With the E82 BMW 1 Series Coupe debuting to such great reviews and speedy track times we tend to not remember or forget that it was the small coupe style car that made BMW what it is today. The new 128i and 135i are amazing cars, especially with Car and Driver reporting on the 135’s blistering 4.7s 0-60 performance and Fifth Gear’s video of the 135i battling the Porsche Cayman. But it was cars like the 1966 BMW 1602 that provided the first small coupe driving pleasure that BMW still offers in all of its models.
BMW first started with small coupes in 1959 with the 700 and quickly moved up to the cult classic 2002 in 1968. With the 2002 BMW was making cars that no one else was trying to make at that time, small, reasonably quick 4-cylinder cars. The 2002 came stock with 100hp, 120hp with the 2002ti and 130hp with the tii version. These figures from a car with a 4-speed manual and low weight meant a quick and a relaxed sporty feel to the car.
Video: BMW 1 Series gets put through the Moose test
The 2002 was also a favored car in different touring car series’. Then the 2002 Turbo in 1973 with 170hp came out and drove circles around the world. The price of admission was high, but you got a car that showed what BMW could do with its future.
The 2002 sells for a relatively cheap price as a used car today, and has various classic car issues, but, it’s a car that you buy as an enthusiast and slowly put back together to make it an enthusiast car.
This will undoubtedly happen to the BMW 1 Series Coupe further on down the road. While many people are looking at the price to obtain a 128 or 135 we tend to forget that this is a car that we can hold onto and have forever and hand down. While it is geared more towards a younger audience, it is a mature audience that appreciates it more.
Article by Josh from Rawautos.com
