louissingapore

Engine's finally in! Awaiting everything to be fully wired up before we can get it started and thereafter it will be off to the paint/bodyshop again for a full respray. Slightly cleaner undercarriage, some new bits, some old bits just heavily cleaned up.

Taking wayyyy longer than I expected though

haha ya, I had the internals rebuilt about 2 yrs back, but it does look pretty rough on the outside. Maybe I'll drop in one of these in the future: BluntTech Industries • 123\BMW BLUETOOTH TUNABLE DISTRIBUTOR FOR M10 ENGINES WWW.BLUNTTECH.COM The 123\BMW-4-R-V bluetooth tunable distributor is designed for M10 engines, in the BMW 1600, 1602, 1602Ti, 1800, 1800Ti, 1802, 2000, 2000Ti, 2000Tii, 2002, 2002Ti, 2002Tii, 2002Turbo, 316, 318...

Engine is finally back in one piece! Now for it to go into the car. Lol.

Welp! Turns out the previous shipment of parts was probably nowhere near the last as another issue cropped up soon after dropping off my Webers. Cue exhibit A: Notice anything amiss? Yup, my brand-new Weber 32/36 will not fit my intake manifold! While this could have been a mistake on my part, it really wasn't, because that intake manifold should not have been on my car! That is an early 2002 or 1602 manifold, and not something that should have been on my later car. I guess someone, somewhere, years ago did a sneaky swap and took my original larger intake off! So, it meant ordering yet another part and kudos to Ireland Engineering, they delivered the goods and I got my brand new reconditioned part in a week! With said part in hand I headed over to my mechanic once again for a special delivery! It's always fun to snoop around whenever there's something interesting in the shop. Here's the previously mentioned offending manifold. No what that's gonna work. New intake manifold, meet new Weber. New Weber, meet new intake manifold. Let's do a test fit! Lookin' good. Finally! While I was there, I also had a look at the head which after opening up seemed to have taken some internal damage somewhere in its life. So, it was sent to be skimmed and whilst not perfect, it is still serviceable and we will continue to use it since we are not looking to build a race engine or trying to make bulk power. The rest of the engine also looked to be in pretty decent shape with the pistons and valves still good for use. Here's the old carb vs the new one for comparison. I'm guessing there will be a noticeable difference once fitted. This will be retired to the bookshelf. Here's a look at the freshly painted valve cover! This was actually an idea by my mechanic and initially, the lines and BMW text were painted black but I insisted on getting them sanded down to have the exposed silver metal showing. I think it looks really sweet! The shop HAD to park this 328 next to my car. This right here, is pretty much the dream garage pair don't you think? The 308/328 era Ferraris will always be my childhood heroes. Such beautiful lines. Just looking at these cars brings back memories from when I was just a kid. Luckily for me, dreaming is free. 1 out of 2 ain't too bad I guess. From hereon, let's pray things will move ahead smoothly (fingers crossed) as I will need to get the car ready for inspection by the end of October. Here's hoping!

How does the roof fit?

As above. Will require air shipping to Singapore *Update* Ordered from Ireland

Having bought parts for my Toyota Mark II, there was no way I could neglect the 2002 right? Of course not! So along with a brand new Momo black edition, some other parts have arrived for the old girl. Yup, a brand new front strut bar because, why not? If you're thinking it's been some time since my last update on the 2002, you're not wrong. Getting the car's wiring done up has been an extremely time-consuming process for the shop but I'm very happy to report that the wiring is almost done! Here's most of the wiring already in the car. In addition to that bright red bar, here's another new bit of period-correct engineering for the car. Brand new Weber 32/36 carbs. Along with a tiny little air filter. These things look pretty alien to me so luckily I'm not the one installing them. I'll probably botch the job. Having dropped them off, they are now in the safe hands of my mechanic. The 2002 still pretty much looks the same but hopefully with the wiring loom now in, the rest of the build can continue as planned. Fingers crossed!

* repost *

but it looks cool!

Just got my parts. So slightly over a week from ordering, all the way to Singapore. It really does seem like they have improved from my previous experience when they went dark on me for weeks.

How long does it usually take from processing completion of order to actual shipping?

I needed some parts and just made an order. Wish me luck!

What if I told you that tucked away in Forstern, a little town within the district of Erding, Bavaria, is where one of the most impressive automotive body shops I have ever seen or heard of resides? What if I told you that this could be one of the best automotive body shops that currently exists in the world? What if I told you that the BMW 507 that Elvis owned was rebuilt here and that BMW Group Classic themselves send their cars here to be restored? What if I told you that this body shop, also builds concepts and prototypes for BMW, Audi and Mercedes? And what if I told you that this body shop even manufactures body panels for aircraft engines, crafting each piece painstakingly by hand? Thanks to some fortuitous timing on the day I met up with Mr Nicolas Navarro to take a look at his lovely 2002te, I joined him earlier on a short side trip as he dropped off a (rather impeccable looking) shell for the first customer-ordered build of a Bavarian Econs 2002. This is the prelude to my 2002 drive, this is Martelleria Blechformtechnik. If you are now experiencing some sort of disbelief from the questions I asked earlier, read on. Because that was exactly how I felt before my serendipitous visit and tour. One part, an extraordinary automotive body shop. Another, a heavy metal master artisan’s studio and workspace. That master artisan is Mr Martin Deggelmann, his canvases of choice, are sheets of metal and his hands and the various tools and machines neatly located throughout the facility are his paintbrushes. From rolling works of automotive art to architectural installations and conceptual art pieces, you wouldn’t be able to tell from his quiet demeanour but Mr Deggelmann has done it all and much much much more, because inside that quiet exterior lies a wild imagination that’s constantly churning, constantly creating. While the non-automotive part of the business is mighty impressive in and of itself, the most impressive aspect of Martelleria is where they revitalise classic machines and make them, at times, even better than when they were new using the very same techniques employed during the years from whence they came. There is a painstaking amount of work going into each piece of sheet metal. Rolled, bent, hammered and tapped into shape before test fitment and thereafter, repeating it over and over again until everything lines up perfectly. While this is without a doubt an extremely time-consuming and highly skilled process that some might find overkill, it is an essential part of the restoration work because these cars were all originally hand-built and as such, no two cars will ever have the same exact body panels and tolerances. Even when they do have in their shop the very actual wooden bucks and templates purchased one way or another from the manufacturers themselves. A single door panel can take hundreds of hours just to put together. Yes, it is also a very expensive process. Despite the time and funds required, cars from around the world are shipped here to be rebuilt because of Martelleria’s dedicated staff, expertise, attention to detail and eye for perfection. This “eye for perfection” is of course a figure of speech because while human sight and feel account for a significant part of any rebuild process, there is absolutely no “eyeballing it” when it comes to finishing a car here because, in addition to being highly skilled in the traditional art of metalwork, Martelleria also employs a selection of laser measuring devices and machines that last saw service in the BMW factory. If there ever comes across a chance where these methods are not quite enough, they are also able to laser scan and 3D print parts when the need arises. On a particular one-off period racer, Martelleria even recreated an entire section of the automobile based on past journals and photographs, rendering it in 3D before physically printing out a true-to-life scale model from which they crafted the body panels. To say that they are dedicated is an understatement. This dedication to their craft does also mean a workspace full of desirable cars and during my short visit, I counted no less than three E9 3.0 CSLs, each in a different stage of their build. Such a beautiful shape that even its bare bodyshell can make me weak in the knees. This original Batmobile was in for only minor work. A brand new bonnet, boot and fitment of that iconic rear wing. Even looking at this very picture fills me with so much yearning for the car. It is so so pretty even when incomplete. Oh yes, the owner of this CSL also happens to be the owner of the first Bavarian Econs commission I mentioned earlier. GarageLife goals right there. I know it’s a workshop but I want my house to look exactly like this, along with that CSL. On a more serious note, if you look up at the walls, you can not only see previous body panels from cars that were here before but also Martelleria’s list of accomplishments and builds neatly lined up just below the Elvis Presley BLVD sign. Here’s a look at another CSL with its brand new hand-made aluminium bonnet fitted before paint. Straight. While the CSL is truly an icon, the car that seems to be most synonymous with Martelleria is the aforementioned BMW 507. With one fully completed car waiting in the wings to be picked up (by an owner whom we cannot mention here). Like many others, I had no idea this shop existed before my visit, which also meant that I had no idea that the Elvis 507’s body was rebuilt by them. If you don’t believe me, take a look at BMW’s very own archival photos and you will spot some familiar backgrounds! Though when you look at this particular 507’s level of finish, it’d be difficult to remain a sceptic because beautiful doesn’t really begin to describe it, this car is flawless and perfect. One can dream, right? One can dream. What about the BMW 2002 shell that we were originally here to drop off? Well, I left this part to the end because this is one for the 2002 nerds. While you might think this is a fully restored shell that had been acid dipped and electroplated, you’d only be partly right because while yes, it has undergone the full acid and electroplating treatment, this bare shell is a fully original frame with no rust repairs ever made. It was (to me at least), quite unbelievable seeing one this clean. And indeed, the original car from which this was source was a beautiful low mileage and very clean Golf yellow roundtail. It looked almost brand new. If you look closely, the only area where rust occurred was below one of the windscreen washer outlets which leaked washer fluid. That particular bit is the only rust spot throughout the entire frame. Pretty wild. As a point of reference, my own car (and I’m sure many others) looks like swiss cheese around here. Original fenders and original doors as well. All looking as good as new. What’s something that’s already so clean doing here? Remember the wide Alpina-Esque pig-cheeks from the Bavarian Econs prototype? Well, this is where it will receive those cheeks but unlike the fibreglass panels from the test car, the ones fitting to this 2002 will be hand-crafted from aluminium. From what we’ve seen, there’s no doubt this 02 is in good hands. Thank you for reading!

“The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.” Serendipity, a single word that quite aptly, describes how it came to be that someone from Singapore could have one of his most amazing automotive experiences ever, halfway across the world, with little to no prior planning whatsoever. It all began shortly before my flight to the capital of Bavaria (for the BMW i7 launch) whilst scrolling through a little app called Instagram. With #BMW2002 once again showcasing a lovingly (albeit a.i.) curated selection of lovely old autos, I came across a beautifully crafted 2002 shot in the not too unfamiliar streets of Munich. As you’d expect, I sent a friendly message asking if I could take a look since I was heading over and by some stroke of serendipitous luck (or magic from the Automotive Gods), everything quickly fell into place and I found myself meeting up with the extremely affable Nicolas Navarro on a lovely Friday morning, a massive BMW fan who happens to also be the CEO of Bavarian Econs Tech Gmbh. What Bavarian Econs do to resto-mod classic BMW 02s is something I’ve always dreamt of and at the same time, something many others would consider pure heresy. They take these beautiful iconic classic cars and convert them into EVs. Cue the pitchforks! But before we get there, let’s take a step back and hypothesise why some geeks like us love classic cars and can feel so strongly about them. Some love the way they look, some revel in their unfiltered driving experience and the rest, perhaps, appreciate their connection to history or memory in time. It is for these very reasons why I reckon the love for classic autos can be so very personal and why I’m certain many observers would have already made their conclusions the moment I mentioned the forbidden “E” word. But hear me out, because while this might shock (hehe) you, as a fellow 2002 owner, this Bavarian Econs 2002te, even in prototype form, was one of the most enjoyable cars I’ve ever driven. While this ex-rally spec BMW 2002 might have left the competitive circuit behind, life in the fast lane for this tough little Bimmer is nowhere near abating as it transitions into the World of electrification. Wearing hand-made Alpina-Esque pig cheek flares with additional girth further added to the rear section, a Kooglewerks air dam, period-correct Michelin semi-slicks wrapping a set of custom-made BBS E50s straight from the BBS factory and THAT beautiful livery. Inspired by the BMW Frank Stella Art Car and the classic BMW Original Teile E24 Schnitzer race car with references to its electrified underpinnings and Bavarian icons (spot the pretzels, beer and Olympic tower?), it definitely more than looks the part. But as we all know, appearances can only count for so much when it comes to cars and here is where things can get rather polarising as the Bavarian Econs 2002 has ditched it petrol burning powertrain for an electrified Tesla heart with lungs (batteries) from a BMW i3 (33 kWh, good for 180miles/290km). While the initial idea called for a motor from the iX to keep everything within the Bavarian family, the BMW’s power unit was, unfortunately, a couple of centimetres too tall to safely slide under the 02’s little clamshell bonnet. Even though the idea of swapping out an internal combustion engine for an electric one might seem straightforward and rather simplistic, the entire process of doing so with full type approval by the strict German regulators and authorities made it an especially involving project that spanned years for Nicolas and his team. Together with engineers from the German TÜV, this very prototype was subject to thousands of KMs worth of extreme testing and hundreds of pages worth of official documentation. High speed, long-distance runs on the Autobahn and continuous drives through the Alps in various climates, this 2002 has seen and done it all. And now, with much kindness, generosity and (plenty of) trust from Nicolas, it’s my turn to drive it. Getting into this 2002 was an experience that, for me at least, felt both at home and foreign at the same time. The door, while delicate looking, opens with a familiar metallic clunk as I extend it outwards before sliding into a period bucket seat while dodging a roll cage, a reminder of this car’s racing history. Inside, you’ll quickly become aware that this is a prototype. It is raw, unfinished, a little messy and unashamedly purpose-built to be driven. Perfect. Ahead of me, a slightly weathered Momo Prototipo emblazoned with the Bavarian Econs insignia and directly behind, the classic 2002 instrument cluster which is where things start to look a little different. Cleverly retrofitted to work in sync with this car’s new-age motor, the tachometer is now a power meter, displaying not just how much percentage of power is being churned out of the rear wheels, but also how much power is going back in with regenerative braking. The fuel meter now shows the battery’s charge level with the temperature gauge now focusing on the batteries instead of water. Every other secondary control on the binnacle remains as-is. Even the started key is intact. Along the centre console is where the biggest differences lie, gone is the gear lever along the transmission tunnel, replaced by a drive mode selector and a cluster of buttons to toggle drive modes and charging functions. I would never have imagined seeing a “Sport mode” button in a 2002. Nicolas promises customers’ cars will not in any shape or form have an interior as spartan or as the prototype and I’m confident they’ll be able to pull it off. Especially when he mentions that they’re sourcing for materials used by the Rolls Royce factory and have even paid a visit to Singer. Yes, that Singer. With the 2002te turned on, it was time to drive and immediately the lack of power steering hits you, slightly harder in this car because of its extra-wide tires and feathering the throttle to move off smoothly takes some getting used to with near-instantaneous torque at your disposal. Even though power from the Tesla motor has been limited to 161 horses (and 170 Nm of torques) in order to keep TÜV happy (due to the stock 2002 brakes), at 1,150 kg, this is still a pretty light car with 0-60 coming up in a very respectable 6.2 seconds, readily surpassing the acceleration figures of the 2002 Turbo. While the power figures might sound rather tame, they felt perfectly suited to this car. With uprated brakes coming up on a future build, this power figure will be bumped up to a very healthy 250 horses. I reckon that might be a little scary. And unlike what you might imagine, this Tesla motor isn’t quiet either, with all of its sound deadening stripped off, it produces a high-pitched whine reminiscent of a straight-cut gearbox. And while the loss of a manual gearbox might be a cause for initial alarm, the effectiveness, tractability and constant delivery of power from the electric motor and its regenerative braking properties allow for a new layer of discovery as you begin to enjoy the drive. Acceleration figures aside, the biggest takeaway after a drive in this 02 is just how much it still “feels” like an old classic automobile. 2002 owners, you know what I’m talking about, the weight of the steering, the lean into the corners as it eagerly turns in, the vibrations of the entire chassis, the roar of the road and the noise of the wind bouncing off the windscreen and through the side windows, it’s still there. The lack of driving aids, or safety equipment and that sense of euphoric dread as you catch yourself thinking, “Oh my God, I’ll probably die if I crash” when the speedometer spins up towards 160km/h. It’s still there. That feeling of engagement, of connection with the car and a sense of wonder as you catch its reflection in the corner of your eye. It’s still there. Freude am Fahren. It’s still there. In a world where these old cars might face extinction, thank you Nicholas for giving them a new lease of life and adding a new dimension to their driving experience. While the Bavarian Econs 2002te is not here to replace our beloved internal combustion-engined 2002s, it is here to sit alongside them and sit alongside them proudly it should because it felt truly special and I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to drive it. I wish I had one. A joy to drive everywhere, a joy to look at, and a joy to have shared one of the best drives with an extremely passionate BMW fan. It was a serendipitous day indeed. And we’re only halfway through. Stay tuned. Thank you for reading.

Even worse. no help or anything to make up for the error.

My theory is many 2002 owners are in the creative industry or are the creative types. Kind of like how Saabs are driven by architects. I was previously a creative director in digital advertising as well. Now working on UI/UX instead.

I was lucky enough to drive the Bavarian Econs prototype whilst in Munich a few weeks ago. It was awesome. Will be doing up a writeup in due time. Just need to get a few more articles out of the way first.

I know, I know, if you think it still looks pretty much the same as before, you're right! While not that much has progressed since my last update, there is some good news in the fact that with manpower issues (due to Covid) slowly starting to resolve themselves, work has once again restarted on the '02. While it was nice to once again have a look at the car, my reason for dropping by was much more practical because this arrived in the mail very recently. No, it's not a brand new set of floor mats, well, at least not yet. Having ordered a full set of mats from Coco Mats (after Karo Japan totally fudged up my original plans), they sent me this, a pattern verification kit with the template for my car's floormats. I'm guessing with this car being RHD, they wanted to get things right before starting production. Smart. So with the kit in my hands, a visit to the workshop to test fit the templates was in order. With the Mark II parked up, it was also the first time I had both cars side by side. Quite a strange pairing no? After Autosparks UK's total mess of a job sending me an LHD harness for my RHD order (after months of waiting and no service recovery in sight), my mechanic now has the very arduous and time-consuming task of rebuilding an entire harness with whatever we currently have. Autosparks, what a sham. It wasn't cheap either. I will highly not recommend them if you are living outside of the UK because if they mess up your order like mine, you are pretty much out of luck. Regardless, I was here to do some test fitting (and badge measuring), and kudos to Coco Mats, the fitment was as perfect as it can be even though there wasn't any interior to speak of. Some additional photos to give you an idea of what my car looks like inside the cabin. I also took the time to match up the colours of my floor mats against my car's new colour. I know I wanted to keep it a surprise but it's been so long that I think I'd rather share it, though it doesn't really come across very well in photos. Here's a better look. I think they work well together. After a quick friendly chat with my mechanic, it was time to head off. Hopefully, it will look different the next time I drop by for a visit. We are still months away, but... Fingers crossed!

Ahhh Thank you soooo sooo much for this!

Does anyone if we can get them for our 2002, especially for the rear? And not those cheap knockoff stickers on ebay. (does anyone know the rear size for our roundels? 73mm?) I know not everyone likes em but after seeing it in real life, I really love it. I remember seeing these made for 02s long long ago but those sellers are long gone.

It depends. If the classic is registered as a regular car (with black license plates), then yes it is going tobe quite expensive to maintain as road taxes are higher for older cars (beats me why). BUT if said classic vehicle is on a "classic plate" (the red and yellow plates you see rocking on my car), then not really. Yes, it is true, import taxes are high and depends on the "declared value" of the car. But other than that, all other taxes for cars registered as "Classics" are much much lower than those of regular cars. Though if you are planning to import a classic into Singapore, it has to be 35yrs of age or older (which sucks alot more than the 25yr rule the US has). I shall go into usage later. For some insight into vehicle "taxes", to register a brand car in Singapore one must also purchase a certificate of entitlement (COE) that is tied to the car and is bidded on twice a month, for brand new cars, that COE is now sitting at (an astronomical) USD$45k - USD$64k. To register a classic car which you have imported (on the classic car scheme), your COE payable is 10% of the current COE value, which means, "only" USD4.5k - USD$6.4k. Road tax payable is also cheap at approx USD$200 a year and insurance is also roughly around the same USD$200 for whatever old banger you have. Usage for classic cars is a downer at only 28 days a year initially (you get coupons for each day you want to use the car for), though you CAN purchase additional coupons for approx USD$15 per day up to a max limit of 45 days in total (inclusive of the original 28 days). So yes and no. Also, with prices of old cars shooting up recently, it has gotten quite costly for newcomers to the hobby. Previously cars on "classic" registration were relatively cheap to buy since few wanted them due to their usage restrictions, and I luckily picked up my 2002 for fair $$$ just before prices started going up. The ERP (congestion charge) device is not really an issue for my car so I cannot comment on that.

Not much updates for now, Covid has affected the workshop where my 2002 is at quite badly in terms of manpower and thereafter my own mech and his entire family got hit with the vid, I also don't really want to push them due to such circumstances. On a lighter note, my wheels are here! Project 2002: You better Work | GARAGE36 GARAGE36.WORDPRESS.COM It has been quite some time since I last updated anything with regards to the '02 and today's not really going to be different, with Covid pretty much crippling the workshop my 2002 is currently sitting in, it doesn't seem like the car will be back together anytime soon. On a much brighter... ▲ "Built to order" Work Equip 40s have finally arrived after more than half a year of waiting since I made the order (back when I optimistically thought the 02 would already be out and about). Nonetheless, the wheels were here and I picked them up when I sent my Toyota Mark II in for another set of spacers. While I might have had a couple of cars up till now, this is only the second time that I'm buying a brand new set of wheels and the first time making a custom order, so I was honestly quite excited (though my wallet would probably disagree). Not gonna lie, straight out of the box, the brand spanking new set of Equip 40s looked sweet. While these wheels are currently gaining in popularity, I first fell in love with them back in 2017 at the Tokyo Auto Salon when they were first unveiled. I wouldn't have imagined that one day I would actually buy them for myself! Even the insides looked cool with little details I used to not even notice. Love how it's still so clean, enjoy it while it lasts I guess. I do wonder if I should have gone with a slightly more aggressive setup for the rears though. Perhaps a tad more dish might be perfect for the rears. But, what's done is done and I can't change anything right now. Going one offset up (or down) will most likely require some rear wheel arch rolling on the 02 as well, so this might be the best compromise. It will probably be a while until I can get these mounted so until then, into storage they go.

Update for today: I totally get it, it's a process that in every project such as this, there are bound to be setbacks, delays and unforeseen issues cropping up ever so often. That said, I still can't help but feel a sense of despair and disappointment whenever a particularly major one rears its ugly head. Since I was dropping off another car at the workshop, I figured it was a good time to take a look at Project 2002's ongoing progress. Looking at the current state, I'm quite doubtful the car will be done by the end of this year. So what's the big problem now? Remember that beautiful brand new working Harness from Autosparks? Turns out the RHD harness which I specifically ordered, paid for and waited an extra long time to receive is actually an LHD harness and is way too short to be used on my RHD 2002. Seriously, how could they have made such a massive blunder? It's something I seriously cannot fathom. How could anyone the very basics of an order so very very wrong? I sure hope something can be done. Looks like I'm gonna be even more out of pocket on this one. FML.

I ordered from autosparks, looked great but turns out they sent me a LHD harness for my RHD car. I'm super pissed.