Description
The BMW 02 series was BMW's mid-range car from 1966 to 1977. The series was derived from the BMW new class, but had two doors instead of four.
The first car of the 02 series to be powered by the BMW M10 four-cylinder engine was named 1600-2 (Type 114) to indicate that this was a two-door and not the 1600 four-door. In the type designation of the 02 series, the first two numbers refer to the cylinder capacity, except for the later 1502 which also had a 1573 cc engine.
In 1968, the 2002 (E10) was introduced with a 1990 cc engine and the 1600 and 2002 were from now on also offered as a (full) convertible. Until 1971, the 1600 and 2002 were also available in a ti version with a double Solex carburetor with 100 and 120 hp respectively. The Alpina package could be chosen as an option, which delivered even more horsepower.
From 1971 there was a minor facelift and the name became 1600-2 changed to 1602. The 1802 (Typ 114) with an engine capacity of 1766 cc was introduced and the 2002tii with mechanical injection and an engine power of 130 hp replaced the 2002ti. The facelift in 1971 was also the start of the Touring (E6), this variant had a third door, actually a huge tailgate.
In August 1973 there was a major restyling of the 02 series. There was a different nose with a plastic grill and a different rear with square taillights. The convertible was also modified and was now only available with a roll bar: the 2002 baur convertible.
In 1974, BMW introduced the 2002 turbo (E20) with mechanical injection and turbocharger with an engine power of 170 hp. This was the first European series-produced car with a turbo, two years before the Porsche 930 turbo. The 2002 turbo was available in silver and white (and one car was delivered in black). Gasoline consumption was severely criticized due to the oil crisis and the series model became a flop with only 1672 units produced. However, the idea of the turbo engine caught on in racing: BMW even became Formula 10 world champion with the turbo engine, based on the M1 engine.
The BMW 02 series gave rise to a number of tuning companies such as AC Schnitzer, Koepchen and GS-Tuning to make the 02 even sportier. One of these companies, Alpina, went so far that almost nothing except the bodywork remained original, and they became their own car brand.
