BMW 2002 Turbo meets M2 Clubsport

The first local turbo production car was released on the road 47 years ago and met with a bad mood back then, in the year of the 1973 oil crisis, in view of energy-saving appeals and even driving bans on Sundays. And just at this time, BMW comes around the corner with a 170 hp mid-range: the 2002 Turbo. At the time, it was downright frivolous power for a 4,22-meter-long sedan that weighed just 1,1 tonnes and was suddenly poaching in the 911 area. On the front axle is an actually mundane two-liter four-cylinder, which, however, is forced to ventilate with exhaust gas turbocharging. US car brands had already gained experience with this, but this technology was new territory in Germany. Equipped with rear-wheel drive and a limited-slip differential, this visually widened Nullzwo is not a harmless toy for strong boys. But more on that later.

Times change

The exotic M2 club sport, whose era is almost over, fits well into the philosophy of the 2002 Turbo. With a length of 4,46 meters, the M2, which can be assigned to the compact segment, clearly surpasses the earlier middle class, but times have just changed. The M2 CS has two loaders. Its internally designated S55 six-cylinder with 331 kW / 450 PS is borrowed from the predecessor M3. The test car is also equipped with a dying manual transmission.

This particular M2 is a car for the racetrack junkies or collectors. The factory not only donated carbon fiber add-on parts to optimize weight, but also installed the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 as a precaution. Once the tires have warmed up properly, the tire builds up such grip that a cavalier start takes some effort despite rear-wheel drive and mechanical clutch. With the fine Alcantara steering wheel, convertible adaptive chassis and a lot of reserve in the right pedal, the 1,6-tonner conquers turn after turn. Nevertheless, the club sport is not a spoilsport on long distances, skilfully handles bumps, mimes the brave everyday companion.

Quiet runabout

One that is of course more than sovereignly motorized and also poached like the 2002 Turbo in the 911 Revier. The driving performance is on the Carrera S level, as trade magazines have measured, reaching up to 13 km / h for around 200 seconds - a value that puts the car in the category of vehicles that could jeopardize the driver's license. The latter also because its six-cylinder rotates smoothly towards the rev limiter, while the body storms up to speed, putting strain on the stomach. The unit remains acoustically in check, the M2 screams and spurts a long time not as energetically as its predecessor without a particle filter.

It is amazing that the old four-cylinder from the early seventies is hardly less fun. No question about it, the overall performance level is significantly lower - a Golf GTD makes the seven seconds for the standard sprint today - but much less spectacular. A 2002 turbo means drama in every way: the acceleration curve is anything but linear. At first little happens, and when the turbocharger's turbine picks up speed with an increasing exhaust gas flow, the thrust kicks in quickly. In wet conditions or with too much steering angle, you can cross faster than you would like.

Lettering is just a rumor

Good 2002 Turbo are currently in the six-digit price range and thus above the 92.605 euros that BMW demanded for clubsport; so please always be careful with this valuable piece of contemporary automotive history. In general, driving this old-timer is work - the clutch pedal and steering are tight, the five forward gears are sluggish, and there is no false floor called the stability program in case you overdo it. If you are looking in vain for the rumored model lettering that was supposed to be emblazoned in mirror writing on the front spoiler - this malicious idea existed, but was not implemented.

Incidentally, the 210 km / h BMW was hardly an economic success at the time, which came onto the market in an atmosphere that was not car-friendly, when Sunday motorways were cleared and a speed limit of 100 km / h was in effect for over a hundred days. On the other hand, there were only four car-free Sundays in November and December 1973 - the situation is often portrayed more dramatically in the retrospective. Nevertheless, the 2002 Turbo found barely one and a half thousand buyers and was discontinued after a little over a year, which today's owners are of course happy about. The M2 Clubsport, which was built for around a year, has long since achieved collector status - especially as a manual switch.