Titled as a 1968 but, the vin says 1967 ?

[Road trip]

My first post about my bat car received

replys dating the car as 1967 but, it was 

titled and oddly stamped 1968,

any insite on this appreciated

['76mintgrün'02]

 

[John_in_VA]

Steve / Conserv will be here to straighten you out!  We just went through this a few days ago - difference in model year vs. production year, US vs. Germany.

[Conserv]

Once again: the U.S. model year IS NOT EQUAL TO the calendar year. Stated differently, the calendar year DOES NOT DEFINE the U.S. model year.

 

The 1968 U.S. model year for BMW’s, and virtually every other make, ran from September 1967 to August 1968. The 1969 U.S. model year for BMW’s, and virtually every other make, ran from September 1968 to August 1969. Do you see where this is going? ?

 

Your car’s VIN tag even has the U.S. model year stamped into it: “1968”, just after the model, “1600-2” (photo below).

 

Your car is correctly titled.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

Edited July 25, 2018 by Conserv

[Road trip]

Thank you for your excellent information

i appreciate the time it took to respond .

some parts look very “early”

[Mike Self]

27 minutes ago, Road trip said:

some parts look very “early”

As I'm sure you know, you have the 363rd US spec 1600 off the assembly line, so it was probably built in early Sept 1967.  As Steve pointed out, while the factory classifies their car's manufacturing dates by calendar year, we here in the US do it by model year, which runs 1 Sept to 31 Aug (may vary slightly from state to state).  So to BMW it's a '67 (built in calendar year 1967).  To us it's a '68.  

 

BMW has a long habit--especially on '02s--of using up parts, even paint--which explains why I've seen a couple of Nevada '72 cars and Turkis '74s.  I'm sure that's why you have the metal summer/winter box that you pictured.  I'll even go out on a limb and say your air cleaner is painted black, not grey (black for 66 & 67 cars, grey for 68 and later, except '76).  If you look carefully you'll probably find other early parts (even an embossed hood trim piece).  Let us know what other early parts you find on your car.  Good for historical reference in the future.

 

mike

['76mintgrün'02]

26 minutes ago, mike said:

(black for 66 & 67 cars, grey for 68 and later, except '76)

Weren't the '75 air cleaners black as well?

 

edit:

I think they were, but it is irrelevant to this thread, sorry.

 

Edited July 25, 2018 by '76mintgrün'02

[joebarthlow]

5 hours ago, Road trip said:

My first post about my bat car received

replys dating the car as 1967 but, it was 

titled and oddly stamped 1968,

any insite on this appreciated

 

 

common. Titles on vehicles are sometimes titled at time of sale, not production year. Some DMVs will change it, some won't

[Road trip]

5 hours ago, mike said:

As I'm sure you know, you have the 363rd US spec 1600 off the assembly line, so it was probably built in early Sept 1967.  As Steve pointed out, while the factory classifies their car's manufacturing dates by calendar year, we here in the US do it by model year, which runs 1 Sept to 31 Aug (may vary slightly from state to state).  So to BMW it's a '67 (built in calendar year 1967).  To us it's a '68.  

 

BMW has a long habit--especially on '02s--of using up parts, even paint--which explains why I've seen a couple of Nevada '72 cars and Turkis '74s.  I'm sure that's why you have the metal summer/winter box that you pictured.  I'll even go out on a limb and say your air cleaner is painted black, not grey (black for 66 & 67 cars, grey for 68 and later, except '76).  If you look carefully you'll probably find other early parts (even an embossed hood trim piece).  Let us know what other early parts you find on your car.  Good for historical reference in the future.

 

mike

I’m not sure what are “early” parts other 

than this metal summer box

[Road trip]

Could someone list differences between

the 1967 and 1968 ?

[Lorin]

Roadtrip, My 1600 is 64 cars older than yours at 1560300, manufactured on September 13 1967. It is titled as 1968 and has 1968 stamped on the VIN plate just like yours and has "early" features like the holes in the rear seatback like the 1967 models. As others have pointed out, the very early 1968 models carried over some 1967 features.

[John_in_VA]

On 7/25/2018 at 6:51 AM, Road trip said:

Could someone list differences between

the 1967 and 1968 ?

 

I believe a member here (Anders) has a site with detailed differences in the 1600-2, 1600, etc.

Edited July 26, 2018 by John_in_VA
corrected name

[Road trip]

If ordering parts do I order for 67 or 68

?

[Conserv]

12 hours ago, Road trip said:

If ordering parts do I order for 67 or 68

?

 

Tough question. The answer, of course, being “it depends”! The BMW parts catalogue will generally require a VIN for the parts. And many parts were changing during these early years. But lots of parts (certainly the majority) are the same between a ‘67 and a ‘68 1600-2.

 

Brakes and brake boosters were changing during these years, so that’s an area where your VIN might matter more than your year. Electrical is another area of change: ‘67 1600-2’s were 6-volt while ‘68 1600-2’s were 12-volt. Carbs, airboxes, trim were the same. If you’re ordering an air filter element, it makes no difference.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited July 26, 2018 by Conserv

[Conserv]

22 hours ago, John_in_VA said:

 

I believe a member here (Hans?) has a site with detailed differences in the 1600-2, 1600, etc.

 

Anders’ ‘66 Bible is a fabulous resource, as it both captures known surviving 1966 1600-2’s and enumerates the features that made 1966 1600-2’s different from later cars. Many of these 1966 features carried over to the 1967 models, so there is a strong relationship between those two years.

 

Here’s The ’66 Bible, from the U.K. forum:

 

http://02forum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=8603

 

For 1968, the U.S. D.O.T. and E.P.A. had lots of new regulations. These clearly affected 1600-2 features, at least on the U.S.-spec cars. Thus, it is not coincidental that BMW began using separate series of VIN’s for U.S. cars, beginning with the 1968 U.S. models.

 

Prior to the 1968 U.S. models, U.S. cars were simply “global” cars with sealed beam headlights, U.S.-language instruments, mph speedometers, and a few other U.S.-mandated features. Beginning with the 1968 U.S. models, more substantial items such as dashboards, steering wheels, windshield wipers, etc. were different between U.S. and Euro (a.k.a., “rest-of-the-world”) versions.

 

The March 1968 1600-2 brochure below is “all about” the new 1968 features on U.S. cars.

 

But, you say, “My 1968 1600-2 doesn’t look just like the car in the brochure!” There’s a reason. Many of the newly-mandated changes for 1968 had a “drop dead” implementation date of January 1, 1968, not September 1, 1967. While BMW was eager — perhaps — to comply with the new rules, they had a few months — from September 1, 1967 to January 1, 1968 — to implement the changes. It appears that many of the changes were effected long before January 1, 1968.

 

And, a number of 1966-67 features carried over into the earliest 1968 U.S. models. Among these 1966-67 features are a two-spoke steering wheel, a dashboard with chromed fascia trim, an instrument cluster with a silver-painted bezel, an outside rearview mirror mounted at the front edge of the driver’s door, the round metal winter/summer box, and triangular “cut-outs” in the bulkhead between the trunk and the passenger compartment. There are more, I’m confident, but these are some of the most visible. Your car has some of these 1966-67 features, although it is an early 1968 U.S. model.

 

That’s the story!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited July 26, 2018 by Conserv