In 1974, what will be the first European production car incorporating a turbocharged engine is presented.
After the rather complicated 1950s for BMW, in the magical 1960s the Munich firm gradually recovered. And one of the mainstays of this process is the series of small family sedans that started with the 1600 born in the spring of 1964, from which the 2002 series (E10) derives, and, in particular, our protagonist, the 2002 turbo ( E20), born in 1973, and which became the first European production car to incorporate a turbocharged engine.
BMW is synonymous with competition. And the 2002 series was a good starting point. So it’s no wonder that six months after its launch, the 2002 Ti arrived in the summer of 1968, to replace the 1600Ti. It gave 120CV and the chassis had been adapted to the increase in power. In 1971, it was replaced by the 2002 Tii, with 130 hp and higher performance, to which a sportier image was added. And it is on this basis that BMW will develop an even more radical version, the 2002 Turbo that appears in 1973.
The Munich technicians opted for the turbo instead of a mechanical compressor, since it did not entail the increase in consumption of the latter, nor does it take part of the power of the engine. And the fact that the German firm is the pioneer is no coincidence since it already had experience in this field thanks to the aircraft engines of World War II. And we can’t ignore the fact that, in 1969, he had lined up the 2002 TIK in the European Touring Car Championship, with 290 hp thanks to a turbo. With that car, the Austrian Dieter Quester would win quite a few races, starting with the Belgrade Grand Prix. This 2002 TIK was a real test bed. And all this work will materialize in the 2002 Turbo, with which BMW demonstrates all its know-how in terms of sports sedans.
spelled backwards
Curiously, when presented, it will arouse the ire of some German politicians. The reason was that, on the front apron, the mention ‘2002 Turbo’ appeared written in reverse so that it could be read in the rear-view mirror of the cars that preceded it and that were about to be overtaken by the Munich bomb. But for his critics, this was a provocative message, something like ‘move me away’. You have to think that the car is presented very shortly before the 1973 oil crisis breaks out, and what it would entail in terms of restrictive measures, such as speed.
To avoid controversy, it would soon be replaced by a series of stickers (free option), with the colors white, red and blue. Contrary to what one might think, the three colored bands that also run from the sides to the rear shield do not symbolize a paternity that does not exist between the 2002 Turbo and BMW Motorsport. The idea is due to Robert Lutz, then director of sales of the house, to accompany the creation of the BMW Motorsport department whose first concrete project will be the 3.0 CSL, prelude to the M1. The white, blue and red stripes will remain the official colors of Jochen Neerspach’s Motorsport department after his arrival at BMW in 1973.
X-ray of the engine and turbo
But back to our 2002 Turbo. In addition, the wings were widened, it had a small black (later white) spoiler on the trunk lid and that was not there for decoration, but rather served to improve the grip of the rear train. As for body paints, you could choose between gray or white.
behind the image
But the 2002 Turbo was much more than just an image. A performance and behavior that could be defined, without complexes, as sporty had been thoroughly worked on. Its mechanics, the 1990 cc inline four-cylinder from the 2002 Tii, which kept its Kugelfischer mechanical injection, was ‘vitaminized’ with a KKK turbo that took advantage of the exhaust gases to be able to compress the mixture in the cylinders, thus increasing the engine performance. But to accept this turbo, the engine, based on the M10 cast iron block and with a single overhead camshaft, will be conveniently modified, especially at the level of the cylinder head (made of light alloy) and even more so of the pistons.
Thanks to the KKK turbo that blew at 0.55 bar (lower pressure than a competition turbo), the engine power went from 130 to 170 hp at 5,800 rpm, and the torque reaches a quite remarkable value of 241 Nm at 4,000 rpm. And so the little BMW 2002 Turbo, in terms of performance, made the Porsche 911 furious… The 0 to 100 was dispatched in 7 seconds and the top speed exceeded 210 km/h. Thus, in that year Porsche had to opt for a 911 2.4 S in order not to be beaten by the BMW. But the following year, with the power reduction, a 911 2.7 S fell short. In short, the spirit of the future M3 was already there.
And as for the gearboxes, always manual and from the Getrag brand, the customer could choose between one of four reinforced ratios, or one of five with short developments.
Given the increase in performance, work had been done on the chassis, with a stabilizer bar with a larger diameter, and reinforced suspension elements. It also had a larger capacity fuel tank, more enveloping leather seats, a three-spoke leather steering wheel and more complete instrumentation that included the boost pressure gauge. And they had not forgotten to include a clock, rear-view mirror on the right side, electric rear window, fog lights, rear seat with seat belts, sunroof, car radio and carpet. The weight was between 1,080 and 1,125 kilos depending on the options.
A highly sought after car by lovers of the classics
not for all hands
His driving had two faces: calm, until he stepped on it and then, after a waiting time, a significant push was noticed. In the curves, after a slight understeer, the rear end slipped, but you had to have hands to do a proper counter steering and know how to dose the accelerator pedal, without falling short or going over. The braking system, with discs in front and drums behind, was, in diplomatic terms, improvable. But all in all the 2002 Turbo was and is today for a lover of classic driving, an exciting toy. Sure if you find a copy.
And it is that it would be on sale between January 1974 and October 1975. And only 1,672 units were sold, to which must be added the 12 pre-series manufactured between July and December 1973. So, both for its qualities and character, as well as its rarity (few units and many of them used in competition), is a highly valued model among lovers of the classics. In any case, we’ll keep checking the rearview mirror for that magical ‘2002 Turbo’.