Room for four, a brilliant suspension, and a rev-happy fuel-injected engine made BMW’s 2002 tii a game changer. This tidy-looking two-door sedan in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania seeks a new owner for the first time in 25 years, according to the listing here on Hagerty. At least twelve bids have its auction value over $16,000 with about four days left. Though mostly stock, the little Verona red rider apparently started its life with Colorado orange paint, but it retains its original engine block, always a plus. Interestingly, my 1972 tii was also born in Colorado and experienced a color change to Verona, though I’m taking mine back to original. The “tii” designation indicates Touring International Injection. There were sporty “ti” models before, and fuel injection added about 30 HP to the 2.0 L four cylinder M10. You could easily spend the rest of today marveling at the Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection system. Thanks to reader T.J. for spotting this sporty classic.
The presence of a snorkel (the circular opening just right of the radiator) indicates a replacement nose joined the chat after a front crash (most likely) or heavy rust ruined the original non-snorkel front. Debates about the snorkel run on in epic detail in the halls of auction sites, but unless you’re looking for accolades at Amelia Island, close the bonnet and forget about it. There’s too much to love about a 2002 tii to dwell on a vent tube. Other points of note include the early serial number, 2760334, the 334th tii built. Plastic air tubes on the plenum intake appear only on early tii cars (including my 2761041) before they changed to cast aluminum. Early tii units (through 2761943) also had a more desirable 121TI cylinder head, with a smaller combustion chamber and higher compression.
Basketweave upholstery and salt-and-pepper carpeting look original (or original style) and well kept. A crack in the dashboard afflicts nearly all 2002s, and this is no exception. Only the tii got the clock in the dash center, which makes a distinctive noise you can enjoy while waiting for that special someone. A simple four-speed with no overdrive sends power to the independently suspended rear wheels.
The 2002’s tall greenhouse makes it practical for family touring, and excellent visibility helps whether you’re squirting through traffic or fending off a pesky Porsche at VIR.
You can’t see a Pennsylvania plate on a 2002 without wondering if it’s enjoyed any time with 2002 wizard Paul Wegweiser, and indeed this one bears a sticker from Paul’s Wegweiser Classic BMW Services, something fans value. Only 1972 and ’73 bear the round tail lights, and these “roundies” are preferred by most enthusiasts for that reason and smaller bumpers compared to the ’74 to ’76 models. BMW built on the strength of the 2002 by following it up with its most popular sporting sedan of all times, the 3-series. Is there room in your driveway for this driver-quality classic sports sedan?
Got time in two of these and I can attest to just plain fun to drive. Nice one here.
Todd, got a picture of yours you’d share with us?
This is my ’72 tii. More or less current state… fabrication of my poor man’s rotisserie (two modified $35 engine stands).
Have any Pictures of yours, bobhess?
No. Lost 90% of my car pictures in the ’17 hurricane Irma. 4 feet of salt water does wonders to slides and prints, and $8,000 record collections.
Todd,can’t even count the times our garage looked just like yours over the years. Even used a fork lift on one of them. On our present Sprite build we put the body on a roll around cart. When we worked on the bottom we set the body on it’s side on the cart.
My apologies, bobhess.
Good to have you safe and still with us.
bobhess – sorry to hear about the pictures and other belongings!
Somehow, the site knows what cars came through my life, more than uncanny. After my ’68 Opel Rallye, I was thrown into the sports car world, albeit, the Opel was on the low end, but it had a tachometer and suddenly, I began noticing foreign sports cars. That’s when I got my ’71 MGB. A good friend had a Vega GT, and one day, came up with this car, same color only a ’73. Never heard of one, blew us all away. BMW motorcycles, but not many cars. Remember, Beer City in the 70s, it was VW, Opel, Renault, MGs and Triumphs, but never a BMW. I remember it cost him plenty, and I wasn’t particularly impressed, not a fancy car, IRS sure handled nice, the engine blew the doors off my poor MG, but alas, the MG had the last grin. Early on, the BMW began grinding into 2nd, BMW repaired it, but about 6 months later, it began to grind again, and by then it was starting to use oil, a LOT of oil. Seemed a shame only couple years old, and he took it back, the dealer had it a long time, he ended up just bailing on the car altogether, and the old pushrod MG chugged on for several years to a timely, rusted demise.
BMW makes motorcycles?
“I never knew BMW made cars until I passed one”. Infamous bike shirt sold at mny BMW Motorrad dealerships until they were told “NEIN, NEIN!!!”
Hey Howard. My first experience with a 2002 was looking one over for a friend in the ’90s. We test-drove it and (having grown up with RWD live-axle cars) I couldn’t believe how this rusty BMW could barely notice a set of RR tracks that would have knocked my fillings out in practically every car I’d ever driven. They are wonderful cars. I’ve never actually driven mine, but I’m looking forward to it!
Hi Todd, in all fairness, I don’t think my friends 2002 was BRAND new, I believe it may have been a demonstrator, and Lord knows what goes on with them. That one incident shouldn’t tarnish what magnificent cars they are. My daughter has a newer 3 series(328?) and loves it. Apparently, so do the rats that ate the engine wiring while she was overseas for 8 months to the tune of $6500 bucks!
When you do get to drive it Todd you won’t be disappointed. I bought a ’69 Roundie just because I needed another car while my ’67 Mustang Coupe was being resprayed and it became the most pleasurable car that I have ever owned, and I have owned about 200. Enjoy!
Clever engineering on your part with the 2 engine stands Ala rotisserie, Todd.
Too, great pick-had an older brother with one of these (same color, later model) that led to his ‘72 Porsche later on because of the realization of the (then) craftsmanship and driver’s car designed for which they became renowned at the time.
This one’s a beaut, and if someone were to get so finicky as to have to have a plastic air tube you’d think it’d be a smart move to have one duplicated with a 3D printer.
It’s cool that you are so well versed about these and others that you know the idiosyncrasies of your subject matter, and then again that’s true of all your team each in their own respect-one of the many reasons BF has the staunch following it does.
Hey Nevadahalfrack – mine was also sidelined (for 20 years) after its PO bought a Porsche. It’s waiting for me to finish building a garage then it will be Job #1. Meanwhile I’ve been collecting parts that are not always available.
I had two regular 2002 in the early 1980’s and a few years later my brother had two tii. At the time they were just 8-10 year old daily drivers, really strange to think that it’s now 54 years old! They were indeed exceptional cars for its time. Light, agile and handling was fantastic – the early 3-series were at the time a big disappointment for me being heavier, softer and quite unpredictable at the limit. The Kugelfischer injection was fantastic, with the most immediate throttle response you will ever find. Almost like a telepathic connection between the brain and the engine. I later owned a Peugeot 504TI with the same injection and it displayed the same characteristics. Now, it wasn’t all positive memories. My brother wrecked his first tii, and the second one never ran quite right. He spent quite a lot of time and money trying to get the injection system properly set up but at the end it burned a hole in a piston and he gave up and sold it. One of my memories was also that the heater was quite weak, a trip at -44C got very problematic because all the windows were icing up so much on the inside that there was only a tiny sliver down by the dash where I could see out. But still a car I’d be happy to own as a classic.
I had one of these 40 years ago, while I was in college. The fuel injection, at least back then, was a nightmare to fix. A lot of people threw on Webers rather than spend $2K plus to try to fix the injection system.
Still, it was a fun car to drive and it towed my motorcycle to the races just fine!
I bought a 72 2002 in 73 because my 1750 duetto was too unreliable for college needs. I loved that car until I fell in love with a 280SE that I had to have. what memories this brings back to my 19yr alive. I saw one on martha’s vineyard last year and was surprised by how low the roof was, something with the advent of SUVs that we forget. neat car.
Bought my 72 back 4 years ago which I resurected from a wreck back in 79,after selling it in 96 to fund a venture for my business..It is currently going through the resto process slowly by myself,in my shop…At 70 I don’t t move quite so quickly as I once did. So far though,all paint and body work is done,the close-ratio gearbox has been rebuilt,and the motor is halfway done…Slow but steady,but there is also the 1600 tube frame GT4 vintage racer to keep me busy these days as well…;I was introduced to them back in 1969 as a young teenager,detailing them on satudays at the dealership my dad worked for in the Boston area,when they were still being imported by Hoffman..It’s been a life long,love affair and the 72Tii is one of the best of the best from that time frame….-)
2002’s were my car of choice as dailies in the early 70’s after my British car days of dailies. I had 22 of them in various conditions in 35 years from 1975 to 2010. Five were my true drivers and really good cars. The others were parters and flippers. I never lost a dime driving them for 35 years. Most reliable cars of that time period for me. I preferred the basic 02 with a Weber setup. They were bulletproof. Only had one 73 Tii which was a project and is now totally restored by my Vermont friend when I moved up here from NJ 23 years ago. My last car was sold on Ebay in 2010 with 3 bidders. It sold for $6500 which was a great sale back then. I graduated to Toyotas in the 80’s and basically stayed there with my dailies. This pic was my last and the best of them all! In the early 2000’s I had a basement full of 2002 parts and if someone offered me $500 for the whole lot, I would have taken it. Instead, a car friend said to sell them on Ebay. It was a different selling place than it is today as you had to do everything. That basement full of parts turned in about $25K in sales!! Fun selling time!!!
In addenda to my last comment, the 73 Tii which was restored by my friend up here in Vermont was valued and insured a few years ago at $75K! They peaked and have dropped considerably now. That one is in the mid 30’s now. As with many of the old classics, they are out of my price range but At least I experienced them in my youth!!
Me too. I’m coming up 87 in August and I’ve had them all, British, American, Italian, French, Japanese etc. when they were much younger, thank heavens, as there is no way I can afford the prices being asked these days!
Joe,
I bought some parts from you years ago when you were in NJ. I was in my early 20s and driving a Sahara ’74 and you and your friend commented on how my dash had no cracks and it would be hard to keep it that way. Well, I still have it and it’s still crack-free! The car gets frequent use and goes from central NJ up to lake George every few years when we take it on vacation.
I remember hitting 100mph on my way home from your place on the GSP for the first time in my 02. Was impressed at how stable it was running flat out.
Hope all is well up there in VT.
Greg
A nice writeup, and a nice car. My first 2002 ride was in 1972 or so, from a fellow named Richard Reed, a friend of my brother’s in Dallas. The greenhouse was like a bubble, the sheer roadholding was amazing….and Reed knew how to drive it! That day changed my life. No more Corvairs, no more Ford Cortina, and no more Sunbeam Alpines, all of which had figured in my recent past. I started picking up 2002s, tii’s, and even an old 1600 and 4 or 5 2000CS’s, in any condition, mostly wrecks or non-runners, messing with them, selling parts. It was a small community: In ’72, ’73, they were almost fringe cars, unknown to many folks (how many parts stores and other people corrected me “You mean VW?”). A boxy, unassuming car that shocked so many people. I still have David E. Davis’s classic Car and Driver intro article “Turn your hymnal to page 2002….”. Anyhow, I had so many of ’em. Hey, does anyone out there have my Colorado 2000 Touring (hatchback 2002) that I imported in the early 80s? When I bought a new 320i at the factory in ’79, my BMW bond weakened, it was such a disappointment, especially with the dreaded 55 mph speed limit. Nowadays, so may ordinary cars are really good, but it wasn’t like that in the heyday of the 2002: it stood out.
40 some years ago, 2 TIIs came to the shop for i don’t remember what but I remember a fondness for them. Some years later. They had new owners and to my horror both had Weber DGVs installed.
That reminds me that 1970 1800E just came up on BAT with a Downdraft Weber.
Yes, I’ve tuned many Downdraft Webers. The Weber kits tha I sell are used that I’ve removed.
I like the idea for using the engine stands.
I have a set of large truck jackstands under a unibody. I can almost sit up under it and weld. It’s a long term, low priority projects. It can’t tie up the lift getting 4 link and other under car fabrication.
The comment about the snorkel ignores another option: the nose was replaced prior to the first delivery with whatever was available or manufactured, including a snorkel-equipped nose, since a nose without it was not available during manufacturing.
If you look closely at the Malaga 2002tii engine bay on page 12 of the Motorbooks International BMW Buyer’s Guide edited by Fred Larimer, you will see that it also has a nose with a snorkel.
I bought this car from the original owner, and it is extensively documented with pictorial proof that this is the nose on the car when delivered new.
I did a lot of research on the ’02-series back in the 1990s and can confirm that some of the 2002tiis were delivered new by dealers with a nose that included a snorkel. You cannot tell if it was replaced due to damage in transit or delivered from the factory this way.
The nose attachment to the inner fender well looks original on both sides of this car. It really requires closer inspection before a claim can be made that it’s not original to this car.
FWIW, I owned 2760072, an original Verona Red with black vinyl and no sunroof car. 2760001 was owned by the DeWitt family for many years, but I don’t know where it is now.
There is also an early 2002tii (before the US-specification 276xxxx serial numbers) used for US certification circulating somewhere in the US. I think the last time it surfaced, it was owned by someone near Chicago.
I have owned 43 examples of the ’02-series, including an original 1600 Cabriolet (still with the person who bought it from me in Schaumburg, IL, as far as I know), a 2002tii modified to be a modern interpretation of an Alpina A4S, and a Baur Targa. My favorite is the early 1600-2/1602 followed by the 1974 BMW 2002tii (square taillights with the long-tail chrome bumpers from a 1972 2002 is still one of my favorite looks).
Great car, it made the Alfa – BMW races in Greece turn permanently in BMW’s favor. My X1/9 Bertone-Fiat mechanic was racing an X1/9 in local rallies in Salonica N. Greece but as soon as he managed to acquire a Kugelfischer injection, he donated me the 40mm 2 double Webers he used in races. I gave him the 36mm 2 double Webers of my X1/9 in exchange to sell.
SOLD for $41,623.
33 bids.