history and reference Find an earlier 2002 than this: 1660002

[Preyupy]

I have known the owner for many years and knew about the car ( never actually seen it run) but it is a very nice early 2002. He told me years ago that it was used as a press demo car when it first came to the U.S. I never actually looked at the VIN but someone was talking about the earliest 2002 known as being 1660013 so I had to call my friend and ask what was his VIN. He just happened to have the registration sitting on his desk and he read off 1660002!

OK HE WINS!

It was originally Polaris ( now red) with a sunroof. It currently has a Turbo on the M10 ( he can't remember if it is the original block but if not he probably has it stored somewhere). He hopes to put it back to stock(ish) he is going to hate taking the turbo off.

I'm guessing this is the car that David E. Davis wrote about in "Turn Your Hymnals to 2002" just think how much fun HE would have had with the turbo on it!

[Conserv]

...just think how much fun HE would have had with the turbo on it!

LOL

Of course, no one would actually do that...no, wait: several manufacturers and especially Pontiac caused a big hubbub in the '60s by providing "road test" cars to the press that had been heavily messaged -- balanced, blueprinted, compression ratios increased, insulation stripped out to lower weights -- and which achieved performance figures that weren't remotely possible by factory-stock examples! A full-size Pontiac in a 1965 Car and Driver road test did 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, in an era when 7.0 seconds was "Ferrari fast"!

Regards,

Steve

Edited January 27, 2016 by Conserv

[02Les]

I have known the owner for many years and knew about the car ( never actually seen it run) but it is a very nice early 2002. He told me years ago that it was used as a press demo car when it first came to the U.S. I never actually looked at the VIN but someone was talking about the earliest 2002 known as being 1660013 so I had to call my friend and ask what was his VIN. He just happened to have the registration sitting on his desk and he read off 1660002!

OK HE WINS!

It was originally Polaris ( now red) with a sunroof. It currently has a Turbo on the M10 ( he can't remember if it is the original block but if not he probably has it stored somewhere). He hopes to put it back to stock(ish) he is going to hate taking the turbo off.

I'm guessing this is the car that David E. Davis wrote about in "Turn Your Hymnals to 2002" just think how much fun HE would have had with the turbo on it!

Whilst the 1660001 series were from Jan 1968 and on, I have info (unconfirmed) that two were manufactured in 1967. It would be interesting to know if your friend has the build date for 1660002.

[Conserv]

On 1/27/2016 at 11:01 AM, 02Les said:

Whilst the 1660001 series were from Jan 1968 and on, I have info (unconfirmed) that two were manufactured in 1967. It would be interesting to know if your friend has the build date for 1660002.

And if not...

an email with the VIN to info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com would resolve this for once and all. If this did become a road test vehicle, was title delivered to Hoffman Motors, or not?

 

Hmmm...? That BMW Archives report might be interesting!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

Edited July 4, 2020 by Conserv

[roadhog0]

I have known the owner for many years and knew about the car ( never actually seen it run) but it is a very nice early 2002. He told me years ago that it was used as a press demo car when it first came to the U.S. I never actually looked at the VIN but someone was talking about the earliest 2002 known as being 1660013 so I had to call my friend and ask what was his VIN. He just happened to have the registration sitting on his desk and he read off 1660002!

OK HE WINS!

It was originally Polaris ( now red) with a sunroof. It currently has a Turbo on the M10 ( he can't remember if it is the original block but if not he probably has it stored somewhere). He hopes to put it back to stock(ish) he is going to hate taking the turbo off.

I'm guessing this is the car that David E. Davis wrote about in "Turn Your Hymnals to 2002" just think how much fun HE would have had with the turbo on it!

Out of everyone on here, I should of known Byron would know where the earliest 2002 is!! Never ceases to surprise me the stuff you know!

[Preyupy]

I don't know if it has the original block, if not it would not surprise me if it's in storage knowing him. He said it was built in '67 and maybe he has already gotten the build info from BMW, I'll ask him next time I talk to him. 

[Mike Self]

As  I mentioned in the earlier post about 1660013/16, the press car that Hoffman provided to C&D, R&T, Popular Science and SCG was a Polaris 2002--and I'm pretty sure it was the same car because in all the magazine pictures it's shown with the same license plate.  Wonder if it was the actual press car.  If anyone has any of these road test handy you should be able to tell if the car being tested has a sunroof.  I do remember that it was a black California manufacturer plate with the number 392 visible... 

 

BTW, the two US spec 2002s shown as "1967" models just meant that they were actually manufactured in calendar year 1967.  BMW dates their production by calendar year (1 Jan-31 Dec) rather than model year (1 Sept-31 Aug).  

 

That 1967 production date makes sense for cars that were gonna be shown at US car shows in early 1968, and provided to the car magazines for road tests.  Magazine deadlines generally run about two months before publication date, so in order for the road tests to appear in the April or May 1968 issues, the cars would have had to be available in January or February 1968.

 

Hope your friend takes good care of 0002 and hopefully returns it to its original configuration someday.

 

mike

[jgerock]

Not as early- but Dan Erwin wrote a series of hilarious articles in the early Bimmer Magazines about "Crusty"- an Atlantic (it appeared to be) 2002 # 1660495 with sunroof that he fixed up and drove to Oktoberfest 2002 in Colorado. First issue was October 2002 (Bimmer #29). I really miss Dan's writings - RIP.

Edited January 29, 2016 by jgerock

[Simeon]

LOL

Of course, no one would actually do that...no, wait: several manufacturers and especially Pontiac caused a big hubbub in the '60s by providing "road test" cars to the press that had been heavily messaged -- balanced, blueprinted, compression ratios increased, insulation stripped out to lower weights -- and which achieved performance figures that weren't remotely possible by factory-stock examples! A full-size Pontiac in a 1965 Car and Driver road test did 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, in an era when 7.0 seconds was "Ferrari fast"!

Regards,

Steve

 

I hope they upgraded the brakes to match! :0

[Lisa.02P]

There's a 1600 for sale in TX that has a terrible paint job (may not be a stock paint job) and may need some TLC... but the VIN # is 1566086

 

I contacted the seller for more pics and such... and he's asking 13K ...  I personally wouldn't pay that much for a 1600 in need of much love... 

I also contacted the archives and this is what they gave me... 

The BMW 1600 US VIN 1566086 was manufactured on August 30th, 1968 and delivered on September 05th, 1968 to the BMW importer Hoffman Motors Corp. in New York City. The original colour was Caribe, paint code 059.

 

Hope this goes to a good home... its a survivor, but needs a lot of work... 

Edited January 28, 2016 by 02princessLisa

[Preyupy]

My 1st '02 was a '68 1600 in Caribe.  Wish I could remember the VIN, only had it for 18 months before a drunk in a 57 GMC pickup took me out. 

[FunElan]

My Caribe 1600 is 1563167...built Feb 8th, 1968. Sounds familiar?

 

Lisa, if you get pics of the caribe car, please post! I've been trying to track Caribe cars and have only found a handful. 

 

Would also love to see pics of this early 1660002 car...the early cars have such unique details. 

Edited January 28, 2016 by FunElan

[Conserv]

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/176511-1969-bmw-1600-in-cinco-ranch-tx/

Hey, hey, it's down to $8,900. Better?

Regards,

Steve

[Lisa.02P]

Guess who talked him down.... ;-) You can thank me later... LOL!

[02Anders]

My Caribe 1600 is 1563167...built Feb 8th, 1968. Sounds familiar?

 

Lisa, if you get pics of the caribe car, please post! I've been trying to track Caribe cars and have only found a handful. 

 

Would also love to see pics of this early 1660002 car...the early cars have such unique details. 

 

Recently a Caribe 1600-2 with VIN 1508053 was thoroughly restored in Norway.

You can see it in The '66 Registry (second post in this thread) : http://www.02forum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=8603

Edited January 28, 2016 by 02Anders