If you are a BMW fan, then this little orange car should get you going. The seller claims that it’s still wearing its original Inka Orange paint. Not only that, but this is the Tii variant and that means more performance. The first owner loved this car so much that they kept it for 43 years! They used it sparingly and took care of it so future generations could experience what BMW’s marketing slogan was really all about. Find it here on eBay where bidding has taken off.
If you don’t get what all the fuss is about, then I suggest you read this article that was published by Car and Driver back in ’72. It explains why this BMW was more expensive than cars twice its size. The main reason seems to be that fuel-injected four cylinder . It put out a lot more power than the base engine and when attached to a close ratio four-speed, made for a lot of fun. And unlike BMW’s current offerings, there were no electric gadgets in there to spoil the experience.
The Tii wasn’t just about outright power though. It also had upgraded brakes, wheels, and suspension. This was a balanced package that was fun to throw into the corners. It was built at a time when BMW cared more about driving dynamics than lease rates or luxury. You could see out of them well and the road’s surface was transmitted to your hands through the steering wheel. Talking about steering wheels, that one is a dealer installed Racemark.
There are other cool dealer installed options here too including the four spoke BWA rims and Hella driving lamps. This car was obviously much loved by its previous owner and we can only hope that the next caretaker will keep up that pattern. Hopefully, they will take it out on the occasional back road sprint too so they can experience what the “Ultimate Driving Machine” was really like.
BF’s does it again. Drags a dusty memory out of the abyss. ( which is why I’m here) Right after HS ( ’72) I had a friend, and we were into small sporty cars, he had a new ’72 Vega GT ( that he had good luck with) and I had an Opel Kadett Rallye. We both decided to up the ante, he bought a new orange ’73 BMW 2002tii, EXACTLY like this (minus steering wheel and mags) and I went with the MGB. I remember, for a 2 liter (MGB an 1800) he would leave me in the dust on acceleration, about equal in hard cornering. It did well for a sedan. It was kind of a plain car inside, but 4 adults could cruise comfortably. After about a year, ( of hard running) the BMW began using oil, and a 2nd gear synchro began to grind, while the MGB chugged on. He traded it a short while later. It was a very nice car. Can’t believe I’m looking at another one here, great find.
So Howard, you are thinking this is worth $37K? You could buy a couple of very nice MGBs.
Hi DLM, good heavens, no. Truth be known, I don’t even look at the price. I think prices have gone so out of whack, it’s completely changed the hobby. An orange ’73 tii certainly is rare today, but for the price of a decent house WITH a heated garage in the N. Woods? Our value system sure has got turned around. Bottom got to fall out sooner or later.
So I had a beautiful sunroof, dealer installed a/c, slushbox ’72 2002 in the nineties. I dropped a Gettrag 5 speed in it.and for reasons unclear to my throbbing cerebellum..sold it for 6 K, which at the time was a heck of a lot of money for a non TII 2002.
Back in the days when I bought cars serially, you name it I, had it, well not a Tatra. Now the best of them are bringing prices that are hard to fathom.
Leaving aside a dealer is selling this, one who seems to have for sale some pretty sweet and unique bits from various models, I am stunned at the price despite the fact it is a stunning example.
I just hope I live long enough to catch the market on the way down.
The market has left the building.
I dare not comment, even though I was born in Essen,Germany. Jesse is out for my hide :)
Forgive me for saying this sir but, it’s not like we hate your opinion it’s just… we can feel the angry criticism through our respectable devices.
P. J.
Might I suggest that you and all of the readers specifically identify the comments you are referring too. Yours appeared in my email and I assumed you were talking to me about my post. Since I am quite fond of the 2002Tii, I couldn’t not imagine such an interpretation of what I wrote, so I took another look at mine and still find it a reasonable post, but a lament over how crazy the price sounds/is. Since there were a number expressing such a distress, I concluded that your post was meant for another, hence my suggestion of specific identification of the post responded to. Bedsides being just a pesky lawyer, it would clear up any confusion as to which post stimulated a response whether or not positive. Please do not read this as my finding fault with your post, because I have no such intent. Thank you. George
I like these, but I would like to have more power. I guess I would be stepping all over BMW lovers for suggesting it needs a big motor upgrade, turbo or something. It isn’t slow, but by today’s standards it is slow with a quarter mile about 16.5 seconds. I guess I want to see an M3 or 335 twin turbo in one of these. It would be a lot more fun to have 300 hp under the hood of this little jewel. When was the last time you saw one of these doing a burnout and screaming to a 100?
The great Bob Lutz beat you to the turbo idea when he developed the 2002 Turbo back in the early ’70s when he was working for BMW. Note the reversed lettering on the air dam so that drivers who were being overtaken could know why.
As for values, since these were the top non-turbo 2002 model, and since the 2002 was a landmark car, and this one seems to be a genuine survivor, and various cars like this are still appreciating strongly because there’s too much money chasing scarce, genuinely original landmark vintage cars, well, the bidding for this car is no surprise.
The bidding for this car is not too far ahead of the usual auction selling price for a good 2001 Tii, probably because it’s a documented low-mile original.
Friend of mine had a bunch of 3.0 coupes and some 1600/2002s. He had one of the turbos. I drove his cars to be serviced, sold, etc. The turbo was the only one I never got to drive. And the only one truly kept inside. Others were under shelters or in the open. The turbo stayed enclosed.
@dirtyharry
I have done a burnout in all 12 BMW’s I have owned, even the e92xi coupe! I have to add to your mention about burnouts, due to traction control, you never see them anymore!
Got seat time in two of these. Great cars! Comment hit home about BMW electronics as we continually try to keep our Mini Cooper on the road. The 2002s never missed a beat.
my twin, but looks better than mine!
It looks better than yours because it’s a roundy and it has a front bumper and the aluminum trim.
Ok, first we get the Ferrari in the apartment living room and now we get this guy leaving his BMW in the kitchen! Love those floors!
Very very very cool find. Always sort of threatening in their day – able to shut down a “sports car” head to head. This one is the ultimate 2002, but I’d rather have the ’99 M3 convertible for under $10K I saw on Autotrader.
Love it, I had an orange 2002 back in the 80s but when I started getting left behind by the the Jap small cars that were on the market back then it had to go. Now I’m a bit older I’d love to have it back.
Wow, this thing is going to pop $40,000
I to choked at the price. None but the rich with large discretionary income could justify paying that kind of jack for what is a gorgeous survivor. There are plenty of nicely restored money for that amount or less which would provide a similar bang for the buck. I find myself shocked every day at the stratospheric prices i encounter” 189,000 for a mid-60’s Mercedes 190 Roadster, the same color as one a law school classmate bought for $1800.00 forty years earlier. Had we known that prices would go so out of wack, we could have bought a couple, stored them properly in Dad’s barn, quit law school, spent out life chasing the waves from the California to Mexico and running wild with all of the single girls, sold the 190″s for 180K each and have more retirement funds than the large majority of those who toiled their entire lives do.
Inka Dinka Doo. Apologies to Jimmie Durante.
I thought the 911 prices had gotten crazy. I stand corrected.
Love love love this one. Checks all the boxes:
✔︎ Bright orange paint.
✔︎ Round tail lamps.
✔︎ Tii Spec.
✔︎ Condition: ready to go!
Sad to me that 2002’s have gone the route of the Porsche 911 as far as pricing goes, but isn’t that bound to happen when something like this is actually worth owning? I recall looking at E30 M3’s about ten years ago and they were quite affordable an almost a little undervalued, but today a roached out example brings north of $10k. I think I may have missed the boat on owning a 2002 as my love for them doesn’t go $40k deep, and they are just problematic enough that I wouldn’t be interested in a project level car at 1/4 of that.
I guess we should all start buying up all the 320i’s we can get…..they were better cars than the 2002…not as Iconic, but still better
I had a 74′ 2002 Tii and loved the car except for continual problems with mechanical fuel injection. Stickered new for $5800 sold in 1977 with 70k miles for $5500 and thought I was a bandit. Should have put into the back of the garage as an investment. Also had a 1970 1600-2 with Webers, cam, headers, Ansa, & Konies. Now that was my favorite!
I drove a ’72 off and on in the late 70’s and one night, I was running very late, and driving much too fast and took a corner, my ’69 Camaro which was a pretty good car, would have taken me off the road, and into the woods, but the 2002 drove like it was on rails, just steered around the corner. They were wonderful cars for their time.
My favorite vehicle. My cousin in New York had a 74 non tii, non roundie. 4 SPD I think. He drove from N.Y. to Los Angeles to come visit us in that car In1984. My first ride in a bimmer 2002. He drove from the San Fernando valley to Disneyland in 45 minutes with heavy traffic. What a thrill. Waaaaaaaa,waaaaaaaa. Yeah.
Rich I like yours more nice spoiler kit and colors
My first car was an orange 1972 BMW 2002 tii. Beautiful to find this review here. I bought the car in 1977 and drove it until 1980. My next car was a dark gray 1970 BMW 2800cs. The era of those cars. The gods were smiling and so were we.