I don’t know if it’s ok to show it but I have a bmw e10 was my first introduction to classics other than working on them, one I call my own @trevorsworth has a dodge dart swinger that I loved to drive always driven newer bmws as my daily but always wanted a 02 but never thought I would get one with the prices lately but this one I got on a steal. It has come a ways mechanically been redone engine is a 2.0 rebuilt engine (which honestly I need to redo because it was done 10 years ago and sat just as long) 5 speed transmission swapped and dual Weber carbs to add some power. It’s a fun car, and still couldn’t have learned so much without help. It was an absolute mess when I first got it, it’s been an adventure and a absolute blast so far.
Those can be great little cars if you pay attention to making the modifications work together. In other words, don’t just throw parts at it. Do research and plan the work and mods, then work the plan and enjoy the mods. They will go a lot of miles if treated right.
Nice ´02! I´m partial to old BMWs too, as I grew up and still work and live in and around Dingolfing, which has the biggest BMW plant outside the US. I think Spartanburg is the biggest one by now. I´ve never built an M10, but the M30 6 cylinder engine is basically an M10 with two cylinders attached. I´ve built quite a few of these and love them. Did you know when BMW and Brabham built turbo F1 cars in the 80s, they were using very seasoned ( as in old and worn ) M10 blocks ( 1500cc) put a turbo on and hit them with 3 bars of boost? These made a max of 1500hp on a basically stock block and crank. I´m dreaming up a project lately, that would be an early ( up to 73) E3 , and basically a drivetrain out of an e34 Alpina B7 Biturbo. That would be a M30B35 engine built with 2 turbos and LSD. A ton cheaper than the M engines and still more torque and power. Thanks for sharing your project! Keep us updated!
True I want to do a bmw v8 (m60 honestly) with a straight cut 6 speed make it a full racecar but at the same time a clean track car would be nice as well.
Hey ho , I have 3 of them myself. They awsome cars especially for cornering. Put on sime big wheels, cut the fenders... make it a rocketbunny.... yehaaw
I took mine to diy ti spec too, with Webers. But I was a student at the time and could never afford to get the engine sorted properly. Nor could I afford any of the then-new E30 bits I wanted, which fit, like a 5-speed or rack-and-pinion steering. The stock steering box was the weakest point in my experience. Mine was rhd, so it had two remote brake boosters, which were erratic because I couldn't afford to get them sorted either.
Nice and is the German equivalent to a junior muscle car with tons of improvement potential. Worked on them, drove them and would not say no to one if it were free lol (I can only have one project...). Perfect for our back roads and in the right hands would embarass cars with three times the power.
That’s fair I have a 5 speed from a e30 and a couple other parts but honestly these cars aren’t cheap I’m surprised I got mine for such a deal never thought I would be able to get one.
Only if I could find the middle grill for a good price nothing to fancy just to complete the front end there’s other options but there delicate don’t know if they would be broken.
Luckily mine had the full 360° body trim, even if it was dinged here and there. Apparently that's the rarest, or was.
Here are a few pics of my old 1969 2002 with a streetported 12A mazda rotary. Sold it about 15 years ago. Chris
Love the e10/m10 - just a classic. Got mine from my pa in law who had it since the '70s. Nice CA car, I daily drove it in the '90s. I've rebuilt the m10 and need to get it running on the run stand and then installed. Love me some vintage Bimmer stuff.
Hello, A nice little sporty car. The basics are there, so, one of the first things is handling and ride. A good set of shocks should start the process. Get some and see how it handles vs the old set up. Then go to the next step. It is a good little car… when we were ready to get a second car, we drove a later model 2002 and everything was great, but, my wife said she needed A/C. My wife and I were in a tizzy. Our son was ready to get his first car and he had no clue as to what to get. One thing he did not want was a big Chevy 2 door or 4 door in any year. He also told us that he did not want a hot rod looking car. We had just taken him to see a 63 comet two door sedan that an old lady owned and had 15k miles on it. It was when he was 16, so a 29 year old car with 15k equals about 500 miles per year. That sounds like my mom’s Chevy sedan we sold when she was finished with it. It was in pristine condition. I told him we could put it on a slight rake, add a set of 5 spoke mags and paint it if he did not like the overall look. He was considering it black in color with the mags as I showed him a black sedan with 5 spoke mags. At least he would be driving a pristine condition old car. But, he was leaning to sporty sedans in the Honda/Acura mode. So, we saw some he drove to test them out. After talking it over with my wife, she said you know cars, so lets go out and find one you think he would like. Jnaki We drove to two places. A used 1974 BMW 2002 and a VW Golf GTI at different dealers’ lots. The choices were good for my wife and I as we liked small sporty cars that had good power and handled well. So, my wife and I decided to go for a test drive in both first, before we presented them to our son. We took the BMW 2002 model out for a drive and one thing we noticed was that it did not have A/C, but it had everything else. The ride was good for us, but my wife thought it was a little rough for our son. The wide low profile tires and rims handled well and stopped on a dime. We had driven plenty of different cars and knew the ride + handling of those cars. One other thing was the steering was a little hard as it did not have power steering. Our son was accustomed to learning in my station wagon that had A/C and power steering. The wider tires on the BMW also were good ones, but gave it a harsher ride. So, three things that we knew he wanted in a car. Now, we went to the VW dealer to see the used VW GTI. Automatically, we thought the BMW had the better style and all around fit and finish. But, this GTI was pretty dang close. Everything was in great shape and my wife drove it around the test drive area. She said this one drives and handles as good if not better than the BMW 2002 model. The seats were very comfortable and everything worked. I wanted the BMW, my wife liked the VW GTI and now, what to do? Our son drove the GTI and liked it, too. Note: He knew how much money he had in the account for his car. One final used car was listed locally by a young woman from Texas. She had just moved out West for her new job and it was a doozy. VP of a department for a huge Irvine, So Cal food company and she was given a new BMW 3 Series sedan as her personal company car. So, she had to sell her Nissan SER Sedan that she bought new in Texas. She cautioned me that when we came to look at the car, we had to overlook the small dents in the hood and roof. She got caught on a road in Texas when it was raining and bring down golf ball size hail and those balls made dents in the hood and roof top. When I drove it, it was one of the best handling, powerful little sports sedans on the market. It had a 4 speed and was a two door sedan. The seating was large enough for our son and his friends. The power was one of the most for these small sedans. Now, the topper, our son drove it and he had a smile as wide as we had ever seen. He liked it because it had A/C, 4 speed and great bucket seats, plus, it was black. YRMV
That was so cool driving the 02 for a long period of time no overheating issue anymore and it drives pretty straight staying behind @trevorsworth only got up to third gear maybe fourth a couple times, that was an absolute blast.
These old BMWs are great cars. back in '72 I almost bought a used 69 1600 two door sedan but it needed valve guides or rings. But it was a fun driver!
That would make a great vintage Trans Am tribute car or a vintage race B/P car. A 80'S M3 4 banger would make a E ticket ride for sure.
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