BMW has made some iconic vehicles over the years, and for many BMW enthusiasts, the epitome of the classic BMW is the iconic 2002 Turbo. BMW produced only 1672 of these cars, and the one seen in the images here received a three-year rotisserie restoration. The car heads to auction with RM Sotheby’s in Arizona on January 22.
The car has a numbers matching chassis and engine and is expected to fetch between $120,000 and $140,000 when the gavel falls. A BMW Classic Certificate and invoices accompany the car. The car is white (Chamonix) outside with red and blue graphics and has the correct factory front seats specific to the Turbo model.
This car has some desirable features, including an electric sunroof, five-speed manual transmission, center exhaust, and Alpina wheels. BMW 2002 Turbo cars feature a 1998cc SOHC in-line-four-cylinder engine with a single KKK turbocharger and fuel injection.
The engine made 170 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque. The car could reach 60 mph in under seven seconds and reach 130 mph on the high end. That’s not fast by today’s standards, but in the day, it offered impressive performance.
The restoration also fitted the car with its front air dam, rear spoiler, and center exhaust giving it a particularly aggressive look. The 2002 Turbo was unveiled in 1973 at the Frankfurt Auto Show and launched in markets other than the US in 1974. The car wasn’t available in the United States in the era, according to the auction house. This particular example has a speedometer measured in kilometers. It’s always impressive to see a classic car restored and looking like it did the day it rolled off the assembly line.