1977 BMW 1502

The seller makes the bold claim that ‘TOY 834R’, his Phoenix Orange BMW 1502, “is almost certainly the most original unrestored example of an -02 series BMW in the UK and one of the best examples in Europe.”

Bold claims demand strong evidence, and it’s clear the 1502 rises to the challenge: For a start its owner is confident it has never been resprayed or had the bodywork otherwise restored. Nor has the engine ever been out of the car.

The only visible wear ‘n’ tear is nothing more than minor wear to the base of the driver's seat, and it is still absolutely correct in every detail having retained its original book pack, jack, and the complete tool kit.

And there’s more.

It has covered only 40,000 miles in 48 years, and that odometer reading is verified by no fewer than 44 MoT certificates. Speaking of MoTs, it is not only being offered with a new ticket, that ticket was issued, like every single one recorded online, with no advisories.

It’s also had only three previous owners, with the second-to-last having had it in his care for 41 years.

Said to be “completely mechanically sorted” thanks to a £5,000-investment in recommissioning it when the seller bought it in July 2024, since when it has covered just 1300 miles, the only change to the factory specification is a 123 electronic ignition system – and if that trifling (and entirely sensible change) is a move too far for you, you’ll be delighted to hear that the original distributor has been carefully preserved.

He enjoyed taking it to his local classic car shows this summer, where it invariably drew an awful lot of attention. However, the recent purchase of a classic Alfa Romeo he’s been searching for for years means he unexpectedly needs to make some garage space.

 

Finished in Phoenix/Phönix Orange (colour code 028), we think the coachwork is every bit as good as the seller describes it, and the fact it is still the original – the seller was told that this is still the paint the factory applied back in 1977, the year when Wings topped the charts by selling more singles than anyone else with Mull of Kintyre – makes its condition even more remarkable.

And Phoenix Orange is a wonderfully of-the-period colour; after all, if you’re going to buy a car from the seventies, surely you want to go all-in and revel in a suitably vibrant colour?

Not that it is in the least bit gaudy thanks to factory-tight shutlines still, perfect panel alignment, and the merest smattering of chrome adorning it.

That brightwork is all in an excellent condition too, being free of pitting, tarnishing, and rust spots. The chrome ‘kidney’ grille is smooth and shiny, the black plastic grille that sits behind it is also straight and unmarked, and the rubber inserts on the front and rear bumpers are completely unmarked.

The quality engineering continues with a proper metal fuel filler cap, and a pair of BMW mudflaps on the rear.

The lamp lenses are also still bright and free of cracks, the badges are colourful and all as-new, apart from minor wear to the bonnet and boot lid emblems due to polishing, and the glazing is impeccable.

The tyres are 205/60R13 Radar Dimax Classic with a manufacture date of 2023, and these are fitted to the 13-inch steel wheels it’s always worn.

The only flaws we can see are lightly perished door seals, but these are nowhere near bad enough to need replacing just yet.

However, the owner is keen to point out that while he was told the paintwork is the original, the absence of stonechips and the like means that the frontal areas *may* have been lightly refreshed at some point. He has seen no evidence that this is the case but, like Sherlock Holmes’s barking dog, the very absence of something may be telling. 

 

The cabin continues the theme of understated engineering excellence. Completely original and in a time-warp condition, it is every bit as impressive as the coachwork.  

The seats are firm and taut still, with the only visible wear being to the cloth on the base of the driver’s seat. Everything else on the front seats is immaculate.

It’s the same story behind. In fact, it’s even better because they look like they’ve rarely been used.

Inertia reel seatbelts are also fitted in the front, with a pair of static Britax belts for those occupying the back seat.

The grey carpets are free of scuffs and holes thanks to a winning combination of fastidious curation and the presence of a set of rather nice deep-pile overmats.

The door cards are also unmarked, the headlining is clean and well-fitting, and the sunvisors aren’t only in a fabulous condition, they also stay where you put them.

It’s the small details that make the difference, isn’t it?

Like the clock, which was very recently replaced with a new and correct one imported from Germany and finishes off what was already a rather fetching dashboard. True, the ‘wood’ trim isn’t terribly convincing but if it were then you’d know it was the original because this is how they rolled out of the factory gates.

We know you’re probably thinking it’s a bit spartan in there, and you’d be right but may we remind you that the 1502 dates back to a time when BMW engineered in quality and reliability rather than bolting on iPad-knockoffs and calling the job done?

Speaking of jobs, apart from the slight wear to the base of the driver’s seat, there is one extremely small crack to the top of the dashboard, and there are some minor cracks to the plastic heel protector in the driver’s footwell.

The boot is immaculate, with only a couple of small chips to the offside rear wheelarch marring what is otherwise a nigh-on concours-winning condition. It also contains a full-size spare wheel and the jack and tool kit, which are hidden beneath a pair of excellent false floor panels. 
 

The engine oil was flushed and changed in July 2024, and there are invoices on file from Jaymic, the well-known -02 specialist, from the same year for supplying a large number of bits and bobs that allowed Exeter Engineering to fettle the car. These invoices, which total around £5,000, are also on file for you to inspect.

Part of that work involved professionally cleaning and reassembling the carburettor and setting the distributor advance curve to match, and renewing the mechanical fuel pump, and filter. The brakes were comprehensively fettled too, with the rebuild kit being supplied, along with an alternator, from Germany. The brake discs, pads and flexi pipes were also renewed, along with both brake servos being professionally reconditioned. All coolant hoses and vacuum hoses were also replaced with new, along with the thermostat, ignition cables and plugs. “Lanoguard” rustproofing was applied to the entire underside.

All of which means that the BMW fires into life easily, quickly settles into a rock-solid idle, and revs freely and smoothly. It’s a quiet engine too, with only a muffled roar from the single exhaust pipe to remind you that you’re behind the wheel of one of the finest sporting saloons of the era.

The engine bay is clean and beautifully preserved with all of its original stickers and decals still intact, and the eagle-eyed among you will have spotted the seller even ordered a Bosch sticker from Jaymic to finish off the reconditioned alternator.

And yet, for all that attention to detail he’s resisted the temptation to gild the lily, so it looks the same now as it would have done when it was still collecting service stamps in the booklet.

Heck, even the underbonnet soundproofing still looks new and the plastic fluid reservoirs have stayed clear rather than a jaded yellow.

Which reminds us: Evans Waterless Coolant is currently being used, so the new owner must not top up the radiator with water-based coolant. This shouldn’t be a hardship as we are told the BMW doesn’t use any coolant anyway and the twin benefits of a higher boiling point and complete eradication of corrosion more than compensate for any minor inconvenience.

The condition of the underside is as good as everywhere else, although the underseal has come away in a few places. Given how good the car is, we can see the new owner will want to get that professionally touched-up to ensure it still looks this good in another half-a-century. 
 

The BMW’s MoT is valid until September 2026 and it, like every single MoT dating back to 2006, was issued with no advisories. 

It’s a remarkable record but then there’s a remarkable story behind it. 

A Dr Stringer purchased it as a new car from Cotswold Service Station in Gloucester in June 1977. He kept it for the next three years, choosing to maintain it within the BMW network, with the last stamp showing a mileage of 23,230 miles.

It was then sold to a Mr. Bee via Baytree Garage, an Alfa Romeo dealer in Cheltenham in November 1980. Mr. Bee would have almost certainly seen it advertised in the local paper, a copy of which is in the history file.

He was obviously smitten because he kept it for the next 41 years – and, even more remarkably, decided fairly quickly that he liked it so much he wasn’t even going to drive it, preferring to keep it carefully cocooned in his garage.

However, he did ensure that his local garage, Pete Edgworth, collected it every year and to check it over for its MoT, seeing this as an integral part of its curation.

True love, eh?

As you can see from the online MoT record, this happened consistently, and the annual round-trip amounted to around six miles, which explains why it has covered fewer than 1,800 miles in the last 20 years.

He sold it in 2021, and the MoT record pauses until Classic Chrome sold it to our seller in 2024. The pre-sale preparation included new tyres and an exhaust, black and silver pressed aluminium numberplates, and an MoT.

However, the seller is a fastidious man who has regularly competed in concours at the very highest level, including numerous entries at Salon Privé over the years, and has even participated at the elite Concours d’Eleganza Villa D’Este in Italy in 2013 with his Aston Martin. He demands that his cars are on-the-button and as reliable as they can possibly be; he attends many classic car shows with his pride and joy every year, and won’t tolerate his classics being anything less than 100%. He recommissioned it, continuing the devoted maintenance regimen it has become accustomed to.

As you’d expect, the recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and it comes with two sets of keys.

The history file also contains the original BMW wallet, the full book pack, the service history booklet with stamps up to 1980, a period brochure, the Vehicle Delivery Note dated the 3rd of June 1977, a workshop manual, the large quantity of MoT certificates we referenced earlier, and a similarly impressive quantity of old invoices for servicing and repairs over the years.

Oh, and the registration number, which is the one it was issued with when it was first registered – and has a value all its own given it reads ‘TOY BEAR’ – will stay with the car.
 

The seller is very reluctantly parting with the 1502, and only because an Italian classic has just come onto the market unexpectedly, and given he’s been looking for that car for many years, he couldn’t resist snapping it up. He doesn’t have the indoor space to look after both cars to the high level they deserve.

An opportunity to acquire such an original, correct, complete, and fully sorted BMW 02-series car is incredibly rare and possibly unique.

Exciting, isn’t it?

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