Without question, the 2002 is the definitive small sports sedan and the car that defined BMW as the company it is today. The 2002 has its roots in the “New Class” of medium range family sedans first offered as the 1500 series in 1962-1964. Utterly conventional, the “three-box” sedan would become the first of a long line of BMWs to use a sturdy, imminently tunable, four-cylinder overhead cam engine. The engine, as installed, was canted over 30 degrees to the right side of the engine bay, allowing space for multi-choke carburetion and, eventually, fuel injection. This would establish a BMW tradition which carries on to this day.

BMW’s crowning achievement of the sports sedan concept to-date, and the car which perhaps best justified the company motto “The Ultimate Driving Machine,” is the 2002tii. Produced from 1971-1975, BMW built 38,703 of the special 2002s dubbed “tii.” “Ti” simply denotes touring international, while the additional “i” refers to Kugelfischer fuel injection, giving the car a 30-hp boost over its carbureted stable-mate.

This BMW is a well-maintained car that retains its original color of Aqua Blue-Green with light gray interior. The interior upholstery is in very good condition; and the blackwall tires, mounted on period upgraded BBS wheels. Equipped with both a factory sunroof and factory Baer air conditioning, it has been enhanced with an Alpine AM/FM/CD player.

BMW aficionados know unmolested 2002s are very hard to find, and this is a superb example worthy of any enthusiast’s garage.