1974 BMW 2002

This might just be the best BMW 2002 for sale in the United Kingdom today; bought two years ago, it has been the subject of a ground-up, nut-and-bolt restoration that cost in excess of £60,000.

Presented in Malaga Red with a matching black leather interior, it features an uprated, 150bhp engine, Webasto sunroof, and the four-speed manual gearbox. It is, therefore, the specification that everyone wants, perfectly executed, and presented in better-than-new condition.

Only for sale because the owner is emigrating, both we and he accept that the car is likely to return only a fraction of the money he has invested in it, which means that this is an exciting opportunity for the enthusiast to get their hands on the best BMW 2002 we’ve ever seen at what might just be a bargain basement price.

Only used a couple of times since being completed (including the lengthy drive to the Le Mans Classic 2018), the Malaga Red bodywork is immaculate, being free of any dinks, stonechips, or other flaws. As can be seen from the attached email, Malaga Red (colour code 021) was the car’s original colour, so it now looks pretty much as good as it did when it left the BMW factory on the 7th June 1974.

Which it should given the lengths the owner went to to get it looking like this. For a start, the bodyshell was completely stripped (a process that took 54 hours and cost £4,212…) before being soda blasted back to bare metal. It then had any rust cut out and replaced with new metal, a meticulous process that took another 24 hours and cost £1,872.

The car was then carefully resprayed in its original colour (at a cost of £6,000) before being even more carefully reassembled using new trim clips, badges, and rubber seals throughout. The front and rear bumpers, including over-riders, were re-chromed at a cost of well over £1,000.

The result is incredible with tight, even panel shutlines and a level of fit and finish that would have been the envy of the BMW production line, back in the day. Even the Webasto sunroof was upgraded with double duck cloth to give a better finish and improved durability.

The refurbished alloy wheels and chrome centre trims look stunning, and the wheels are fitted with matching Uniroyal tyres. Obviously…

Even the underside has been finished in the same colour as the bodywork, which is yet another indicator of the obsessive nature of the restoration and the level of thought and attention to detail that went into every single area of the project. Honestly, there’s not a single thing we’d change or a process we can see that could have been done better.

Speaking of which, the interior was completely removed before being restored and refurbished as necessary. It was then all carefully refitted using new trim clips and fastenings where needed. The attention to detail inside is just as impressive as the outside; for example, extra soundproofing has been fitted underneath the new carpets to minimise the noise, vibration and harshness that could be felt in the cabin.

This obsession extends to the new black leather seats, which have deep red piping to match the Malaga Red bodywork, as well as the new black leather door trims, which have contrasting stitching that matches the seat piping. New door handles, window winders, and armrests were fitted at the same time, too.

New carpets and a new headlining were also fitted, and no fewer than 38 new trim clips.

This means that the interior is almost all new, something that contributed to a final bill for the interior work of around £4,000. This is, we’re sure you’ll agree, a hefty sum but one that was worth every single penny given the finish that was achieved. In fact, the only flaws we can find are crack across the top of the dashboard and a small hole on the inside edge of the centre console - that should prove fairly straightforward to repair.

Other than those flaws, it’s still as good as new in there, and a genuinely lovely place to be. We envy the new owner because they’re going to feel ever so slightly smug every time they get into the car - and that’s before they drive it, which brings us neatly to the car’s mechanical specification.

The two-litre, four-cylinder M10 petrol engine has been professionally built to fast road specification, which means 150bhp (which is around 31bhp more than standard…) courtesy of a bored and machined engine block, a CNC-machined and ported cylinder head, a set of CP pistons, 46mm inlet and 38mm exhaust valves, a full set of aluminium rocker arms, and a fully baffled wet sump. And the engine-builder appears to have experience building these engines to full formula race specification so should know a thing or two.

The engine is fed via twin Weber 45 DCOE carburettors, a Facet fuel pump, Filter King fuel regulator, a set of braided fuel hoses, and an ITG performance air filter. It then exhales through a custom-built, stainless steel performance exhaust system and extractor manifold, so it sounds just as good as it goes! (Which is very well indeed, by the way.)

The engine bay is beautifully clean, neatly detailed, and even features the correct stickers. The engine work alone cost the owner £8,000, which should give you an idea of the quality of the work that was undertaken.

Both the gearbox (the BMW was converted from an automatic to a four-speed manual gearbox during the restoration) and differential were reconditioned and painted black before being refitted to the car, along with a new three-piece clutch kit and a billet flywheel.

The suspension was also stripped down, cleaned and powdercoated black before being rebuilt with uprated components including Bilstein sports dampers and new bushes.

This example really does have a dream mechanical specification that carefully curates the car’s original specification, while usefully increasing the power and torque available to the driver. It’s a great specification, flawlessly executed and we salute both the garage and the owner for a job well done.

The BMW comes with a comprehensive photographic record of its restoration, along with a detailed breakdown of the work that was carried out, plus a wad of invoices and bills to confirm just how much it cost him.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage. The car itself comes with a number of expired MOT certificates and the current MOT certificate runs out in June 2019.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored to the very highest standard.

With perfect coachwork, a beautiful, largely new interior, and an unrivalled mechanical specification, this is a rare opportunity to obtain a BMW 2002 in the specification that everyone wants.

And how much will this little slice of Bavarian heaven set you back? We think the answer is between £19,000 and £29,000, which is a fair chunk of money but is still only a fraction of what it has cost its current owner.

After all, you can see for yourself just how much it set him back, and if you’re there totting up how much you think you can do it for yourself, he initially came to a figure of around £10,000 plus the cost of the car, too. But, as anyone who has ever done it knows, these things have a habit of rapidly escalating way past the initial costing…

Regulars will recognise this car from earlier this year where an auction price over £30,000 was realised. The buyer has subsequently run in to financial problems and has been unable to complete the transaction (he has not viewed the car).

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Gloucestershire; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.