Current 2002 Registrations in US - Public Records Request

[bluehills2002]

@scottjeffrey raised this topic recently which got me wondering how many remain in my state (Massachusetts).  There were alot of them in the 80s when I had my original '74, but outside of a German car show I have not seen one on the road in years besides the car I am driving.  In fact, I know the exact spot I saw the last one, while driving one of my sons to middle school (he is now 25).  It had "BOWTIE" for a license plate, and the driver was in fact wearing a bow tie (where are you, Bowtie?)

 

At any rate, I submitted a public records request to our RMV (equivalent to the DMV in most states) and received the attached response from the  nice guy there who apologized for taking a couple of extra weeks to compile.   It shows 197 current 2002 registrations in Massachusetts.  I know this does not include cars sitting in barns, fields etc. , or cars that are titled but not registered.  In fact, I have one of those, a '72, which would not show up here, but because registrations are renewed annually I thought it might be an easier record to assemble.

 

So if you are looking for a quick pandemic project feel free to duplicate my efforts in your own state.  I believe every state has a state equivalent to the federal Freedom of Information Act.  I was able to submit my request online, by asking for "the number of currently registered BMW 2002s, which was a two door sedan manufactured by BMW and sold in the US from 1968 to 1976.  Note:  "2002" is the model name, not the year of manufacture; it indicates a 2000 cc engine and two doors.  Thank you in advance for your assistance."

 

I started a new thread so responses can be collected here.  If you volunteer for your state, let us know so your DMV doesn't get multiple requests.    Tom 

 

Active BMW 2002 registrations in MA 2020.xlsx

[Conserv]

Wow, Tom! I didn’t know that was remotely possible! What a great idea and result.

 

I’d guess that — besides un-registered ‘02’s — there might be additional misses, e.g., I believe the NJ registration for one of my ‘02’s doesn’t list a model name, simply 1973 BMW 2-DR. Still... this is absolutely great!

 

Who knew? ??

 

Thanks for doing this and sharing it.

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

[tomphot]

I’m going to request Georgia 

 

Edited January 9, 2021 by tomphot

[Conserv]

And I’ll request New York’s records.

 

Thinking about my “model-less” New Jersey registration, I’m going to request all New York-registered BMW’s from the 1966 through 1976 model years. But I’m going to ask that they sort on model year and registered model (whether or not one is listed).

 

Besides capturing 1600-2’s, this should capture NK’s, Bavaria’s, etc. But if we have model names for some and no model names for others, we can get a general sense of how many “model-less” registrations there might be — none? lots? I’d guess the number of ‘02’s (including 1600-2’s [later, 1602’s] and 2002’s) dwarfs the number of NK’s and 6-cylinders.

 

I wonder if they could further sort on the number of cylinders, data captured by many jurisdictions, e.g., a four-cylinder 1971 model is highly likely to be a 1602 or 2002.

Again, wow, Tom (@bluehills2002): you’ve opened a door I didn’t know existed!

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

 

[johnny02]

I have one in Western Mass but it is registered in PA still as I am not finished putting it back together.  There are a couple out here in Western Mass that I see occasionally. 

[Krynvel]

I'll request California's. This is gonna be a fun rabbit hole.

[Highnote1]

I’ll do Texas...submitting now!

[Conserv]

My ‘76’s old New York registration also does not show a model name, so we might have to cast a broader net — e.g., all BMW’s of the 1966-76 model years — in multiple states in order to capture the necessary data.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

[tomphot]

The Georgia numbers are in - 189 2002s are registered here.  They did not break it down by year, I asked for years 1968 - 1976.

"Good morning, Tomphot:

 

Thank you for your request for information.  The Department was able to pull the information you’ve asked for from an existing report.  According to IT, there are 189 BMW 2002s actively registered in Georgia’s Driver Record & Integrated Vehicle Enterprise System (“DRIVES”).

 

Sincerely,

 

Kristen Bartholomew

Georgia Department of Revenue

Public Information Office

Legal Affairs & Tax Policy Division
1800 Century Blvd. NE, Suite 15109

Atlanta, Georgia 30345

(678) 536-9348 | dor.georgia.gov"

[popovm]

I just requested Washington state's count using your prompt @bluehills2002 Great idea! 

[kiva667]

I gotta do this in BC when I return to Canada. Fascinating stuff...

[jp5Touring]

In Michigan if it takes longer than 15 minutes to compile they charge you at 15 minute increments.

They don't state the amount just that it's the lowest hourly rate in that dept.  Gotta love the DMV.

[Krynvel]

An update on California's I found a pretty promising lead on where to put in my request: dmv bulk request. I wrote up an email and sent it.

[man_mark_7]

Cool idea! I've got one of the 24 1973's listed in MA

[ricsix]

On 1/9/2021 at 8:07 AM, Conserv said:

I believe the NJ registration for one of my ‘02’s doesn’t list a model name, simply 1973 BMW 2-DR. Still... this is absolutely great!

This is a great idea for a project, it will be cool to see what all turns up. 

 

And you are right., Conserv... Here in NJ my '74 is listed as a model "200" on the title. I remember the MVC telling me they only were allowed three characters.