Upholstery shops are hidden gems of potential project car surprises. Both of the shops I patronized back in Rhode Island had a variety of gems hidden on the property, both belonging to the proprietor and to customers who had practically abandoned their old projects (or at least were enjoying years of free storage while awaiting the completion of a long-term upholstery job.) This 1973 BMW 2002 Tii listed here on craigslist was driven to an upholstery shop years ago and hasn’t moved since. The photos indicate it’s very solid and worthy of rescuing, and it’s listed for $16,500 in Justin, TX. Thanks to Barn Finds reader T.J. for the find.
The Tii has long been a sought-after member of BMW’s vintage lineup, and for good reason. The 2.0L inline-four was upgraded with Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection and generated a healthy 130 b.h.p. and 131 lb.-ft. of torque. And if you wanted the most desirable version, you’d go with the earlier model, denoted by the round taillights. The car shown here is such a vehicle, but there’s another bonus here which is that it appears to be a dry, Texas car. 2002s are certainly known for having rust issues when they live in states where the snow falls six months out of the year, so a dry climate project is a great place to start.
One of the most vulnerable areas of bodywork on any 2002, Tii or not, is the rear shock mounts in the trunk. The ones on this car look spectacular. The other detail my eye is drawn to are the panels on the trunk floor, which are naturally drawn to catching oil and dirt when parts and other junk is left in the luggage compartment. The trunk on this 2002 is in excellent condition all around and it’s nice to see that despite the years of inactivity, no one has begun treating this project like a storage unit. Photos with the panels removed show a spotless spare tire well.
The interior, likewise, is in impressive shape. The bucket seats are fantastic and show little in the way of wear. Perhaps, even having been driven into the upholstery shop and left there for years, someone still found time to re-do the seats. It looks like the correct pattern, too, and the carpets and shift boot are tidy as well. From the outside, it looks like it sports Verona Red paint and it also sports some vintage BBS-style wheels. The asking price seems reasonable for a car that looks this solid and mostly unmodified, and the seller indicates there’s not a lot of room for haggling – but you will need to have it transported home, as it is still a project.
Spent a little over 1 year with one of these and I can easily say if you have never driven one of these cars you have missed out on one of the best driving cars ever built. Nice one here.
I have been “barn-finding” since the mid-70s. One of my best sources has been cars left at auto repair, body, and trim shops. Most have been left by customers that didn’t pay for work done, or otherwise abandoned the project.
I got three 2002s that way. Two turned out to be decent including a ’73 2002 tii that I found in the mid-80s.
I made quick money on the tii, but still regret selling it. I haven’t found a decent example since (at a reasonable price). The car here looks like a nice project.
Note: If you are buying a customer’s car from a shop, make absolutely sure all the paperwork required in your jurisdiction is done perfectly…including lien search. I have had experience on 6 occasions with former owners (and lien holders) attempt to reclaim there rides (one was 13 years later). Some even tried to report the cars as stolen. In each case, I had all the correct paperwork, so claims were quickly dropped.
I had a Series IIA Land Rover years ago. One day, I drove by a tow yard and spotted an identical Land Rover sitting way in the back. Being the nosy guy that I am, I stopped and asked about it. It had no engine or transmission, but it was complete and in great shape. It was a lien vehicle that had an unpaid tow bill (I don’t know why people give up great vehicles over small amounts of money). The guy didn’t know what he had and the total price, including a tow to my house, was $275.00 (lien title included). I swapped the parts that were better on the lien vehicle with those on my Rover and sold the rest at a substantial profit to a guy who was restoring a similar vintage Rover. He was thrilled to get it.
Zilla – That was the source of many of the cars I drove as a teenager. My Father was friends with every bodyman in town as well as the upholstery guys because we had a small dealership. My Dad grew up in the depression and believed you needed to earn everything you had, so no “demo” for anyone in our family except my Mother. My first was a Hudson Hornet with a blown cork clutch. I learned the hard way about the clearances needed, but the car was dirt cheap due to non pay and the owner had moved away. Then I got a ’57 hardtop Chevrolet in turquoise and white that had been left at the local upholstery shop w/o seats. Drove it there sitting on a box and forgot to bring the parts he needed fixed? Moved away and didn’t return calls or registered letters (remember those?). By then I had found my fun and I was ready for the real world, or so I believed. You have more determination than I with your Land Rovers, but I am new to the Jaguar domain so I guess I am about to learn many painful lessons.
Can see the Tii specific clock on the dash.
A genuine Tii would not have the air intake hole (snorkel) to the passenger side of the radiator.
This does not mean that this one wasn’t in a shunt and a new front panel designed for a carburetor equipped model was installed…
The snorkel in the nose isn’t always an indicator that the nose wasn’t original to the car when sold to its first owner.
I had an all-original, documented, and one-owner 1973 2002tii delivered new with a snorkel nose (see the engine bay picture of the Malaga 2002tii on page 12 of the Motorbooks International BMW Buyer’s Guide edited by Fred Larimer).
It’s difficult to discern if the nose has been replaced if there is a distinct edge where the inner nose panel flap meets the inner fender. Look closely at this area on the BMW Buyer’s Guide engine bay picture.
However, if you look at this car, you can see it is smooth where the inner nose panel is folded and welded to the inner fender well. As such, I would contend this car has had a nose replacement.
It’s still a pretty car. Yet, I would like pictures of the rocker panels, the bottom of the nose (under the battery), and the areas where the front rails are welded to the floorplan.
I assume somebody wouldn’t take their car to the upholstery shop until it was pretty close to being all sorted out mechanically, so this seems like a no-brainer.