One of BMW’s most successful automobiles was the 1960s and 1970s 2002 Series. It was a sporty, smaller touring car that was powered by a 2-liter inline-4. One version was the Tii which was fuel-injected while other variants were carbureted. This nice example from 1974 has come out of storage where it’s been since the early 1980s, having accumulated only 30,000 miles up to that point. The engine does not turn by hand, so it will at least need some mechanical attention. Located with a dealer in Houston, Texas, this interesting piece of German engineering is available here on drivesource.com for $21,750 (firm).
These cars were conceived in 1966 as entry-level BMWs, accessible to a broader market. At first, the machines had 1.6-liter engines and were called 1602s. A variety of changes would take place over the years before this line of cars was retired in 1977. They were based on the “New Class” sedans and were shorter in length with slightly abbreviated wheelbases. The carbureted 2002 Ti models produced 118 hp while the fuel-injected Tii raised the ante to 128. The latter could reach a top speed of 115 mph. From 1971 to 1975, BMW built a little more than 38,700 of the Tii entries.
A good friend of mine has collected these cars for years and has a 4,000-square-foot full of them in Florida, including parts. Most of them don’t run, but every time he hears of one in distress, he goes and fetches it home. So, when you’re a fan of 2002s, you’re REALLY a fan! This 1974 preserved example, a U.S.-spec car with the period’s bigger bumpers, has been dormant for roughly 40 years. The space it was in must have been temperature-controlled as the overall vehicle appears in good original condition, which may include original paint. The upholstery has held up well, too. Only the wheels seem to have any surface rust.
The car has several interesting features, like a period-correct Blaupunkt Frankfurt radio, an Audiovox cassette player, a Tenna CB radio, and the BMW-crested gear shift knob. As the engine will not turn by hand, it appears as though the engine (and perhaps the 4-speed manual) may require some disassembly to correct any operating problems. The motor is matching numbers with a built date of July 1974. This Beamer even has air conditioning, not common with automobiles of this nature. Add new tires to your shopping list as these donuts likely date back to the disco era.
I really like these early 2002’s. BMW’s styling and design ethos was starting to take form.
Basic and pure in form, fit and function, they are fun and pretty responsive, especially on spirted bends.
👍🤓
Like the color
A nice combo of accessories, especially the AC, too bad it’s got uglybumperitis!
Easily fixed by replacing the ’74 and up “diving board” bumpers with earlier US spec chrome bumpers, or chrome euro bumpers. Not super cheap, but readily available and easy to do. Man does it make these cars look better!
The fuel injection for these, mechanical, is a nightmare. Most often it is swapped out for carbs. Either way, it’s an expensive fix.
Not necessarily. The Kugelfischer FI pump was way ahead of it’s time but it is an complex bit of kit to be sure. The trick is to get the cold start circuit working and the mixture dialed in then not mess with them. Welding an O2 sensor into the the downpipe on the exhaust manifold is a popular mod to make tuning easier.
Generally once you have them working they run forever. Most replacement parts are readily available for them, and there is a wealth of knowledge and documentation out there within the 2002 hobby. There are even a few shops that will rebuild pumps for a (fairly high) price.
Swapping out a K-pump for carbs is the cheap and easy way out. But that makes your tii just another 2002 IMHO. For a car this clean, I hope the new owner keeps it a tii.
looks to have had the front panel replaced sometime in the past, it has the air intake tube for a carburetor car, I seem to remember that the Tii did not have this from factory.
Beleive it or not, some Tii cars actually left the factory with the “snorkel” style front panel. Apparently BMW used the parts on hand a times to avoid holding up Tii production. So a car without the intake tube is most likely a genuine Tii. But not vice versa.
In any case a close inspection should be done to confirm if the panel was replaced. If it was it probably indicates a collision repair.
Worked for bmw when these were new , most came this way and the fuel injection is basic and easy to maintain unless one lets the fuel go bad . Owned several of these cars , fun to drive , easy to maintain , some parts are impossible to find today , had to make frame rails for the last one I did .
Wheeler Dealers did an episode on this model. $40K+ car once it’s all sorted out!
Dealer doesn’t bother to even give it a proper wash but he does spray bomb the undercarriage with black paint to hide the rust. Unscrupulous for sure
Couldn’t agree more about the obligatory, if not cheeky, black spray bomb on the chassis…..wow