When classic BMWs come to mind, the BMW 2002 from the 1960s typically comes to mind. The 2002 is the most famous car from the Neue Klasse generation of cars in the ’60s and ’70s but it wasn’t the only one. One of the more forgotten is the BMW 1600, which looked and drove much like the 2002 but it had a smaller, less powerful engine. This owner has a BMW 1600, that’s quite heavily modified, sitting in his barn in Maine and it’s quite the interesting little car.
The owner of this 1600 bought it used and it was a California car, so it’s quite far away from home right now. However, he’s had it for a long time, so its new home features much saltier, humid air, which is why it’s quite rusty. According to the owner, it’s mostly solid and all of the rust is on the surface, but it certainly needs a complete paint strip, sandblast, and repaint.
That said, it’s an interesting car that’s worth restoring. Under the hood is the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder from a 2002, rather than the 1.6-liter engine from the 1600. It also has an upgraded five-speed manual transmission and some other enhanced goodies, so it’s more fun to drive than a standard 1600. Although, is it really called a 1600 anymore if it has the 2002 engine in it? Their names were simply there to signify their engine sizes, so if you change the engine, do you change the name?
Nomenclature aside, this BMW 1600 is a very well worn, but also well loved car with a lot of personal history. The owner used to daily drive it and use it for driving his son around, so there’s some nostalgia there. So his desire to restore it and once again take a long trip with his son is understandable.
A friend of mine once bought a BMW 1600 and it was an incredibly cool car. It was blue with black vinyl interior and had been pretty well taken care of, so it was in good running condition. I remember only riding in it a couple of times but loving how it rode, felt, and sounded. It was a special car, despite not being the more highly sought after 2002. So I hope this owner does restore his car and get it back in good running condition. Cars like this BMW 1600 need to be kept alive and away from the scrapyard in the sky.
