Among BMW enthusiasts, one of the most desirable cars is the 2002tii. On one Saturday afternoon, I had an arrangement to meet up this guy and buy his wheels. After inspecting the goods I bought, we had a small chat about his current project; a 2002tii. He owned a mint 98′ E36 m3, had to sell it for a non-running condition 2002tii and bought a beat-up 92′ Accord for daily; That’s how desirable the 2002tii was. What makes this compact German so wanted by most? Here are some little known facts about the 2002tii.
The BMW 2002tii was built from 1968-1976. It was an evolutionary 2-door sport sedan (2-door sedan?) that spurred to the creation of the 3-series. Introduced in the US, the 2002tii became one of the 1st “cult-cars” and was one of the reasons why the BMWCCA was born. It was BMW’s lifesaver from a bankruptcy and it marked a name for BMW in the US.
The “2002” signifies 2.0 liter, 02 door, and the “tii” stands for touring, international, injected. The performance fuel-injected version of the 2002tii was the grandfather to the popular BMW M3. An Alpina modified version of the 2002tii was offered later on.
Because it started its first years in the US as a cult-car, most if it has been modified by its owners so it’s almost difficult to find one in a near-factory condition. Thinking about it, I wouldn’t mind owning one. It’s not on the top of my list and i would definitely not trade my m3 for it if i had one. Here are more pictures for your eyes to feast.
-Mark