Two BMW engineers secretly built the same hot rod, and the 2002 was born
BMW's product planning chief and the designer of its M10 engine each dropped a two-litre motor into a small 1600-2 for their own use, without telling the other. When they discovered the coincidence, they pitched it jointly to the board. The resulting 2002 helped remake BMW's image as a builder of affordable performance cars.
The 02 Series began in the mid-1960s, when BMW saw room for a smaller, cheaper two-door version of its New Class saloon. Designers Georg Bertram and Manfred Rennen trimmed the wheelbase by 5 cm and the length by some 25 cm, mostly by cutting down the rear deck. The 1600-2, shown at Geneva in March 1966, was plainer than its big brother but lighter, faster and better handling, and Road & Track called the US$2676 car great value for the price in 1968.
Helmut Werner Bönsch and Alex von Falkenhausen made their two-litre proposal just as American importer Max Hoffman was begging for a sportier model to sell in the United States. The 2002 arrived in 1968, followed by faster ti and fuel-injected tii versions. Buyers could also choose a Baur cabriolet, a targa-style top, a three-door Touring hatchback and later a frugal 1502 built for cheaper fuel after petrol prices climbed.
The wildest version was the 2002 turbo, launched at the 1973 Frankfurt show as the first turbocharged production car from BMW and indeed Europe, good for 211 km/h. Its timing was terrible: it appeared just before the 1973 oil crisis, and only 1,672 were built. For the 1972 Munich Olympics BMW built two battery-powered 1602 Elektro cars, its first electric vehicles, which ferried VIPs and escorted marathon runners on a range of around 30 km.
On the track, 2002s ran in 600 events between 1968 and 1986, taking 50 outright wins. Hans-Joachim Stuck and Clemens Schickentanz won the first 24 Hours Nürburgring in 1970 in one. The series gave way to the E21 3 Series in 1975, although the 1502 lingered until 1977.
Source: BMW 02 Series
