Words: Paranjay Dutt
Photos: BMW
The BMW 02 Series is a reminder that all you need is a tiny car with an effervescent heart…
Naming a new car is tricky. You either give the new model shoes a size too large to fill or you potentially alienate patrons by bringing out something too new. But when BMW were in their early post-war days, things weren’t quite as difficult. In the early 60s, following what were some of its most challenging years, BMW had a bit of a Eureka moment. That they could further the brand’s appeal by bringing out a compact model seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. And with the Neue Klasse saloon already established as the harbinger of financial stability, a shorter, sharper version wouldn’t have hurt, surely. With all the ingredients to make driving fun, BMW launched the 02 Series, and it just laid the foundation of what sets a BMW apart.
Under the design direction of Wilhelm Hofmeister, George Bertram and Manfred Rennen are said to have come up with the new car. It took them some dimensional changes and slight visual updates to make this sporty new BMW ready for the challenge. It was substantially shorter than the existing Neue Klasse saloon that it was based on, had just two doors, and despite the decreased length (overall length reduced by 250 mm), nobody complained of it lacking interior space. The 02 Series was presented to the world exactly 60 years ago in March 1966, and the car world never looked the same since.
The first model was the BMW 1600-2. Like the Neue Klasse saloon equivalent, it was powered by Alex von Faulkenhausen’s M10 four-cylinder engine making 85 bhp. BMW were quick to widen the car’s appeal by offering an uprated version of the engine in the 1600 TI. Launched in 1968 and in production for just over a year, the 1600 TI benefitted from a 20 hp increase in power thanks to a new twin-carb setup. The result was 105bhp and a top speed of 109mph. They made about 9000 of these.
Faulkenhausen is said to have wanted more power and ended up upgrading his personal 02 Series with a larger 2-litre engine. The same was done by BMW’s product planner Helmut Werner Bönsch, who wanted his to be more powerful, too. This couldn’t have been a coincidence but BMW replicated that for the production model in the form of the 2002. Launched to satiate the ever-increasing demand for a sportier iteration, with a 2-litre engine that would produce 100bhp and allow the car to reach a top speed of 106mph, it became the hottest-selling BMW of the era. Over 330,000 units were sold.
The 2002 was available from 1968 till nearly the very end of the 02 Series in the middle of the seventies. Its appeal could further be enhanced by choosing the optional (from 1969 onwards) automatic gearbox. For drivers still looking for more power, BMW was ready to offer the 2002 TI. Benefitting from a 120 bhp engine and produced from 1968 to 1971, the 2002 TI also got better brakes, stiffer chassis, wider track, tachometer, leather steering, and an optional five-speed gearbox. It would do 0-62mph in just over nine seconds, with its top speed claimed to be 115mph.
The 1600 was renamed ‘1602’ in 1971 and stayed on sale till the end of the car’s run. Between 1975 and 1977, BMW offered the 1502, which might have overlapped the new E21 3 Series but was at a lower price point. Having said that, between 1971 to 1975, your 02 Series choices weren’t limited to bog-standard versions The newly announced mid-tier 1802 for LHD markets with a 1.8-litre engine was joined by the mechanical Kugelfischer equipped 2002 tii. With 130bhp and a top speed of 118mph, it was the answer to all your performance-car prayers.
On the racing front, Herr Faulkenhausen decided to add a turbo to the 2002 in 1968, which paved the way for the car’s unabated race to victory in ETCC ’69 and a championship. Just three years later, this trickled down into the road-going version with the launch of the BMW 2002 Turbo. As the first European production car to be offered with a turbo — keep in mind that the 911 Turbo was yet to be launched — it could hit 0-62mph in just seven seconds, attain a top speed of 131 mph while still being powered by a 2-litre engine.
Predating the arrival of the M division by a few years, the 2002 Turbo wasn’t just the most powerful but also quite a rare thing, at just under 1700 units produced. In comparison, by the time BMW moved on to the next model, they had sold 827,535 units of the 02 series saloons.
While the need for a sporting BMW was rife, what came as a bonus was a range of body styles for the 02 Series. In addition to the standard saloon, there was the Convertible bodied by Baur. Available in both 1600 and 2002 specs, under 5,000 of these were sold. To meet safety regs without losing the fun of top-down motoring, between 1971 and 1976, the 2002 Convertible was made available with a rollover hoop, too. The turn of the new decade also saw the arrival of a new body style: a Kombi-Limousine by Paul Bracq. It could be specced in 1602, 1802, 2000/2002, and eventually 2002 tii variants, and while the overall sales were nowhere close to the saloon, the Touring remains a distinctly spacious and highly sought-after version among collectors.
The 02 Series might have made life for modern BMWs quite difficult — for they have to justify if they truly are the ultimate driving machine — it serves as a reminder that driving fun isn’t always a result of a large lump. It could just be a tiny car with an effervescent heart. Sixty years hence, the 02 Series still holds its own — much like the philosophy behind it.
Did the BMW 02 Series set a standard modern BMWs can’t quite match anymore? We’re curious to hear where you stand – are today’s cars better, or did BMW peak with legends like the BMW 2002 Turbo?
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