Popular Science Dec 1969 Article

[GD]

Google now allows you to search some books and old magazines.

Here's an article about the 2002:

http://books.google.com/books?id=wSoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA114&dq=bmw+2002&lr=#PPA114,M1

[c.d.iesel]

....and the key to this amazing performance car back in 1969/70 was the light, precise, handling, and performance. Two key points: 3.64:1 diff

ratio for long legs cruising, and 165x13" Michelin XAS tires.

No 5-speed , fat wide rim/tire fashion as today. Maintaining

originality is not a bad thing if your looking for better handling, better MPG, smoother operating. Just correct 30 years of - lack of originality

maintainance standards.

[HBChris]

Interesting in that article is from Dec `69 and car has US plates but early embossed hood/nose trim, no side markers, and early slender mirror. Must have been sitting around in NJ for a while.

[AlaskaMike]

Are those trim clips seen across the front of the car?

[Guest Anonymous]

The trim around the lower edge of the hood on the very early cars had lightly embossed "portholes" (sorry, Buick), apparently similar to those seen on the trim between the roundie tail lights ("apparently" as I've never seen the piece in person, just in a few photos).

[Mike Self]

and an early one at that--that appeared in a number of road tests when the '02 was first introduced. You can tell by the NJ license plate number in the magazine pictures.

cheers

mike

[eastsidebimmer]

(nt)

[f1reverb]

The Saturday Mechanic, which he started in 1960. I had to laugh because I'm still using the same tools on my '02 . . .

http://books.google.com/books?id=f98DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA170&dq=saturday+mechanic+1961#PPA170,M1

[Mike Self]

68--embossed hood trim, smooth steering wheel center, no headrests, smooth valve cover. The same car was tested in Popular Science earlier in the year, in Popular Mechanix as a 3 way comparison test and I think it was the one used either in the R&T or C&D tests when the '02 was first introduced.

Since magazine lead times are 2-3 months, the story was probably written much earlier, thus the '68 car.

mike

[fwardell]

Quite a car back then - and now, too, IMHO! I especially liked the "fairly light steering" and "quiet . . . at 4000 rpm at 70 mph". Mine's a little different in those respects but everything else matches.