Desert Patina: 1976 BMW 2002

I try to keep up with auction results, but it’s near impossible to track every model across the multiple auction platforms that exist these days. The BMW 2002 Tii is a model I had incorrectly assumed had settled back down to Earth along with so many other vehicles, but it’s apparent based on recent sale results that it’s still quite desirable. Of course, there are subtleties within those results that show model year, equipment levels, and how close to OEM condition it remains all factor into the final sale price. This 1976 BMW 2002 listed here on eBay is a project car that represents a potential opportunity for someone with the parts and time necessary to complete it.

The seller is asking $6,5o0 or best offer for this 2002, which apparently spent many years in Arizona before moving to New Mexico. The BMW 2002 was a revelation when introduced for its impressive handling and excellent driving dynamics, and the hotted-up Tii version showed that it could also be a serious player when it came to straight-line speed. The Tii featured Kugelfischer fuel injection along with a few other tweaks to give it a healthy horsepower bump to 130 b.h.p. This was serious stuff in the mid-70s, and effectively gave birth to the sports sedan marketplace. No matter which trim level you bought, the 2002 proved to be a revelation among car shoppers who didn’t associate sports car-grade performance with a two-door sedan.

This 2002’s engine bay is coated in desert dust, an appropriate match for the roughshod exterior. The 2.0-liter M10 inline-four is good for 96 horsepower and 106 lb-ft of torque, which is a far cry from the Tii spec. However, there are ways to upgrade the M10 that don’t require a Tii engine swap, including a hotter cam, headers/exhaust, sidedraft carbs, aftermarket headers, and more. The 2002 operates in an unusual space where a bone stock car that isn’t a survivor likely won’t sell for as much as a car that’s been modified the “right” way. A M10 is a fairly ho-hum engine when left stock, but can be entertaining with the right upgrades.

The car has been prepped, kind of, for restoration, with parts loosely strewn about. If I had to guess, the seller grabbed this 2002 as a discarded restoration project, or it was left in their shop by an owner who isn’t proceeding with the work. The listing says it comes with a large amount of parts but there’s no confirmation that you’ll find everything needed to put this 2002 back together. The body has been prepped for future paintwork, but there’s still some rust repair to address in the floorboard. The BMW rides on a set of classic BBS/Mahle wheels, which will hopefully remain in place once the bodywork and mechanical phases are complete.