Accolades for BMW’s 2002 two-door sport sedan pepper the Internet, and its wonderful M10 engine earns high praise too, including “BMW’s most successful engine.” As the predecessor to BMW’s wildly popular 3-series, the 2002 laid the foundation for that quintessential entry-level German car. This 1972 BMW 2002 tii in Virginia City, Nevada comes to market here on Craigslist with a rebuilt title and the sort of cursory pictures and description rendered with an unwanted chainsaw. Coming out of 30-year ownership (presumably not by the seller), the mechanically fuel-injected “Colorado” orange example can be yours for $28,500. Thanks to reader PRA4SNW for the tip on this Bavarian mechanical Dreamsicle.
Leather wrap on the original style all-plastic steering wheel, a later CD stereo, and door speakers mark the only obvious deviations from stock. BMW 2002 dashboards develop heinous cracks over time, and this one’s either been replaced or extremely well cared-for. That carpeted pad across the top should help protect that investment (upwards of $1500) if this BMW remains in the desert southwest. Despite the claimed 86,000 original miles, the seats have most likely been re-upholstered in the original style. Looking good!
Tidy trim, shiny paint, and a factory-style exhaust show respect and TLC on this ’72. Thanks to BMW’s Mobile Tradition, you can build an original 2002 from the bare body with entirely purchased original-specification parts. In fact, Mobile Tradition did exactly that with a 1973 version of this car. The “tii” stands for Turismo Internationale Iniezione, which (translated from Italian) means Touring International Injection. More on that in a minute! Thanks to BMW for some details. In the 2002 world, most enthusiasts prefer these earlier round-taillight models or “roundies” to the 1974 to 1976 models with square taillights and (in America) larger bumpers.
Ah, the M10 2.0L (121 cid) inline overhead cam four-cylinder. Topped with carburetion in the non-tii, this one sports an original-looking mechanical fuel injection system featuring plenum intake and serial-number appropriate early plastic tubes. With no computer, compensating for load, throttle position, temperature, RPM, and other variables must be done with analog sensors, levers, and a belt-driven Kugelfischer injection pump blasting pulses of fuel through plastic lines at over 300 PSI, each pulse overpowering a spring in the injector with the precise amount of fuel needed. It’s ridiculously more complicated than having a computer tell a binary electronic injector to open or close for a specified amount of time, and worthy of high praise. Properly maintained, these little gems will spin 4500+ RPM all day long for decades of reliable fun. Now we must address the elephant in the room: the snorkel. Just right of the radiator we see a tubular pass-through in the nose / radiator core support that BMW fixed only to carbureted cars. Ergo a front-end crash (recall the rebuilt title) crushed the nose badly enough to replace that piece, because reproductions are only offered with the more common carburetor car “snorkel.” Overblown drama aside, this is a mark against the car’s value, but quite common in the world of 50+ year-old classics.
The original-looking trunk or boot shows no signs of careless repainting or other abuse, and the often rust-compromised rear shock mounts look solid and unmodified. Very nice! Beneath these panels you’ll find a spare tire on the left and a fuel tank on the right. I have a soft spot for the early tii as I own a 1972 tii myself in the same Colorado orange and black interior as this one. In fact my 2761041 was built in February of 1972, a mere 879 injected cars before this 2761923 unit’s birth in May. Mine saw more rust and a color change to Malaga red, so it can only be restored. This one can be kept original and enjoyed as-is. Have you considered one of these nimble-handling BMW sport sedans?
Nice work, Todd, that’s a great reference article for owners of that model. I can’t wait to see yours when it’s done!
Wow, love the comments! My ‘72 #2761980 mad the alloy runners. Once the FI linkage was set right the system was bullet proof! Anyone that swapped the FI for carbs is kicking themselves!!!
There was a time when these were “just cars” and swapping Webers for the expensive-to-repair MFI made good economic sense. It might have even increased the value in, say, 1980? Agree, “kicking themselves” now
Anyone that says a branded title is worth more than 50-60% of market value is trying to sell a car with a branded title. Hard pass.
So she used to be a stripper, so what.
Lived with one of these for over a year and still say it’s one of the best driving cars ever built.
Agreed bobhess. My buddy bought one in Pittsburgh in the early ’90s. It was dirty and rusty and the first thing we noticed on the test drive was how you’d barely notice a set of RR tracks, yet it cornered brilliantly, a nonexistent combination from American cars at the time. Good-handling cars like my 5.0 Mustang rode harshly and the softer suspended cars were horrible in the twisties. Here was a 20 year-old car that did both. Sold.
I owned one of these in college in the 80’s. The mechanical fuel injection is insanely expensive and prone to breaking. Many/most owners replaced it with a nice set of Webers.
Nice car, though probably overpriced by $10K.
DARN, NICE CAR!!! Why can’t that be a Mustang II: Either a Cobra II or Mach 1
Wow…love the comments. My ‘72 #2761980 had the aluminum runners. Once the injection linkage is set up the FI is bullet proof. The branded title is an issue but I think $25k is a good number. Oh, and anyone that pulled the FI for carbs is kicking themselves!
having been in the car business, the thing mentioned that garnered my attention and is a red flag: REBUILT TITLE. run the other way. it’s over priced, pretty, but with no explanation as to why it is a clouded title, I wouldn’t consider the car. only a fool will.
Salvage title, best be checking this over well before bidding and depending what state you are going to title it in best know how they treat a rebuilt title….as that status can haunt the resale value big time
sigh,,,I have BarnFinds comment remorse now, perhaps all for nothing, but couple hours before the Packers, and certain vehicles conjure up memories, mostly good.
Right after HS( ’73) my then gf traded her ’64 Impala in on a Datsun 1200 fastback, because she had some friends that were into sports cars. We had an eclectic mix, the Datsun, my Opel Mini Brute, a VW bug, a GT6+ and Franks Vega GT, that was a fun car, btw. Frank was a journeyman plumber, and traded the Vega on new ’73 Tii just like this. The rest of the “group” never heard of it, but clear, my Opel wouldn’t do, and I got my MGB. We had a blast chasing each other on Kettle Moraine roads, even rolled the Bug. The BMW ate my poor MG for lunch, and outhandled it as well. However,,,as time went on, the BMW started to grind in 2nd, that they repaired, but soon after, it began using oil, a LOT of oil, and by then, the trans began to grind again, and he traded the car in on a minivan. The MG chugged on for another 10 years, until it broke in half. I was somewhat disappointed that the BMW had those issues. I think this car changed everything for the sports sedan market, including, that tin can the Datsun 510.
Hi Howard. Thanks for the comment. We always love the first-hand stories. The Datsun 510 is a good comparison and could be considered the poor-man’s 2002. I haven’t heard of chronic transmission weaknesses, but grinding into 2nd is a common symptom for drivers who consistently beat the synchros with quick 1-2 shifting. My ’97 Wrangler had it when I purchased it in ’07 with 155k. I often do a casual 1-3 shift to give those synchros a rest. I’m around 242k now and still chugging along. Back to the 510. My buddy’s dad was a motorhead… named my friend Jimmy Bryan and his daughter’s middle name was Elan. When most were holding onto their rusted-out Buick GS or Chevelle SS, he continued thrashing their four-door orange 510. I remember him flinging us around town with white-knuckle maneuvers that would have put those muscle cars in someone’s front yard. I’d consider a 510 or a non-tii 2002 for myself sometime, something not restored and not radically hopped up. Name a 2000 lb sport sedan sold today. Thanks for your comments as always. -Todd
The 2002 was a go to work car but the 510 we raced for a couple of years was fun on wheels. 95 percent wins, 5 percent 2nds. There is a 1600 BMW that races in our class that is a challenge but we still get him in the end.
It’s refreshing to see one of these that still has the steel wheels and hub caps, and the original steering wheel. I would seem that Minilites and a Nardi are mandatory…but I like ’em original.
I bought my ’73 tii in 1992. Added the snorkel in 2003.
I learned houw to drive in a 1969 1600. Still dreaming of getting another