1974 BMW 2002 Turbo
Genuine 2002 Turbo
1 of 1,672 ever made
Delivered new to Italy
Great driver’s example, not a show queen, mechanically very well sorted
Competitively Priced
Model History
Introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1973, the 2002 Turbo was the first turbocharged BMW and with the exception of some attempts by General Motors in the 60's, is seen as the first turbocharged production car. Using the hugely successful 2002tii as its foundation, the Turbo used the same 2 Litre, 4-cylinder engine fitted with a KKK Turbocharger and a higher compression ratio. The result was 170bhp in a small, lightweight and rear wheel drive coupé, the perfect combination for a huge amount of performance and fun. Production only lasted from 1973-1974 during which time just 1,672 were ever built, all in Left Hand Drive.
Motor Car for Sale
The BMW 2002 Turbo for sale at Wrightson Automotive is believed to have been delivered new to Italy. The early history is sadly not known, but we are on a mission as you read to research it. The car spent much of its life in Japan. The ‘Alpina style’ wheels are by RS Sport and dated 1992. These are apparently a Japanese brand and the dating would give some indication that the car was in Japan around that time.
Around 2009, the car was purchased by a Mr. Safari. According to the current owner, Mr. Safari worked in Formula 1 and was over in Japan for the Grand Prix when he came across this BMW 2002 Turbo for sale. He bought the car and shipped it over to California. It is here that the paper trail on file begins and judging by the $16,000 USD worth of invoices with Bavarian Rennsport from 2010/11, Mr. Safari didn’t do things by halves!
In February 2010 the car was gone through front to back flushing and replacing all fluids, replacing all the fuel lines, brake lines, new cylinder head studs, all new brakes inc. rebuilding calipers, rebuilding the fuel injection and install an auxiliary injection pump.
In January 2011 the BMW 2002 Turbo went back to Bavarian Rennsport for a service and some more major working including: gearbox, driveshaft and diff rebuild, turbo rebuild, heater box rebuild, installation of Bilstein dampers front and rear, installation of the Hella driving lights and the extra gauges in the centre console. The invoice mentions rebuilding the limited slip differential but there is no part listed which may well indicate that this car came with the LSD as a factory option, which is very rare.
In 2014 the car was bought by the current owner when he resided in Los Angeles. During this time, well respected German car specialists, Stuttgart Automotive, looked after the BMW. It went to them for maintenance in April and May 2014, March 2015 and January 2016.
It was in 2016 that the current owner, having taken early retirement, moved to Southern Italy, taking the BMW with him. All the shipping and exhaustive registration documents from the Automotoclub Storico Italiano (ASI) are on file including a letter from BMW in Italy confirming the identity of the car as an original BMW 2002 Turbo.
During this time, the car was probably more famous with the dogs of Southern Italy, than the people. The owner, a huge lover of dogs and all animals used to drive around the area stopping and feeding abandoned and stray dogs in the BMW. One loves the idea that their sensitive hearing would have picked up the warble of that fabulous little 4-cylinder engine long before they could smell the food that they knew would follow that noise!
In 2021 the decision was made to move to the UK, and more specifically, St. Andrews in Scotland. It would have made much more sense and been a hell of a lot easier to simply sell the BMW in Italy before ‘upping sticks’ and moving but such was the bond with the car and the enjoyment it gave him, that he took it with him (again!).
During more recent years the BMW 2002 Turbo has been looked after locally with parts carefully sourced from BMW experts, Jaymic. In November 2022 the cylinder head was removed, cleaned, skimmed and refitted with new gaskets, along with a new water pump, rear brake rebuild and a service. The original exhaust manifolds were sent away to a cast iron specialist in Leicestershire to be specialist welded for cracks at the same time.
New Continental tyres and a full alignment were all done in August 2023. Finally, in April 2024 the BMW underwent a thorough service including stripping the front struts and fitting new top mounts.
Today the car presents, in my opinion, in “ideal” condition. This is an example that has been maintained with a focus on how the car drives and its mechanical strength, as opposed to how shiny and “mint” it is. This isn’t to say the car doesn’t present well cosmentically, because it does and I would change nothing on that front, except perhaps refurbish the wheels or even source a set of original 2002 Turbo wheels. The interior appears to be entirely original when it comes to the seats, carpets and dashboard, with the exception of the aforementioned extra gauges in the centre console. Why would you NOT want an oil pressure gauge though!
BMW 2002 Turbo values have crept up over the years, what with the rarity factor and the cult status. Many examples in Europe are priced in well in excess of €100,000 EUR. The owner of this car is being extremely realistic and we have factored in the cars overall condition and history to arrive at what I think is an extremely competitive and probably beyond fair, price.
