002 was truly the antithesis of the pony cars (and all new cars) when it comes to the drivers position and the unobstructed view out: it’s like riding in a glass box.
The BMW mothership may not have initiated the move to drop the 2 L into the 1600, but they wasted no time in also making the ti version from the sedan and coupe available too. Also banned from the US because of its polluting ways, the 2002 ti sported 120 horses. And it quickly became the GTO of Europe.
The final trick was fuel injection, a Kugelfischer unit, that bought power to 130 hp, and made it EPA compliant. Arriving in 1971, the 2002Tii instantly became the hot setup for those in the know. Wider wheels, upgraded suspension, bigger tires, and a hair-trigger response from the gas pedal. Stats don’t really do justice to these cars, but the 2002 Tii clicked of the run to sixty in 8.20 seconds and topped out at an honest 120 mph. Not bad for a brick with a glass box on top of it.
The 2002s initiated a whole generation of drivers in the joys of moderate oversteer. Not the terminal kind, when a tail-heavy rear-engined car no longer can fight the law of centrifugal force. The 2002 started out with mild under steer, but transitioned into a happy tail-out attitude that could be sustained and controlled with the throttle, and not something to be feared or vanquished like in a VW.
I could write about the 2002 all day; it was just about the biggest single boon bestowed on eager drivers in modern history. Evolution has favored the BMW, as has the cachet the BMW name earned thanks so much to the 2002. And now its successor, hardly recognizable as a direct descendant, is a perpetual success and spawned a host of imitators, none of which have really been able to take it on. Has any other car been so continuously successful for a solid 50 years?
Brilliant writeup of a really important car. I’ll answer your last question first – BMW has owned the sports sedan market the way Cadillac used to own the luxury market, although I don’t think Cadillac was as successful at it for as long.
Even though I do not naturally gravitate to sports sedans, something about these has always been really appealing. I suppose it is the old Teutonic flavor of a tight structure, a high quality interior and extremely conservative looks that all happen to be on a car that will run away from a lot of lesser cars.
The relatively reasonable prices of the early ones went away with the changes in currency values that drove lesser German cars like Opel mostly out of the market. BMW just raised the prices and added snob appeal to the many things it did well. Which is kind of a shame, but I suppose it is better that they are still here and expensive than out of business.
Beautiful looking car. I’ve always found all years of the BMW 2002 to be quite an attractive car. Although I could do without the chrome pieces on some models, it’s a lovely looking car, and at a size I could drive. I’ve never seen a 4-door version, although I understand they were produced and sold in the USA.
There were no 4 door versions of the 1600/2002 body.
The 4 door car that you are thinking of is the 1500/1800/2000 series which were on a similar but different body. These were sold in all markets.
Thank you, those are the 4 door versions I was thinking about. I may have seen a 2000 4 door, but it was parked on the side of the road, and it was dark outside, so I couldn’t really confirm what I saw. I knew it was a BMW, and its shape told me it was a “Neu Klasse” BMW style.
Love these but aren’t they just the rich man’s Datsun 510?
I’ve often heard the 510 called “a poor man’s 2002”, but have never heard it flipped like this. Let’s just say that the reason folks called the 510 that was because they couldn’t afford a 2002, not because it was as good. Which it wasn’t.
Sorry, I’ve heard the flipside so many times I couldn’t resist! I had several original 510’s back in the day and they were great little cars but definitely throw-aways. Or maybe rust-aways…
Paul’s right. Yutaka Katayama, the US-based Nissan exec who was essentially the father of the 510, used his own stateside ride – an 02 BMW – as the benchmark for development.
A German Triumph Dolomite.
Except BMW kept developing their car while Triumph was swallowed by BMC/BL and disappeared into that black hole, in a comparism test I saw there wasnt much between the Dolomite Sprint and the 2002.
I think the key point of the 510 relative to the 1602ti or 2002ti is that while it had most of the ingredients, the Datsun wasn’t nearly as well sorted out of the box. You could get it there, or turn it into a race car — which a lot of people did — but it took some wrenching.
(I think this is also the reason for the odd divergence of opinions people were talking about the other day with regard to the Violet/Auster/Stanza 510 review. If you spent a lot of time in modified, race-tuned 510 Bluebirds, driving a bone-stock one undoubtedly seemed weirdly underwhelming.)
Hardly. They are the ultimate driving machine.
Our parish priest traded in his late model GTI on a newish 3 series recently…guess they don’t take a vow of poverty anymore.
These E10 body cars rotted away decades ago around here, I wish I could find even a 320i (E23) and all the E30 cars seem to be lowered and modified.
BMW really built an amazing car, and they handled so well on skinny little tires…as I recall my 528e’s (I had 3 of them) wore 195-70-14 rubber, and corned like they were on rails.
Parish priests, unless they’re with a specific order, don’t take a vow of poverty. They get a salary.
The five priests at Immaculate Conception in about 1965-1969 all had very nice new cars. As I wrote in this article, the newest and youngest drove a new BMW 1600. The pastor drove a brand new black Buick Electra 225. One drove a Sport Fury hardtop. One drove a Malibu coupe. I’m trying to remember exactly what else was in the driveway of the rectory, but it looked like a bunch of serious car guys living there.
I assume the Pastor who drove the Electra was Monsignor Nelligan? He had to have been in his late 60’s at that time. The Electra was both sporty and gave a nice ride.
Yes it was. And I hear he came from a wealthy banking family. He rather acted like it; very upper-crust and aloof. But he was very good with money, and played an important part in managing the financial affairs of the whole archdiocese.
So a banker-priest driving a black Electra 225 was very appropriate.
You know your mentioning of the cars that the Priests at your church had, made me stop and wonder about the cars that the ones in my church had when I was growing up. I went to St. Louis church in Clarksville MD and the compound back then had the old church (1880’s), the new church (1980’s), the school and the rectory was smack dab in the middle. Now there is an expansion on the school and a new church there(along with the other two)
However I don’t recall ever seeing any of the priests driving around or even remember seeing where they stored their cars. Though I guess they might have just been in the church parking lot.
My great aunt was a nun and the convent had a motor pool (at least in the 1980’s and early 1990’s) chock full of K cars
I know a couple of our priests were Buick drivers–the pastor had a couple of LeSabres (late 80’s and mid 90’s) and one of the other priests drove an early 90’s Century. But I never did notice what some of the others drove, as the rectory was a couple miles down the street in the opposite direction from my usual travel.
The one nun assigned to our parish in the 90’s didn’t drive. She did allow herself at least one small luxury though–as a guitarist and a member of the church choir, she purchased a *very* nice custom-ordered electric guitar during her tenure. Zion Ninety (semi-hollow Telecaster style body) with a gorgeous flame maple top and gold hardware.
Considering what a Catholic priest is expected to give up (at a level that the majority of us would never consider), I’ve never been one to begrudge them their food, drink and cars. That’s about all the pleasures they’ve got left.
There’s a reason why I dropped out of the pre-seminary track at college. Yes, I entered college with the intention of taking Holy Orders.
The American Catholic Church has enough problems already without adding me to the mix.
Syke, I wonder if they give up that particular pleasure, or just go out of town for “sabbaticals” and whatnot?!?
I had 8 years of Jesuits, high school and college. Those guys lived pretty well, all things considered. The priests at my high school all drove new Olds Ninety Eights at that time…now the parking lot at their residence is a sea of Honda Accords.
” he drove like the very devil himself.” This reminded me of a ride I once had from Kitzingen to Wuerzburg and back. My older brother and I were at the abbey for a vacation. They had to make a run to the bishop’s residence and took us along. It was in a VW Beetle with a young monk at the controls. Since he already had his ticket to heaven nothing held him back. At that time there was no general speed limit even on two lane highways. Good thing we were too young to realize what risks he took in passing cars trucks and tractors.
BTW: I like to know more about Immaculate Contraception. Ah, maybe not.
That was a typo. 🙂
Well, maybe not, but I’ve used it too many times before so I’ll fix it. especially since it’s about a real experience.
Paul, love the reason – you’ve done really well in your marriage and family life! But based on your past posts, does Stephanie not drive a stick?
She does not. She didn’t even know how to drive when we met. And didn’t want to learn until she got pregnant. 🙂
That malaga tii is lovely. I haven’t had much driving time in these, but they do give confidence of a certain kind. Half the time you feel like you can’t be going so fast so steady, and the other half you think you’re having too much fun to be going as slow as you are.
I’m not really sure where the cutoff is–maybe the E46 generation 3-series is the end?–but most BMWs, up to a certain point, really do something for me. I think part of it is the evolution of suspension, engine, and to some point driver controls. As you say, the product categories BMW came up with in the 60s were somewhat new: sporty sedan (NK), luxury sporty sedan with fun engine (E3), sporty coupe smaller than Mustang (02), smaller Thunderbird that can be modified to race at considerable expense (E9). I guess I like development, a sense that someone, somewhere, is trying to do it better. So the elaboration of these products has been interesting–if slower and less amazing than the rapid advances of automotive technology and capability from the 30s to the early 60s. It’s like the US automakers sat out a couple decades and these guys took over.
Wow, this post got me excited about this car all over again. I think it just moved up on my lottery list of top ten cars to buy!
Better win the lottery if you want one with ZERO rust! A fine specimen sold for $72K US recently. I’ve also seen $42k asking prices.
I just sold my ’72 2002, I’ve owned since 1986. Don’t miss it one bit.
I also fixed a few up and sold them over the last 30 years.
I prefer my ’75 Opel Ascona (1900)”hands down”, in every aspect.
These cars, especially the pre-smog round tailamp cars really are what put BMW on the road to the big time. Well built, honest and simple, IRS, light weight, but strong. Even into the ’90’s the cult following was still very active, ordered lots of restoration parts over the counter in this time frame. Would not mind owning a well preserved example today.
Our parish Priest was near the end of his life span in the early ’60’s alter boy days. He would chain smoke non filter’s and had a talent of filling the chalice to the very top with wine yet never spill a drop. With each Mass, his skin color got closer to the wine’s. He died a couple of year later, still remember Father Carroll in state in his coffin attending his funeral.
Well deserved write up for a very significant car.
In Britain, we sometimes congratulate ourselves on inventing the compact sports/luxury saloon, with the Rover and Triumph 2000 saloons in 1963. What we neglect to mention is that the follow up was, as too often, too little and late. Dolomite in 1972? BMW had a much more coherent and arguably long term vision, and the rest is history.
Even now, the 3 and 4 series are both truly traceable to these cars, and so many are now chasing BMW, not least Alfa Romeo.
Indeed. There’s probably a whole round of pub quiz questions on British innovations that weren’t followed up – eg the Austin A40 Farina, (arguably) the first mass-market hatchback.
When BMW was essentially 3, 5 and 7 (with an on/off sprinkling of 6) they really were masters of their market. Today, with all the 2s and 4s and Gran Coupes, I think they’re spread a bit thinner. Nothing stands still.
The frustrating thing about the Dolomite is that it had most of the ingredients of a competent 2002/3-Series rival, but BL didn’t follow up the way they needed to. Granted, I’m not at all sure the SD2 (the abortive Dolomite successor) would have done that, and BL’s ’80s offering suggest a high likelihood of Acute Plot Loss, but to walk away from that market with only the Triumph Acclaim as a last token gesture was dismaying.
This is one of those areas where Triumph would have been better off If Leyland hadn’t gotten in bed with BMC. The products of a solely Triumph-Rover-Alvis line might have been flawed, but they would at least have tried!
If one is supposed to judge a prospective mother-in-law by their choice of wheels, I’m in serious trouble…her most recent car was a late 90’s N-body Skylark.
You’re in trouble? My mil drove a Cadillac coupe de ville, in Cannes France. She could not park it in many places, but she could drive.
I’ve told this story before, but it’s such an enjoyable memory that I can’t resist having another go.
I was lucky enough to pick up a second hand 1973 2002 in Halifax, NS, just after finishing university in 1979. It wasn’t a ‘tii’ – I wasn’t that lucky – and even though it was only 6 years old it had the beginnings of a terminal rust problem. Never mind. I can’t remember what I paid for it, but just seeing one for sale in a city not known for its import scene made me jump at it.
I’d had a couple of Volvo 544’s previously (Halifax was a Volvo town – they were assembled there) and a VW window bus, so I was clearly a Europhile, but the 2002 was a revelation. Solid and comfortable at high speed, light and maneuverable in corners, and what seemed like serious power (for its day) there for the asking. Plus a sense of real sophistication in the engine, the handling, the cabin, the elegant profile with the fetching Hofmeister kink. It felt like something completely different from anything else I’d ever driven. I’d long been a sucker for the growl of a good 4 cylinder and so the pleasure was auditory as well.
After a lazy summer in Halifax, I put everything that would fit into the back seat and trunk, got rid of everything else, and set out cross country for Vancouver BC. I still have fond memories of the twisting highway north of Lake Superior, and cruising at 80mph on straight, empty, two lane roads in Manitoba and Saskatchewan (I avoided the Trans Canada where I could). It was a fabulously comfortable and enjoyable car for a long road trip.
Unfortunately the rust issue couldn’t be ignored for long. The next year the trunk floor was pretty much gone, and a few months later the gas tank could only be filled to the half way point. In June of 1981 the local VW dealer was kind enough to give me $2000 for it in trade for a new Scirocco.
I think I may have had a stronger emotional attachment to the Volvo’s of my earlier days, but there’s no question that the 2002 was in a class by itself. Perhaps it lacked a little personality – it was a car you were too in awe of to fall in love with if that makes any sense (damn…where did I put my psychiatrist’s phone number?). But it remains in my mind the gold standard of what a small sports sedan can be, and I think I still subconsciously compare every other car to it (oh…found it!).
I happened to score a BMW 3 series at a car rental counter a few years back, and was hoping to perhaps have a little of that same experience. But it was nothing at all like the 2002 of my memory. It felt heavy, disconnected from the road, a little clunky, and very ordinary somehow. The car that’s probably come closest in recent memory is the new Golf, with its sweet 4 cylinder turbo, impressive suspension and handling, and sober Teutonic interior.
+ 1
I had the same feeling about ten years ago when I had a 2003 VW GTI 1.8T and my mother had a 2005 BMW 325i wagon. The VW just felt so much more upright and therefore bigger and more comfortable inside. And as you say, sportier.
As Paul says, part of what made the 2002 so nice to drive was the upright and airy cabin. But Paul’s also right that it didn’t feel “light” the way a GTI does, but had a very heavy feel for its weight. So I can’t truly say the GTI feels like a BMW, but it’s certainly more fun!
This is a car I’ve always been a bit conflicted with, on one hand all points made here(and then some) I can’t help find myself admiring the 02 series. On the other hand this essentially set a standard for all automakers to pursue forever and ever, playing catchup to this prophet of a car company which had the net effect of often embarrassing half efforts, whether aping the unexciting styling without adding any substance (there are people who can enjoy an average to mediocre performing car they like due to looks and purely straight line speed), utilizing independent strut suspensions hampered by poor geometry and tuning due to perceived brand expectations, or rationalizing poverty spec plasticy interiors because of how BMWs tend(ed) to be inside.
Styling is the weakest aspect to the 2002. It’s not unattractive, and it has a charm to it but it’s pretty much the neue klasse with 2 less doors and round taillights, it’s really no less boxy and upright, and it can look real weird from certain angles. It’s pretty because of what it has inside, and the airy greenhouse ensures whatever fun you’re having while driving briskly down a curvy scenic road ensures that you’ll actually be able to admire the scenery too. It’s very functional styling, and being able to appreciate that requires an education on the why’s. Early adopters had that by all accounts, but the yuppies a decade later? Or the realtor leases more recently? Not so much. So once other automakers saw the fawning over these boxy little compacts they responded with boxy “European” styling, often laden hoffmeister kinks and kidney bean grilles and leaving behind whatever brand merits THEY had before chasing someone else’s.
As much as I do like these, given a choice between a pristine one of these, or a pristine ’70-71 Datsun 510, I would take the Datsun. The build quality of German cars in the early to mid ’70s was nothing to write home about, says the man who had a ’75 Audi. Here in the PNW, they rusted about equally.
Hmmmn – I don’t know about Audi’s or BMW’s, but early to mid ’70;s Mercs were vault-like. Everything rusted I that era, but here in Australia nothing rusted quite like a Datsun. Its why you go months without seeing one.
My Parents had two 250-C Benzes, one 8 years old, one 10 years old. Both pampered, well maintained cars.
Rust on the rocker panels, lower door edge and trunk lid was repaired several times here in humid New Orleans, LA.
My Fiats were MUCH worse.
Very nicely done, Sir. A history entwined with personal experience. And what colour was your MIL’s car? Please make it the Taiga Green!
Nice article. I find the psychology of advertising to be fascinating. Its interesting to see that 50 year old Teutonic ads were almost as sexist as the American ones….. the lovely lady (inevitably a passenger) eyeing the confident, handsome and slightly-aloof man who had the good sense to buy one of their cars.
At least this lady is (presumably) fully clothed.
Good thing you can see out of them. Don’t want to crash in one of those babies.
Max Hoffman seems so central to getting the Germans to tweak their designs in a way to gain a larger market in America. The bigger engine in a smaller car was so American a concept. To many non Americans it must seem inefficient or even wasteful. How many interesting Euro offerings were held back in the US by not having there own Max Hoffman.
I never understood what made BMW decide to listen to Max Hoffman – again-.
The first time he suggested the Bavarians to make the very unsuccessfull but now much appreciated 507 roadster, a car that could not compete with Mercedes’ 300 SL nor jaguar’s successfull XK sportscar range.
But, hey, they did and it started a whole new niche, they finally took over from Alfa Romeo and look where they are today!
The Quandt family are the richest family of Germany, not bad for a family who originate from Dutch rope makers who emigrated to Germany !
And for Herbert Quandt who decided against the advice of his bankers and lawyers to enlarge his shares in BMW way back when, instead of selling BMW off to Mercedes as all financial people suggested him to do.
Ok, he had a lot of luck : Borgward went out of business and could be seen as BMW’s only serious German competitor and the 1500/1800 were an instant hit.
It was quite daring to not sell out BMW. Automotive history is littered with pioneers that lost their fortunes in the failure of small auto brands.
If you look at the history of TVR, for example. A new rich guy comes in every decade or so to spend his fortune keeping it going. This seems a fairly noble thing with the fortune going to preserving a legacy, employing good people and the fun of building and designing great cars.
I suspect this is what kept the Quandts involved, not an expectation of greater success.
700 was holding the fort, and it’s development was stimulating the house team against Michelotti whilst that whole saga was going on, so those days would have been interesting times. The money certainly helped, but alchemy was already taking place.
Has any other car been so continuously successful for 50 years?
That set the little wheels in my mind to turning. The F150/Chevrolet full size trucks, I suppose, and then the Accord comes really close at 40 years.
The Accord and BMW had equal impacts on their market segments and became the cars to beat in their market segments.
I had access to a 1600, a 2002 and it’s bigger brutha, a 3.0 CS. The bigger the enginem, the more fun to drive they were. The 3.0CS did take more fussing and adjusting and dealer service visits than the other two did.
Delightful, well balanced cars to drive and revel in. They made the same generation Benz feel like a modern Camry by comparison. The closest I could afford to a 2002 was an Opel 1900/Manta. Similar cars in many ways.
My only serious complaint: Because of their tall windows and the crappy dealer add on air conditioning systems; both BMW’s were useless in the heat & humidity that permeates New Orleans for 8 months of the year. From May until late September these cars were night drivers only. Hardly just a BMW issue; seems like all the German cars of this time period didn’t have HVAC worthy of a Toyota half the price.
I realize the A/C (or lack thereof) was only a problem here in New Orleans or perhaps Tampa; and not a major consideration in the rest of the USA.
The argument can be made that it’s not extremely relevant, but I feel a hat tip should be given to the Pontiac Tempest. Many keystrokes could be recorded about the similarities and differences, but suffice it to say it was also a reasonably priced sedan with room for four with near ideal weight distribution and independent rear suspension. Obviously the market wasn’t very kind to the original Y-bodies when they came out, but a lot of similarly innovative vehicles and concepts, like the 2002, followed them, so I’d like to think that their innovations helped open the doors for such successors.
Much like domestic full size pickups in the US, BMW seems to dominate the sport sedan market no matter what the competition fields. Longevity and consistency plays a role for both in keeping would-be competitors at bay. Even though BMWs are not my cup of tea, I agree that they have had unbeatable and enviable success indeed!
The 2002 will always remain my “it” car. I owned a 1974 for many years (bought in 1993 after I sold my 1991 Nissan Sentra SE-R to get it) in Baikal Blue. Of the many (many!) cars I’ve owned, it is the only one I miss. Of course, now a 2002 in the same condition as my beloved “Blue Bonnet” would set me back enough to consider a second college degree (well, maybe not quite that much, but not that far off, either).
CC Effect: a green 2002 drove by my house about an hour ago. Though maybe I should say CCC Effect – Carbureted Curbside Classic – as I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a Tii. It was a round taillight chrome bumper vintage.
This CC Effect must be a national phenomenon: I just looked out the window and saw a 1974 or ’75 Tii at the stop sign at the corner. It must be 2 years or so newer than the car pictured above, as it had 5 MPH bumpers, root beer brown metallic paint and the larger, rectangular tri-color taillights.
> Americans for the most part were uninitiated with its benefits in a sporty sedan. Certainly, the domestics did nothing to further that, except for the Corvair.
I’ll offer the sadly overlooked 1962 Pontiac Tempest, when ordered with the lightweight aluminum Buick V8, IRS, bucket seats, gauges, larger drums, and four-on-the-floor rear transaxle, as a compelling American sports sedan. With an easy-order option/marketing code (like GTO), it could have sold well and predated BMW’s or Rover’s sport sedan efforts, although Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and probably some British or French make I’m forgetting were getting into sports sedans by this time. It took BMW to put the whole package together though, and market and build it right.
Whenever I hear car enthusiasts whine nowadays about how electric cars will never replicate the sounds, smells, and sensations of gasoline-powered cars, I note that no modern IC vehicle can replicate the lightness, intrinsic sportiness, and panoramic outward visibility of a 2002, which in turn cannot replicate the sense of direct mechanical connection you get when driving a Ford Model A. What we’ve gained over the years far exceeds what we’ve lost.
Although the 3-series is the direct descendant of the 1600 and 2002, the 1 and 2 series coupes more closely capture the spirit of the 2002. BMW’s rise corresponded with a strengthening Deutsche Mark and weakening US dollar, which drove up the price of German imports. For BMW and Mercedes, this proved serendipitous, forcing them to abandon the idea of value-priced sports sedans and instead push luxury and exclusivity, and for Baby Boomers who already rejected their parents’ idea of a upscale car – a living room you can drive – the sparse but sporty Bimmers suited their values perfectly. For BMW, their American success was one part planning, one part luck.
Hmm… I’m an American car fan, and knew of the hotter Y-bodies’ existence, but didn’t think to Pontiac or Oldsmobile (Jetfire with turbo 215) until you and another upstream commenter brought them up. As it seems with Pontiac’s later OHC 6, I kind of wonder if they were overlooked because the average Pontiac customer at the time was looking for straight line performance and larger displacement V8’s, in the typical American car idiom? Pontiac was right there in the high performance realm, but nobody equated them with European flavored performance. Shoot. Even one with the hoarse and coarse slice-off-the-ol-389, 4 cylinder, should perform quite well… especially the hi-po variant. Err… mebbe we’ll stick with the V8, eh?
Re: The BMW Neue Klasse and 02. They always looked very weird to me as a kid, and I’ve only begun to appreciate them in recent years. One of my friends and I somehow thought the kidney grille looked like butt cheeks or a square-nosed pig. The round tail lamps rock, FWIW! I had the chance to buy a 1973-down 2002 from Grandma’s neighbor back in high school. It had lost reverse gear, and I remember Frank trying to park so that he didn’t have to push the car backwards. Must have been 1995 or 1996, and it was cheap. I didn’t bite.
A mid-60’s 1600 or 1800 (it’s hard to see) plays a prominent role in Ep.1 of the Netflix series ‘Gloria’, set in 1968 Portugal.