Discussion
My first ever BMW was a mint green 1502 that I bought from a used car lot in Kent in around 1986/7. It was one of those cars that had been taken in PX but was a bit too ropey to be sold on as anything more than a trade sale. I don't recall what I paid but given I was only in my early 20's, it wouldn't have been much. I'd never really paid any attention to BMW's having first owned a 1962 Mini Minor 850, albeit with an Austin 1300 engine swap, followed by a Ford MK3 Cortina and a Mk1 Capri 3.0. The Essex V6 was long gone though and had been replaced with a 2 litre Pinto and Weber carb. I had hardly put any miles on the 1502 before I was pretty much smitten though. It just felt so well put together and despite its smaller engine, performance was pretty impressive. I just loved the styling and how sporty it felt compared to the Fords. Sadly it was pretty rusty though but I found myself an early, round tail light 2002 to replace it and have had an 02 at one time or other ever since.
I've been fortunate enough to spend the past few years in various E30 M3 and most recently an E46 M3, but health issues and changing personal circumstances meant they had to be sold. I still miss the E30 M3, which was built to my own ultimate spec, but I just never jelled with the later E46. It's a great car and a hugely capable chassis, but just always felt too modern for me. The performance was such that you would be travelling too quickly to really enjoy it (on public roads) and I just hankered for a return to something classic I guess?
Now I have been thinking of getting back into another E30 but anything after an M3 feels like a backwards step. I've been looking at maybe building an all steel M3 replica but the C pillar / window hoop alone is £3K plus. I was offered one by a chap in Ireland but he wants £6K! I also know of a nice 2 door that's running an S50 engine swap and some other choice mods, which I thought could be a good base for converting? In the end though, I know how these things go and I could easily see myself spending similar amounts of cash to the cost of a genuine E30 M3 and that's what brought about this situation in the first place.
So, with that all in mind, I started looking at the alternatives with the only certainty being that it needed to be a BMW and no newer that the mid 80's. There were a couple of E28 M535i but one needed a restoration to be finished and the other was simply too nice to be modified. I guess I could have just left it alone but past experience has shown that this isn't something I ever do. The were both autos too, so that would have been the first change to make. I also looked at E21's but I've built up a couple before and whilst they looked great, they just don't drive particularly well. The likes of E3 and E9 were just too rare and too expensive, which left me looking at 2002's again. The problem there is that they've rocketed in value and the only things in budget were going to need some extensive rust repairs so I figured one from a sunnier climate might be an option? At this point I found a lovely looking example that had been extensively restored and allowing for the exchange rate, was just about in budget. The downside was that it was sat 2300 miles away in Athens! Fortunately, a chap I met through a shared interest in E21's, just so happened to live close by and he agreed to go take a look...
Whilst there were a few issues, such as the later style boot lid and dashboard, it looked really nice overall and had clearly had quite a bit of work. My contact decided he needed someone with more experience in 02's to take a look though and spoke to a local independent specialist for advice. Evidently the car had been for sale for quite a while, which isn't a great sign, so he asked if I might consider a modified example if the price was right? As I always planned my own mods anyway, I asked for some pictures and a spec' list...
It may only be a 1602 but the whole of the brakes and running gear has been upgraded to 2002 specification, along with Bilstein suspension and custom springs. The engine is the original but it now has a fully flowed big valve head, lightened and balanced bottom end, Schrick camshaft, twin Weber 45's and a 4 branch exhaust manifold. Power is around 170 bhp with the rev limit kept to 8K for longevity, although it will rev out to 8.5k. I know 170 bhp doesn't sound like much but 02's a pretty light cars and that's the same power as the 2002 turbo made.
Another bit of good news was the cost of shipping a running and driving car is way, way less than shipping a container. I did think about driving it back to the UK but simply cannot spare the time, added to which fuel and toll costs would be expensive. Anyway, a deal has been done and the car is currently in the workshop having a full service and mechanical inspection / overhaul prior to shipping. All being well, it will go onto the ship one day next week and arrive in Southampton some 25 days later.
The search for parts has already started and I'm really excited at the prospect of being back in an 02 again. I have quite a few plans for it but this year will be about simply using and enjoying the thing. It might be 47 years old but it'll be going into daily duties and may even do the occasional hillclimb or sprint. It may not be an E30 M3 but it's LHD and still feels pretty special.
If anyone has, or knows of a period steering wheel and some 4x100 7x13 ET25 Minilites, please shout!
New 45's are going on prior to shipping and the early style clocks are fitted too.
Cobra RSR seats, or something similar, will be going in with new carpets and either a Petri or Prototipo steering wheel I hope.
I've been fortunate enough to spend the past few years in various E30 M3 and most recently an E46 M3, but health issues and changing personal circumstances meant they had to be sold. I still miss the E30 M3, which was built to my own ultimate spec, but I just never jelled with the later E46. It's a great car and a hugely capable chassis, but just always felt too modern for me. The performance was such that you would be travelling too quickly to really enjoy it (on public roads) and I just hankered for a return to something classic I guess?
Now I have been thinking of getting back into another E30 but anything after an M3 feels like a backwards step. I've been looking at maybe building an all steel M3 replica but the C pillar / window hoop alone is £3K plus. I was offered one by a chap in Ireland but he wants £6K! I also know of a nice 2 door that's running an S50 engine swap and some other choice mods, which I thought could be a good base for converting? In the end though, I know how these things go and I could easily see myself spending similar amounts of cash to the cost of a genuine E30 M3 and that's what brought about this situation in the first place.
So, with that all in mind, I started looking at the alternatives with the only certainty being that it needed to be a BMW and no newer that the mid 80's. There were a couple of E28 M535i but one needed a restoration to be finished and the other was simply too nice to be modified. I guess I could have just left it alone but past experience has shown that this isn't something I ever do. The were both autos too, so that would have been the first change to make. I also looked at E21's but I've built up a couple before and whilst they looked great, they just don't drive particularly well. The likes of E3 and E9 were just too rare and too expensive, which left me looking at 2002's again. The problem there is that they've rocketed in value and the only things in budget were going to need some extensive rust repairs so I figured one from a sunnier climate might be an option? At this point I found a lovely looking example that had been extensively restored and allowing for the exchange rate, was just about in budget. The downside was that it was sat 2300 miles away in Athens! Fortunately, a chap I met through a shared interest in E21's, just so happened to live close by and he agreed to go take a look...
Whilst there were a few issues, such as the later style boot lid and dashboard, it looked really nice overall and had clearly had quite a bit of work. My contact decided he needed someone with more experience in 02's to take a look though and spoke to a local independent specialist for advice. Evidently the car had been for sale for quite a while, which isn't a great sign, so he asked if I might consider a modified example if the price was right? As I always planned my own mods anyway, I asked for some pictures and a spec' list...
It may only be a 1602 but the whole of the brakes and running gear has been upgraded to 2002 specification, along with Bilstein suspension and custom springs. The engine is the original but it now has a fully flowed big valve head, lightened and balanced bottom end, Schrick camshaft, twin Weber 45's and a 4 branch exhaust manifold. Power is around 170 bhp with the rev limit kept to 8K for longevity, although it will rev out to 8.5k. I know 170 bhp doesn't sound like much but 02's a pretty light cars and that's the same power as the 2002 turbo made.
Another bit of good news was the cost of shipping a running and driving car is way, way less than shipping a container. I did think about driving it back to the UK but simply cannot spare the time, added to which fuel and toll costs would be expensive. Anyway, a deal has been done and the car is currently in the workshop having a full service and mechanical inspection / overhaul prior to shipping. All being well, it will go onto the ship one day next week and arrive in Southampton some 25 days later.
The search for parts has already started and I'm really excited at the prospect of being back in an 02 again. I have quite a few plans for it but this year will be about simply using and enjoying the thing. It might be 47 years old but it'll be going into daily duties and may even do the occasional hillclimb or sprint. It may not be an E30 M3 but it's LHD and still feels pretty special.
If anyone has, or knows of a period steering wheel and some 4x100 7x13 ET25 Minilites, please shout!
New 45's are going on prior to shipping and the early style clocks are fitted too.
Cobra RSR seats, or something similar, will be going in with new carpets and either a Petri or Prototipo steering wheel I hope.
v15ben said:
Very different to the Matiz too. 
I loved the Matiz and it's gone to my youngest boy, who loves it as much as I did. More in fact, as he's upgraded the stereo and plans to fit better suspension. It reminded me of my own first car, the Mini 850.Denzk said:
That is very nice.
Being a bit older than you,can understand how you like cars from that period,and that how the e46 was to modern, I have a e46 325ti, currently,and feel the same way.
The problem is ,all the good BMW's from 70-80's have sky rocketed in price.
I've had a couple of 325ti and they're such an underrated model. As you say though, still too modern for some of us. It's crazy how prices have climbed in recent years. 5 years ago I declined an absolutely pristine, and I mean pristine 1602 for £7K, as I thought it was a bit pricey. I reckon that same car could make an easy £20K plus. Even E21, which were pretty unloved when compared to E30's and 02's, are making good money now. This is why, in part, I opted to import one from Greece and pay the £500 shipping charges. I know I couldn't afford this same car if it was a UK one of the same spec' and condition. The white car (pictured above and below) would be around £13500 once it arrived. Being a bit older than you,can understand how you like cars from that period,and that how the e46 was to modern, I have a e46 325ti, currently,and feel the same way.
The problem is ,all the good BMW's from 70-80's have sky rocketed in price.
The whole RO/RO ferry thing was turning into a whole debacle and I just wasn't comfortable with the shipping agents whole ''just leave it at the port with the keys in'' style of export. Cue multiple calls to Greek shipping agents, a slight change of plan and all being well, the 1602 should find its way onto the transporter on Thursday., arriving here 5 days later. Best of all, it'll be safe and sound and not driven by a complete stranger and/or random port employee.
Whilst waiting for the shipping to be arranged, the car has had a thorough service and a brand new pair of Weber fitted. I also opted to have the front bumper put back on as early front panels are pretty rare and running without a bumper makes it just to vulnerable to parking bumps and the like. I like a bit of chrome though anyway.
I've been looking at giving the interior a bit of a makeover as the carpets especially, are a bit tired. I've opted to go with some seats from Cobra and chose their Interlagos. I'm also going with either black or navy blue carpet and the new steering wheel arrived from Belgium yesterday. Another lucky find has been a full set of 13'' BBS in the correct 02 offset of ET18, so I just need a set of 185/60's now.
New carbs being fitted last week, along with full service and propshaft donut.
Whilst waiting for the shipping to be arranged, the car has had a thorough service and a brand new pair of Weber fitted. I also opted to have the front bumper put back on as early front panels are pretty rare and running without a bumper makes it just to vulnerable to parking bumps and the like. I like a bit of chrome though anyway.
I've been looking at giving the interior a bit of a makeover as the carpets especially, are a bit tired. I've opted to go with some seats from Cobra and chose their Interlagos. I'm also going with either black or navy blue carpet and the new steering wheel arrived from Belgium yesterday.
Another lucky find has been a full set of 13'' BBS in the correct 02 offset of ET18, so I just need a set of 185/60's now.New carbs being fitted last week, along with full service and propshaft donut.
My other half is from Athens and her folks had an early 1602 in white originally with the round rear lights, from new!
It was abandoned where they live a while a go, as it had a replacement engine and as such couldn't get classic car tax in Greece. I did look at bringing it back, but there was way too much rust. Also the rear lights had been replaced with the square units.
Enjoy the new project, should be be great fun.
It was abandoned where they live a while a go, as it had a replacement engine and as such couldn't get classic car tax in Greece. I did look at bringing it back, but there was way too much rust. Also the rear lights had been replaced with the square units.
Enjoy the new project, should be be great fun.
Love it; it’s a seriously cool car, especially so if it’s used as a daily once you get it. It’s probably a good call to get it delivered overland; cheap RORO may be but as you pointed out it’s got a range of potential risks, too.
I’ve never driven an old BMW before, and oldest I’ve been in as a passenger is an E34 M5 3.6. I guess I’m showing my (lack of?) age when I consider that a 70s car is probably going to be too rattly to drive every day, but what are these old ‘02s like to own and drive? Heaps are being restored but is that down to nostalgia?
I’ve never driven an old BMW before, and oldest I’ve been in as a passenger is an E34 M5 3.6. I guess I’m showing my (lack of?) age when I consider that a 70s car is probably going to be too rattly to drive every day, but what are these old ‘02s like to own and drive? Heaps are being restored but is that down to nostalgia?
They're far more refined than you might imagine and I've run them as daily drivers for a good few years. The most recent (before this silver 1602) was a white '73 car that was pretty original save for a change from a Solex to a Weber carb. BMW m10 engine is an incredibly strong engine and pretty torquey for a 4 pot. This is an engine that when turbo charged and taken to its extreme, made 1500bhp in F1!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrDk9RzFw6s
O2's were really well built and have always enjoyed a reputation for being a sporty drive. The tii had 130bhp and in a car that weighed about 960kgs, it was pretty quick for 1972.
If ever you see me at a Sunday Service you're welcome to jump in and experience an 02 for yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrDk9RzFw6s
O2's were really well built and have always enjoyed a reputation for being a sporty drive. The tii had 130bhp and in a car that weighed about 960kgs, it was pretty quick for 1972.
If ever you see me at a Sunday Service you're welcome to jump in and experience an 02 for yourself.
The old ones were simply a bit on the tired side and need a proper overhaul. The new ones were part of the deal anyway, so were just a quicker, simpler solution. Much as I love the sound of velocity stacks though, I think I need some filter socks before I start daily driving.
Just been sent a few more pictures and am loving the alloys.
Just been sent a few more pictures and am loving the alloys.
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