The BMW 02 Series is a range of compact executive cars produced by German automaker
BMW between 1966 and 1977, based on a shortened version of the
New Class Sedans.
The first 02 Series produced was the 1600-2 (later renamed 1602) in 1966. In 1975, the 02 Series was replaced by the
E21 3 Series (except for the 1502 model which continued until 1977).
Overview
The 1600-2, as the first "02 Series" BMW was designated, was an entry-level BMW, and was smaller, less expensive, and less well-appointed than the
New Class Sedan on which it was based.
BMW's design director Wilhelm Hofmeister assigned the two-door project to staff designers Georg Bertram and Manfred Rennen.
[ With 5 cm (2 in) shorter wheelbase and some 25 cm (10 in) shorter in length, mainly by shortening the rear deck, the lighter weight of the two-door made it more suitable than the original New Class sedan for sporting purposes.][ As a result, the two door sedan became the basis of the sporting 02 Series.
Beginning in 1967, a convertible based on the 02 body was built by Karosserie Baur. The original design was a full convertible; after 1971 this was replaced by a targa-top model with fixed window frames called a "top cabriolet" (commonly referred to as a ]cabrio coach
A cabrio coach or semi-convertible is a type of car that has a retractable textile roof, similar to a convertible/cabriolet. The difference is that where a convertible often has the B-pillar, C-pillar and other bodywork removed, the cabrio coac ...
). A hatchback, called the Touring model, was developed from the 02 body, being available from 1971.[ Only 25,827 Touring models were sold before the bodystyle was discontinued in 1974.
At the ]Paris Motor Show
The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...
in 1969, BMW unveiled a fastback
A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is a type of fastback style.
Some models, such as the Ford Mustang, have been specifically marketed as ...
2002 GT4 concept car. This model never reached production.
File:BMW E114 02 Cabrio.JPG, BMW 1600 Cabriolet
File:BMW 114C 30.06.19 JM (4).jpg, BMW 2002 Baur Top Cabriolet (Type 114C)
File:BMW 2000 Touring (3536274563).jpg, BMW 2000 Touring (the original Touring model eschewed the "02" suffix)
1600-2 / 1602
The 1600-2 (the "-2" meaning "2-door") made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...
in March 1966 and was sold through 1975, with the designation being simplified to "1602" in 1971. The badging on the 1600-2 read simply "1600". The 1.6 L M10 engine produced at 5,700 rpm and at 3,500 rpm.[ In 1968, ]Road & Track
''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published 6 times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York, New York.
History
''Road & Track'' (often ab ...
declared the US$2676 1600 "a great automobile for the price".
A high performance version, the 1600 TI, was introduced in September 1967. With a compression ratio of 9.5:1 and the dual Solex PHH side-draft carburettor system from the 1800 TI, the 1600 TI produced at 6,000 rpm. Kerb weight for the 1600 TI is . Once the 2002 arrived, the 1600 TI was immediately discontinued.
The 1600 TI was not sold in the United States, as it did not meet their emission standard
Emission standards are the legal requirements governing air pollutants released into the atmosphere. Emission standards set quantitative limits on the permissible amount of specific air pollutants that may be released from specific sources over ...
s.
Also introduced in September 1967 was a limited-production cabriolet
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
, which would be produced by Baur Baur can refer to:
People
* A. C. Baur (1900–1931), American football player and stock broker
* Alfred Baur, Swiss collector of Asian art
* Eleonore Baur, only woman to participate in Munich Beer Hall Putsch
* Erwin Baur, German geneticist and b ...
from 1967 through 1971. A hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
1600 Touring model was introduced in 1971 but was discontinued in 1972.
2002
Helmut Werner Bönsch, BMW's director of product planning, and Alex von Falkenhausen, designer of the M10 engine, each had a two-litre engine installed in a 1600-2 for their respective personal use. When they realized they had both made the same modification to their own cars, they prepared a joint proposal to BMW's board to manufacture a two-litre version of the 1600-2. At the same time, American importer Max Hoffman
Maximilian Edwin Hoffman (12 November 1904 in Vienna, Austria – 9 August 1981), was an Austrian-born, New York-based importer of luxury European automobiles into the United States during the 1950s.
Known equally for his acumen and influe ...
was asking BMW for a sporting version of the 02 series that could be sold in the United States.[
As per the larger coupe and 4-door sedan models, the 2.0 engine was sold in two states of tune: the base single-carburetor 2002 producing and the dual-carburetor high compression 2002 ti producing .] The 2002 Automatic, with the base engine and a ZF 3HP12 3 speed automatic transmission, became available in 1969.
In 1971, the Baur cabriolet was switched from the 1.6 L engine to the 2.0 L engine to become the 2002 TopCabriolet, a cabrio coach
A cabrio coach or semi-convertible is a type of car that has a retractable textile roof, similar to a convertible/cabriolet. The difference is that where a convertible often has the B-pillar, C-pillar and other bodywork removed, the cabrio coac ...
with a large rollbar and fixed window frames which continued to be available well into 1975. In 1978 Baur presented a TopCabriolet version of the succeeding 3-series as well. The Touring version of the 02 Series became available with all engine sizes at the time, including the 2002 tii (of which only 422 examples were made) as the replacement for the 2002 ti. The 2002 tii used the fuel-injected engine from the 2000 tii, which resulted in a top speed of . A 2002 tii Touring model was available throughout the run of the tii engine and the Touring body, both of which ended production in 1974.
The 2002 turbo (E20) was launched at the 1973 Frankfurt Motor Show. This was Europe's and BMW's first turbocharged
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
production car. It produced at 5,800 rpm, with of torque. The car had a top speed of 211 km/h (131 mph). The 2002 Turbo used the 2002 tii engine with a twin-scroll 0.55 Bar turbocharger developed together with KK&K. The cylinder head was a modified version of the '121TI' design (used on 1972 & earlier 2002s) with larger combustion chambers to give a compression ratio of 6.9:1, in order to prevent engine knocking. A version of the Kugelfischer
Kugelfischer injection (also called ''System Kugelfischer'') is the name for a mechanical fuel injection (MFI) pump. It was produced by FAG Kugelfischer and later by Robert Bosch GmbH
Derived from diesel pumps from the early 1960s, the Kugelfisch ...
mechanical fuel injection was used with integrated boost enrichment feature and altitude compensation. The car had a larger radiator and an oil cooler as standard, front brakes were a ventilated derivative of the tii brake and rear drums were a 250mm design that would later appear on the E21 3-series. Gearbox was either a strengthened Getrag 232 4-speed (unique to the 2002 turbo) or the Getrag 235/5 close-ratio 5 speed (which was also optional on 2002 tii), this drove through a 3.36:1 limited slip differential
A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the generic tr ...
to 5.5J13 steel wheels of a similar design to those that would appear later on the E21 The interior added an extra gauge cluster for the boost gauge & clock plus a red instrument panel with 240kmh/150 mph speedometer, sports seats & steering wheel. The steel body featured a different front-panel with additional tow-bracket and air-intake apertures and the front & rear wheel arches are cut-back to allow fitting of wider wheels. These body changes are clothed in fibreglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...
wheelarch extensions and a front airdam, all bolted to the body, plus a rubber rear spoiler
Spoiler is a security vulnerability on modern computer central processing units that use speculative execution. It exploits side-effects of speculative execution to improve the efficiency of Rowhammer and other related memory and cache attacks. Ac ...
on the trunk lid. Two standard colours were available:
Chamonix (white) and Polaris (silver)
- and cars featured BMW motorsport colour-scheme stripes/decals on the sides & front airdam. The 2002 Turbo was introduced just before the 1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had supp ...
, therefore only 1,672 were built,[ Norbye, p. 162] as BMW has since said ''"BMW had built a car that contradicted the spirit of the times like no automobile before"''.
1802
The 1802 was introduced in 1971 and was available with either the original 2-door sedan body or the 3-door Touring hatchback introduced that year. Power from the 1.8-liter engine is at 5250 rpm. Production of the Touring model continued until 1974, with the 1802 sedan ending production the following year.
1502
The 1502, an economy model with an engine displacement of 1573 cc as the 1602 but lower power of was introduced in 1975. This engine had a lower compression ratio of 8.0:1, therefore standard-octane petrol could be used. While the rest of the 02 Series was replaced in 1975 by the E21 3 Series, the 1502 continued until 1977.
Model year changes
1971 facelift
In 1971, the 02 Series received a facelift
A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () "wrinkle", and () "excision", the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are mul ...
. The 3-door hatchback "Touring" body style (badged "2000" initially) and the 1802 model were introduced as part of the facelift, and the 2002ti was replaced by the 2002tii. Other changes included wraparound bumpers for all models, a 2-piece instrument cluster and new seats.
1973
Exterior trim changes, including revised tail-lights (except for Touring models and in the United States, which maintained round tail lights, US models received the revisions for the 1974 model year), grille and kidney trim.
1975
The 1502 is introduced as the base model.
Special models
2002 ti Diana
To celebrate the marriage of racer Hubert Hahne to Diana Körner, twelve custom 2002 ti models were built with changes including twin headlights (from the 2800 CS) a leather interior and Italian aluminium wheels. Each of the twelve cars were painted in a different colour. There are only four known remaining 2002 ti Diana.
1602 Elektro
For the 1972 Olympic Games, BMW developed the "1602 Elektro" electric-powered concept vehicle. Two vehicles were produced, and they served as a support vehicle of the long-distance walkers and marathon runners during the games. The pack of twelve lead-acid batteries (located under the bonnet) gave a range of approximately .
2002 GT4
A special Frua-designed coupe body was developed on the basis of a 2002 Ti. Only two were produced in 1969/1970.
Production figures
Motorsport
Th
Racing Sportscars
database shows the BMW 2002 was used in competitive motorsport from 1968 to 1986, and 2002's were entered in 600 events. There were 2449 entries of cars at these 600 events, with 1520 finishes and 707 retirements (a finishing ratio of 68%).
Overall event wins totaled 50 (with additional 53 class wins), 57 2nd places and 62 3rd-place finishes.
Dieter Quester
Dieter Quester (born 30 May 1939 in Vienna) is an active touring car racing driver from Austria. Dieter has participated in 53 24-Hour Races. He competed in a single Formula One race in which he finished ninth.
Starting with motorboats in the 1950 ...
& Hubert Hahne
Hubert Hahne (28 March 1935 – 24 April 2019) was a racing driver from Germany. He was the older brother of Armin Hahne, as well as the uncle of Jörg van Ommen.
Career
He participated in five Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, two of ...
won the June 1969 European Touring Car Race (ETCC) at Brand's Hatch, Kent, UK in a BMW 2002 TiK (the ~250BHP turbocharged factory-developed 2002 touring car)
The BMW 2002 competed in the Trans Am Series
The Trans-Am Series is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).
Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of track types includin ...
under two liter class, although it saw little success as the class was dominated by Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...
, Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...
, and Datsun
Datsun (, ) was an automobile brand owned by Nissan. Datsun's original production run began in 1931. From 1958 to 1986, only vehicles exported by Nissan were identified as Datsun. Nissan phased out the Datsun brand in March 1986, but relaunche ...
. In the golden age of Trans Am (1966–1972), BMW only garnered two race wins (Bryar and Bridgehampton in 1970).
Hans-Joachim Stuck
Hans-Joachim Stuck (born 1 January 1951), nicknamed "Strietzel", is a German racing driver who has competed in Formula One and many other categories. He is the son of pre-WW2 racing driver Hans Stuck
Life and career
He was born in Garmisch-Parte ...
and Clemens Schickentanz won the inaugural 1970 24 Hours Nürburgring
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
driving a 2002.Nürburgring 24 hours, homepage.mac.com, as archived at web.archive.org/
/ref>
Homages
In 2015, BMW introduced a pair of concept cars paying tribute to the BMW 2002 turbo: the 2002 Hommage Concept and the 2002 Hommage Turbomeister Concept.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bmw New Class
1970s cars
02 Series
Cars introduced in 1966
Coupés
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Sports sedans