There was a time when big-bumpered, square taillight BMW 2002s were readily accessible even in Tii form, but those days are quickly disappearing. As enthusiasts wake up to the Tii’s potential, both as a driver’s car and investment opportunity, cheap ones are getting snatched up quite quickly. This 1974 model here on eBay does have rust to contend with and needs restoration, but with bids already over $4K and the reserve unmet, it’s unlikely to sell for a song.
The good news is that despite needing rust repair and not having run since 1990, a good helping of parts and replacement metal are included with the sale. The seller notes that the left rocker panel has been replaced and a replacement panel for the right side is included with the sale. The Tii underwent a full engine rebuild in the late 80s / early 90s but only put 500 miles on the fresh motor before being parked until recently.
I feel like I read that explanation more and more – a car receives the attention it deserves and a not-small investment like an engine rebuild and then is barely used afterwards. It’s a shame, but it’s good to see the interior hasn’t perished in its time off the road. The dash looks nice as does the wood trim insert around the gauges. The three-spoke period sport steering wheel is a desirable item, and the door panels still appear lustrous.
Many 2002 enthusiasts get excited about an ’02 that retains its original nose panels, as they had a high rate of attrition due to accidents and rust. This car has had its original panels replaced, so bidding will likely be slightly stunted due to the panel swap, but overall, there’s a lot to like here if you’re hunting for a restorable Tii. It all depends, of course, on how aggressive the reserve is.
The 2002tii isn’t exactly rare (~39,000 made) compared to the Turbo (1,672 made) but they were the affordable hot rod BMW of the day, and still very desirable. The SCM Guide says the median price paid for these at auction recently has been $35K, so doing this car might be worth it. It’s now bid to just over $5K and 3 days to go. I think it will go higher than that before the auction ends.
If the engine really has been rebuilt (do a compression check at the very least), then it would probably be worth dealing with the body metal issues. It looks like someone has started that work but didn’t get very far. A good body man could probably cut out the bad metal and patch in the new panels without too much trouble since they look like they are fairly accessible.
Given the value of the car, and that great 1970s Inka Orange paint, it’s sure to stand out at any car show you bring it to, and the valuation when completed would justify the metal and paint work required.
Nice writeup Jeff, thanks for this interesting feature. A family member lives near this car. If I weren’t in the middle of 2 restorations I would have them look at it. But….better not, lest I buy it. And it’s a small faction of the current price of that notchback P-car you guys featured after this one…
Dolphin is kind of correct. 39-40,000 is the number made but that is world wide. There were only 7,447 Tii’s imported to the US from 72-74. I would be surprised if half of these are still around. Only the early 72’s had the non-snorkel nose, the rest had the snorkel as BMW did not feel the need for the extra cost in a non-snorkel nose. The snorkel was just not used on Tiis.
Is 7447 “only”..?
Right, Chris, the tii was pretty rare in No America, making this car a rare, inexpensive (so far) example.
And since the Turbo was not officially imported here, and remembering David E Davis and his insight that the 2002 initiated the sports sedan genre, I would say that the tii was the top sports sedan back when this car was new.
wouldn’t buy an earlier model than this 1 (well, OK, 1 yr earlier is the limit).
Maintenance & most else is DIY if U have 5 fingers & tools.
Well worth ownership for size, fun, drive, pep, comfort, handling, durability…
I think I’d hafta switch to the ‘3’s & ’85 + for the waggy.
I was at BMW Mobile Tradition in 2002. We discussed production numbers. While admitting production records were vague, they doubted more than 300 or 400 ’74 tiis with big bumpers were built.
Like all the stuff inside it. Beats renting a storage unit i guess.
I ended up buying this one. My first car was a 72 2002!