Pushback to the sale from workers in the BMW factories gave Herbert pause about the buyout. However, he wasn’t just concerned  about a revolt from the workers, Herbert was also privy to what the designers and engineers had in store for the New Class of vehicles. The prospect of the New Class combined with increasing interest in the newly released BMW 700, gave Herbert a lot of optimism for the future for BMW. Herbert secretly increased his stake in the company until he held a majority interest and could push forward production of the New Class of Vehicles. All talk of a buyout was soon forgotten.

With the New Class, BMW carved a niche in a previously untapped market that brought a hint of high-end luxury and the quality of lavish coach-built vehicles at a more affordable and mass producible price. Wilhelm Hofmeister led the design and it was on the New Class of vehicles that he would gain notoriety for the Hofmeister Kink, a forward facing angle on the C-pillar window that is still featured on just about every BMW to this day.

The first New Class model to hit the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1961 was the 1500, a consumer focused, luxury sedan. The 1500 would become the blueprint for the 1800, 1600 and 2000 models that quickly followed and would define BMW for the following generations. BMW capitalised on the success of the platform by making alternative versions that iterated on the design and feature packages. 		
The 1600 quickly replaced the 1500 with a slight increase in horsepower and addressing some small design flaws.


While BMW’s reputation was maturing, it was the two-seater variants that really caught the attention of the automotive public. Shorter and lighter than its four-door counterpart, the 02s were sportier and livelier, making an already great car even more exciting to drive. They were driver’s cars. Perhaps most importantly, they were also cheaper than the four-doors. The O2s were so popular after that there were even two electric prototypes made for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. The 1602e accompanied marathon runners showcasing the lack of harmful emissions and battery range just longer than that of the marathon. The European market were also treated to the TI (Turismo Internazionale) engines initially developed by tuning house Alpina, with dual sidedraft carburettors and a bump in overall HP. Unfortunately, new emissions laws State side meant that US consumers didn’t get to experience those engines.

The 2002 was a natural progression and solution to the problem of US restrictions. Some enthusiasts were already swapping the larger 2 litre engine from the 2000 C and CS into their 1600’s. BMW’s director of product planning Helmut Werner Bonsch and designer of the M0 engine Alex von Falkenhausen, both independently had the larger engines swapped into their personal vehicles. It wasn’t until they both had their swapped 1600’s in BMW’s workshop at the same time that it dawned on them to propose an official new model marrying the two.	

The union of larger engine and small body was unsurprisingly a success. Automotive journalists swooned over the cars at the time. David E. Davis Jr. of Car and Driver said “If the 1600 was the best $2500 sedan C/D ever tested, the 2002 is most certainly the best $2850 sedan in the whole cotton-picking world.

Enter Lisa and Tesoro, her 2 seater 2002, and Derby, her 1600-2. As a teenager looking for her first car, a friend of Lisa’s recommended she consider a BMW. The E30’s were prevalent in California at the time but when Lisa come across a 2002 she immediately knew this was the car for her. She purchased a Chamonix 1972 2002 that she would cut her teeth on, learning how to drive at track and autocross events and learning the ins and outs of the mechanics as things inevitably broke.

Lisa went on to own a plethora of other BMW’s, including another 2002, a couple of E30 M3’s, an E36 and a Bravaria. As the years went on some of her priorities in life started to shift. Expensive hobbies like maintaining and modifying old sports cars are not conducive to saving for a house or traveling. As Lisa puts it, “Life got in the way.”

Fast forward a few years and while out to lunch with her sister, Lisa cracked a fortune cookie that read: “Something on four wheels will soon be a fun investment for you." The thought of owning a 2002 again started percolating in the back of her mind and Lisa found herself frequenting the BMW forums once again. Soon after, Lisa attended a local BMW swap meet and lo and behold, there was a 1973 BMW 2002 for sale.	

The engine was smoking and there was some surface rust, but it was in good enough condition to drive home. Seemingly content with keeping it on the road for the time being, Lisa set about replacing parts and incrementally working on improving the car. On one particular parts run, the clutch master cylinder went leaving Lisa stranded on the side of the road. When the tow truck came, rather than whisking her off safely, the driver backed into the front of the 2002. To make things worse the driver would claim that Lisa was at fault. 

The damage was significant but not catastrophic. Lisa, turning lemons into lemonade, took the opportunity to begin the full restoration she had dreamt of one day doing. With years of car ownership and a couple of 2002s under her belt, Lisa knew exactly what she wanted to do with Tesoro and set about pouring her heart and soul into it, determined to leave her mark with a build unmistakeably her own. In fact, I have never come across a car and owner so suited to each other.

Lisa’s attention to detail led to a two and a half year build. The improvements were subtle but specific. Take the custom BBS RM wheels. Lisa had Ehrlich Wheel Work finish them with a combination of polished rim, black and silver painted weaves and alternating black and polished hardware. A very particular request that is easily missed by many, but one that wholeheartedly works.

The E21 Recaro front seats and E24 rear seats were re-upholstered in real Italian leather and Alcantara suede with stainless steel grommets, a look inspired by those Singer were using in their custom Porsche builds. A weighted Whalen Shift Machine shift knob sits atop a custom centre console and is engraved with the BMW logo above the cars name, ‘Tesoro’, Italian for treasure.

In keeping with the cars name, there are plenty of other treasures to be found throughout. Hard to find authentic parts were sourced like the Hirschman red “jewel” tipped antenna, early style kidney grill and OEM storage box in the trunk. Lisa sourced an uncracked, European dash and a “Silver Dollar” 220km/h instrument cluster that sits behind a rare 1800 TI steering wheel. An alternate fuel filler from Kooglewerks shifts the filling point to inside the trunk, preventing spillage on the paint from the ungainly Californian style gas pumps, all while looking like an OEM feature.


The M10 engine was treated to a full rebuild, running Ireland Engineering shorty headers, 90mm piano top pistons and a 38/38 Weber carb. Upgraded ventilated Wilwood disc brakes are utilised on the front and custom coilover suspension all round.					
When combined, all of these small details elevate Lisa’s 2002 to another level, subtly setting it apart from the rest without beating you over the head with its modifications.	

As with most automotive love affairs, it’s hard to stop at just one. Scrolling on social media, Lisa came across photos of a 1967 European spec 1600-2 in Germany. Not expecting anything to come of it, Lisa sent a message asking if it was for sale. The owner was aware of Lisa’s impeccable 2002 build with Tesoro and felt that the 1600 would be in safe hands with her. The deal was made and Lisa set about importing it to the States.

The car arrived in the U.S in early 2017 and it was immediately apparent that it had been lovingly maintained. Lisa was the fourth owner and the car still carried the paperwork from the original owner with the car changing hands within the family. The 1600 was lightly restored during its previous ownership but originality appeared to be the aim, no wild modifications or modernisations. Lisa nicknamed the car Derby after the rare Derby Grey paint job, with only four surviving matching number Derby Grey 1600’s currently on record.

Derby is a time machine, a glimpse into the past of how these cars rolled out of the factory. The two-tone cloth insert seats are still intact. The original piping is starting to crack but still impressive given it is such a high use part. The spare wheel in the trunk has the original date from 1966 stamped into it and the car retains other early features such as the embossed chrome hood trim and 6-volt generator system.


Under Lisa’s tenure, Derby has had a few more refurbishments, again with originality in mind. The original wheels were refinished and new hubcaps ordered from BMW. The hubcaps were no longer in production but BMW kept a small reserve to be made available upon request. Due to the dwindling supply, a copy of your car’s VIN and title had to be provided as only one set would be made available per car to keep things fair and prevent people hoarding or profiting on them.


When the engine started smoking Lisa decided to have North Bay Bavarian rebuild the engine and transmission with OEM parts, even down to replicating the striped spacing of the taping on the wiring harness that had been modified at some point in the vehicle’s past. Otherwise, it has been a case of driving and rebuilding parts as they break.

I had the privilege of driving Derby on our shoot, an honour only otherwise bestowed on Jay Leno while filming an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage in 2017. It may have only been when Jay picked Derby over her 2002 for the video feature that Lisa started to fully appreciate how special the little 1600-2 was.


While it doesn’t take off like a rocket by today’s standards, the driving experience is best described as peppy and smooth. Incredibly smooth for a car of its age and vintage. There are no unwanted knocks or bangs and the clutch feels light and moves through the gears with minimal effort.


The large glasshouse windows are a noticeable highlight in the cabin, providing seemingly uninterrupted 360 degree views. Driving it around the beautiful scenery of the Golden Gate Bridge it's easy to see how the balance of design, performance and quality engineering changed the company’s fortunes. If a car this old can still feel this good, it’s no wonder it positioned BMW where they are today. 


It’s hard to imagine the automotive industry without BMW; but there was a time when the BMW brand wasn’t what we know today. What is now the standard for attainable class, luxury and performance was once a flailing automotive manufacturer that struggled to find its way in a post war era. There wasn’t one particular car credited with changing BMW’s fortunes. A generation of cars referred to as the Neue Klasse (“New Class”) throughout the 1960s would solidify BMW’s reputation into the future.
In the late 50s, BMW was on the precipice of collapse with the majority of the board ready to either sell off the poor performing company to Daimler-Benz or declare bankruptcy. In 1959 shareholders came close to voting in favour of the Daimler-Benz buyout before a few disgruntled voices managed to adjourn the meeting without a formal vote. One of those dissenting voices was Herbert Quandt who had inherited a 30% stake in BWM with his brother Harald when their father passed in 1954.


BMW 1600-2 & 2002

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