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Grille evolution


Scott Sislane

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Almost.  The ten-slat kidney grilles (first photo) disappeared either at the end of the 1967 model year or very shortly after the beginning of the 1968 model year (e.g., September or October 1967).

 

Thus, 100% of the 2002 models (production began January 1968) actually look like your 1969-1973 photo.

 

Your first photo could be described as “1966-67 1600-2”.

  

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited by Conserv
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1976 2002 Polaris, 2742541 (original owner)

1973 2002tii Inka, 2762757 (not-the-original owner)

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15 minutes ago, Conserv said:

Almost.  The ten-slat kidney grilles (first photo) disappeared either at the end of the 1967 model year or very shortly after the beginning of the 1968 model year (e.g., September or October 1967).

 

Thus, 100% of the 2002 models (production began January 1968) actually look like your 1969-1973 photo.

  

Regards,

 

Steve

 

got it. So the 1600-2 continued with the 10 slat, and the 02 started with the black/chromed slats...

1976 2002 Custom Dk Blue w/ Pearl

1975 2002A Sahara (sold Feb 2008)

SiteNamecopy.jpg

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Scott--your first picture is of a NK sedan, not a 1600-2 (note the grille bars outboard of the headlights).  

 

On 2002s, the first ones (68 through early 1970, I think) had the black grille bars painted, not covered with black aluminum appliques.  The only other change on roundie grilles was the change from deep to shallow headlight surrounds (with the corresponding changes to the headlight retainers) during the 1972 model year, carrying over to the end of roundie production.

 

All squarelights used the same plastic grilles.

 

mike

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'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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Per the April 1987 Roundel article by Michel Potheau:

 

"Except for minor subtleties like different carpets, trim rings on the two piece hubcaps and blacked out grills, the early 1969's were in truth identical to the 1968's.  The 1969s delivered after January 1969 were substantially different. The cars also had 15" wipers instead of the totally inadequate 13" ones previously offered."

 

And later in the article:

"The 1972s grills were blacked out using a material which wouldn't chip or fade as easily as had earlier cars."

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Jim Gerock

 

Riviera 69 2002 built 5/30/69 "Oscar"

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Here's a '67 1600 front grill owned by 02P Lisa.

IMG_6988.jpg

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Andrew Wilson
Vern- 1973 2002tii, https://www.bmw2002faq.com/blogs/blog/304-andrew-wilsons-vern-restoration/ 
Veronika- 1968 1600 Cabriolet, Athena- 1973 3.0 CSi,  Rodney- 1988 M5, The M3- 1997 M3,

The Unicorn- 2007 X3, Julia- 2007 Z4 Coupe, Ophelia- 2014 X3, Herman- 1914 KisselKar 4-40

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1 hour ago, jgerock said:

The 1969s delivered after January 1969 were substantially different. The cars also had 15" wipers instead of the totally inadequate 13" ones previously offered."

 

My Feb '69 production '02 came with 13" wipers (still on the car!) but it was only the 40th built after the 1 January changes, so apparently, once again the factory was using up old parts 'tll they ran out.

 

And I thought at least the early '70s still had painted grille slats, that the changeover to appliques occurred during the 1970 production run...can anyone confirm?

 

mike  

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'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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2 hours ago, sislane said:

got it. So the 1600-2 continued with the 10 slat, and the 02 started with the black/chromed slats...

 

All 1600-2’s and 1602’s had anodized aluminum grilles without any black slats. The black slats are strictly a 2002 feature (OK, 1600-2 cabriolets and 1600ti’s — both rare as hen’s teeth — may have come from the factory with black slats!). Sometime around September 1967, 1600-2’s simply converted from 10-slat center grilles to 8-slat center grilles. Both before and after this change, their grilles were simply anodized aluminum.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

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1976 2002 Polaris, 2742541 (original owner)

1973 2002tii Inka, 2762757 (not-the-original owner)

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A lot of industries do running changes during production, and through the life of the product.

 

I really learned this when I was trying to recreate a model locomotive from a picture and trying to get details just right. I showed the pic to my friend who had worked for that railroad. He said they used what they had that day to get it going. So, the details in the pic were correct for that exact moment in time.

 

Unless you were there on the factory floor when the car was built, who is to say they didn't use the last set of flat horns (or whatever) on your car.

 

 

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Steve J

72 tii / 83 320is / 88 M3 / 08 MCS R55 / 12 MC R56

& too many bikes

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