The Car: 1968-1976 BMW 2002 ; Birth of the modern Bavarian.(Brief Article)

Shirts read, ``In 1976, God Stopped Making 2002s.'' This says quite a bit about the legendary BMW two-door sports sedans produced from 1968 to 1976. The BMW 2002 Series emerged from the 85-hp 1.6-liter 1600 (more properly known as the 1600-2) in 1966. In 1968 BMW installed a 100-hp 2.0-liter version of the same engine, birthing the 2002. The increasingly important U.S. market responded well to the big-engine-in-small-car formula, gobbling up 20 percent of production.

However secular, the 2002 is laid out as God intended: front engine, rear-wheel drive, fully independent suspension with MacPherson struts in front and BMW's venerable semi-trailing arms in rear, coil springs and antiroll bars. The engine is a dohc inline four-cylinder, with mechanical valves and a timing chain. Compression ratio and induction vary by model and year. Body styles included the touring (hatchback), a targa-like Baur cabriolet, the rare (200 units) 1971 2002 full convertible and the ultimate example of the genre-the 1974 2002 Turbo (1672 units).

Single Solex downdraft carburetion was standard 2002 induction, while twin Solex side-drafts fed the 2002ti. Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection increased driveability and performance in the 130-hp 2002tii, and was also used in the 170-hp 2002 Turbo. The ti and tii shared the standard 2002 body. Only the 2002 and 2002tii were officially exported to the States. All spun a Getrag 232 four-speed manual gearbox, with a ZF 3 HP automatic optional on standard 2002s. A rare and highly coveted Getrag 235 five-speed close-ratio gearbox was optional as well.

To appreciate how good a 2002 was in its day, recognize how truly bad most cars were. Lulled by the computerized cars of today, it's almost hard to imagine the time when a sports car driver's Saturday mornings were almost invariably spent under his sports car. The ritual laying on of the hands meant preventative maintenance and replacing parts. ...