Classic Auto’s Drew Yagodnik is usually not a fan of the color green. Yet, he describes this green as “phenomenal.” Simply calling this 1976 BMW 2002 green is an understatement. It gets a lot of attention. The car also has a phenomenal backstory, and Steve Moore from The Car Vault lets us in on the details of its masterful restoration.
The BMW 2002: Reclaiming Glory
During the 1960’s, the BMW 2002 emerges from a shift in thinking about how to re-capture the sporting image BMW enjoys in the 1930’s. The iconic auto company decides to design a shorter wheelbase two-door version of the New Class saloon, which turns out to be the BMW 1600 two-door coupe. Although the BMW 1600 is considered a success, as is the case with most car designers, one eventually says, “Hey, let’s see what happens if we drop a bigger engine in it.” (Actually, Alex von Falkenhausen and BMW planning director Helmut Werner Bonsch say it, paraphrasing, of course. Each one has already customized their own cars with bigger engines.) So they put a 100 hp 2-litre engine into the two-door coupe and the BMW 2002 is born. The BMW 2002 has three distinct generations: number one built from 1968 to 1971; number two built from 1971 to 1973 -known as model 71; and number three built from 1973 to 1976, or model 73.
Here Come the Judge
The outrageous green BMW 2002 is a masterful amalgam of all three generations. After meeting one of the judges at a car show a few years ago, Steve gets a call from the guy saying he wants to build a BMW 2002 -only this one will be different. This guy wants to incorporate all his favorite features from his six previous BMW 2002’s into one car. “It took about 12 months to find a really good rust-free donor car,” Steve says. “In the meantime, we sat down and talked about all his ideas.” Once they find the donor, they have it acid-dipped for good measure.
After All, It’s Not 1976 Anymore
After going round and round discussing all the options, they decide to keep the original 1600 engine that is dyno’ed at 190 horsepower (tested properly by DynoLab). The new-fangled BMW 2002 has a five-speed transmission, a coilover suspension and a lot of custom touches, including some ultra-modern options. Steve explains, “There’ll be no ignition key on the car. It’s all going to be a touchpad, push-button screen in the dash. So, a lot of neat sort of unique features.” Definitely stuff you don’t usually see on a BMW 2002, that’s for sure.
Luxury Car Service, Restoration and Storage
Whether it’s a race car, a classic car or new car, our friends at The Car Vault in Brownsburg, Indiana have 40+ years of experience in the automotive industry and do everything from simple upgrades to more complex restorations. In addition, enthusiasts in the Indianapolis area can take advantage of Vault Storage, a secure, climate-controlled environment for both long-term and short-term automotive storage.
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