Shs25m later, Emodek’s 1975 BMW is roadworthy

The BMW 2002 saloons were manufactured from 1966 to 1977 and were the first 2000cc engines built.

As Emodek’s, they are one-door and were manufactured to carry five people. Some are convertibles while others are not. 

Restoration 
To make it roadworthy, Emodek had to first find out if the engine could run after being overhauled. Fortunately, it fired the same day the trial was made. This confirmed that the rest of the car’s components would also work.

The next step was to completely strip the car, to, among other tasks, remove the old car paint which would help the mechanic ascertain the extent of damage to underlying parts, especially the car body. 

This involved massive welding because most of the panels were rotten.

The dashboard, interior, floor, boot, roof lining and side door panels were all reworked to give the car its current look. 

“The engine compartment has about seven wires. It runs on a carburetor engine, meaning there is enough room to access the engine from any angle. You do not have to unscrew the engine to access or service it. If you have interest in learning about engines, it is the best car to start with,” Emodek says. 

During restoration, the radiator, which was also replaced, had accumulated a lot of dust and mud and its fins were blocked.

This meant the circulation of water for cooling the system was difficult, something that led to overheating.

Some of the initial specifications of the car include running on a 2000cc petrol engine. 

“The car initially had a manual transmission but I converted it to automatic transmission after buying a gearbox from a friend. Changing transmission took a day and I do not regret this decision,” Emodek says.  

What is unique about vintage BMWs, Emodek adds, is that they are durable compared to newer models.

Also, Emodek says, if well maintained, the value of his car will keep rising, especially since it is also a rare car. 

Spare parts 
During restoration of the 48-year old vehicle, the biggest challenge was getting spare parts.

Most of them were sourced online from eBay and a few others sourced locally from mechanics. 

“However, having money will not guarantee a fast and successful restoration. You have to sometimes be physically present at the garage to follow up and see how things are done,” Emodek advises. 

On average, Emodek estimates the restoration cost to be more than Shs25m since the cost of spare parts alone was approximately Shs20m.

When restoring some vintage cars, some parts are swapped from different cars. This was not the case with Emodek’s BMW that only required genuine parts. 

Performance 
For off-road performance, the BMW 2002 has good ground clearance that enables smooth driving, even on rough roads.

But with old technology,  Emodek says, it is still a work in progress. 

Fast Facts 
The 2002 is named not for the year 2002 but for the fact that it has a 2000cc engine and two doors; 2000 plus two. There were also 1502, 1602, and 1802 models.

The BMW 2002 was created almost by accident, when two senior BMW executives each had a new 2.0 litre M10 engine installed in place of the 1.6 litre engine in their BMW 1602s.

These two men loved their new 2.0 litre cars so much they approached the BMW board of directors with a proposal for a production model, and this is how the 2002 came to be.

The 2002 remained in production from 1968 until 1975, with almost 400,000 built in total.

Today the most collectible versions are the rare BMW 2002 Turbo and the BMW 2002 Tii.