Many of you would be familiar with BMWs and perhaps how imposing they are--you would probably form an immediate impression that these drivers are somewhat wealthy. Yet, BMW has also rolled out some pretty cute cars in the past, such as this 1972 BMW 2002.
The 2002 was part of the 02 series, which was a range of compact executive cars produced from 1966. It was designed to be more sportier than its predecessor, the "New Class" range of cars. The 2002 only came into being in order to break into the US market. It turned out that many people loved the 2002 and this quickly established BMW as an international brand.
As with cars of that era, technology that we take for granted today, such as airbags, rearview camera, and power steering were non-existent for this 2002. The constant engagement between the driver and the road enhanced the overall driving experience, and there was a near 360-degree visibility with no blind spots given how small the pillars are. It was powered by a 1990 cc M10 i4 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 170 km/h, with an acceleration of 10.4 seconds [0-100 km/h]. It was 4230 mm long and weighed just 990 kg.
Production ended in 1976 with about 6800 made in RHD. I am aware of 2 more residing here, and one of them is always hidden at the far corner of a carpark. This unit was recently imported from the UK as it still sports the UK road tax disc. It has a very quaint look that never goes out of style, and it is easy to see why people still fall in love with it. I was reading this article about how one man in the USA was so addicted to the 2002 that he owned some 50 of them! This ended up destroying his marriage and his relationships with his friends, which was pretty sad. It is heartening how people here still love this car, I hope you will too after reading it!
No comments:
Post a Comment