BMW 2002 Turbo
No, Will Beaumont hasn’t built himself a 2002 Turbo replica, he’s borrowed the real thing. Here’s why
IIN CASE YOU MISSED it, BMW celebrated its centenary in 2016. Something that’s more likely to have passed you by is that it was also 50 years since the 2002 arrived. Ideally I would have joined the celebrations in my own example, but it’s still languishing in my conservatory, unfinished. So instead I asked BMW UK if I could borrow its precious 2002 Turbo. Much to my delight, instead of being laughed off the phone, the answer was yes.
In the days I had the car I took it to be included in an aerial shot with a group of other 02s arranged to form a ‘50’. Then it was over to the annual BMW show at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon where the car won best 2002 Turbo in show (it was the only 2002 Turbo in show).
But all this was nothing compared with being back behind the wheel of an 02 again. All Turbos are lefthand drive, but the thin pillars and swathes of black vinyl made it an otherwise familiar environment. I was under strict instructions from BMW not to perform a dynamic test of the Turbo, but I couldn’t help but sample the full ’70s turbo experience.
Above 4500rpm is where all the action happens – there’s a surge as the turbocharger kicks in and the revs go berserk. Even so, the Turbo’s reputation for being an animal that’ll spit you off the road has been slightly over- egged. Actually, as the boost arrives like clockwork, you can be surprisingly accurate with the car. OK, there isn’t much grip, but even with those big bolt-on wheelarches it’s still a small car, so there’s plenty of room on the road to carve whichever line you like.
The Turbo is a more civilised car than mine was before I took it off the road – more of an autobahn cruiser – but I was far from disappointed after meeting what is one of my automotive heroes. The Turbo is fun, but I’m glad that my car, when it’s finished, will be much feistier.
‘ The 2002 Turbo’s reputation for being an animal that’ll spit you off the road has been slightly over- egged’