Wow this thing handles

[Sahara]

I'm going to tell you something you all probably know: these cars handle really well. I've got a twisty road near me where I regularly put my BMW Z3 1.9 through its paces, I know just about every corner and the proper speeds for that car. The Z3 has modern Continental sport tires and pretty much brand new Bilstein sport suspension with an aggressive setup. Well, my new-to-me (as of September) 2002 performs just as well, if not just a little bit better. It's sitting on upgraded suspension, but it's fairly close to stock. The tires are skinny and old. Yet, somehow, it sticks better and lets go more predictably than anything else I've ever driven. Yeah, it rolls more, but the roll loads up and lets out like plucking a taught string, it doesn't wallow, it banks like a like a plane in well-coordinated turn. It's difficult to imagine how stunning this must have been in 1968. 

[1936spyder]

Curious to know what the suspension set-up is?

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[Sahara]

2 minutes ago, 1936spyder said:

Curious to know what the suspension set-up is?

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I believe it is Bilstein sport suspension but there's also documentation in the service records and a sticker under the hood pertaining to "BMW original suspension" and I'm not sure what that is. I doubt it refers to the OEM suspension because the record and sticker are quite new. The shocks and struts are definitely Bilstein, I can tell that just by looking at them. 

Edited December 30, 2018 by Sahara

[Mark92131]

Stock sway bars?  Measure them and let us know.  An upgrade will reduce that body roll.

 

Mark92131

[Schnellvintage]

Polyurethane bushings front and rear,also do wonders with handling.  Even with stock sway bars.

 

 

[Mike Self]

You've discovered why I bought mine back in 1969--it really was head and shoulders above any comparable "sport sedan" of the era, and better than the popular contemporary sports cars (MG-B, Triumph TR, Austin Healey, Sunbeam, Datsun 1600/2000 etc).  The only sedan that was in the same league was the Lotus Cortina, but the US emission requirements and safety standards kept the Lotus out of our market after 1967.  In 1968, the 2002 was a high performance sports car with a back seat, a big trunk and a heater that worked.  What was not to like?

 

Welcome to the fraternity/sorority!

 

mike

[uai]

 

[SteveJ]

It's a great mix of utility, performance, and (German) style. Somewhat unique in its time, it took other manufacturers quite a while to catch up.

[Sahara]

3 hours ago, Schnellvintage said:

Polyurethane bushings front and rear,also do wonders with handling.  Even with stock sway bars.

 

 

It almost certainly has poly bushings, I've inspected the undercarriage and it looks like most of what I can see is poly. 

[otisdog]

  I was moving to a new house off of Mulholland Drive, and asked one of the teamsters to shuttle my tii over to the new house, and another teamster would bring him back.

   I was a bit taken aback when the first driver approached me in a rather confrontational manner when he returned to the shop...." I can't believe that sucker corners like that on 5 1/2" rims!!!!  He was a convert. 

[thehackmechanic]

For the three people in the world who haven't seen it, here's the link to David E. Davis' legendary review of the 2002:

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/archives/1968-bmw-2002-review

 

It's still a hoot to read, even after all these years. My favorite, though politically incorrect, section is this:

"In its unique ability to blend fun-and-games with no-nonsense virtue, this newest BMW also reflects another traditional American article of faith—our unshakable belief that we can find and marry a pretty girl who will expertly cook, scrub floors, change diapers, keep the books, and still be the greatest thing since the San Francisco Earthquake in bed. It's a dream to which we cling eternally, in spite of the fact that nobody can recall it ever having come true. But, as if to erase our doubts, along comes an inexpensive little machine from Bavaria that really can perform the automotive equivalent of all those diverse domestic and erotic responsibilities, and hope springs anew."

Edited December 31, 2018 by thehackmechanic

[Mike Self]

27 minutes ago, thehackmechanic said:

"In its unique ability to blend fun-and-games with no-nonsense virtue, this newest BMW also reflects another traditional American article of faith—our unshakable belief that we can find and marry a pretty girl who will expertly cook, scrub floors, change diapers, keep the books, and still be the greatest thing since the San Francisco Earthquake in bed. It's a dream to which we cling eternally, in spite of the fact that nobody can recall it ever having come true. But, as if to erase our doubts, along comes an inexpensive little machine from Bavaria that really can perform the automotive equivalent of all those diverse domestic and erotic responsibilities, and hope springs anew."

I wonder how many of us were turned onto 2002s by this story--either when it originally appeared (like me) or reading it later.  Hoffman liked it so much he had it re-printed to be given out at dealerships along with the brochures.  

 

mike

[Bibm5]

I just read that article now for the first time and it was a great read!


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[Dick R]

I was one year away from getting my mechanical engineering degree when that article was published and I read it over and over.  From that moment on, I knew exactly what I would be buying when I got my first job out of school (Goodyear Tire in Akron).  They hired a number of newly minted engineers in 1969 and most of the others bought various kinds of muscle cars and they all thought I was nuts spending so much money ($3200) for a weird little car from a company that nobody ever heard of except for motorcycles. 

 

Probably would not have happened had that article not been written.

[golf73]

On 12/30/2018 at 1:54 PM, uai said:

 

 

A MUST READ for every new 2002 owner!!! AND the Hymnals editorial. AND the factory manual LOL

 

Edited January 1, 2019 by golf73