In the history of BMW, few numbers have been as important as "2". This number stood on the boot lid of one of BMW's most successful cars, one that brought them back to life after being nearly bankrupt: the 1600 model.
The 02 Series established BMW as a maker of lightweight, fast automobile being a pioneer and innovative car for its time. Even though, at the time, the New Class models were very successful, the customers asked for a cheaper, sporty compact, with enough power to make you want to drive it on a daily basis.
The new car was introduced at Geneva in 1966. It was named 1600-2 and was 23 centimeters (9 inches) smaller than the New Six Sedan. It was also cheaper and almost as powerful.
The number "2" showed that the new car had 2 doors. Later on, the 1600-2 was turned into the 02 Series 1600 and 2002. The 2002 was especially popular with its 2-liter 100 HP engine and later on the 2002tii with 130 HP from a fuel injected engine.
The first European turbocharged car was a 2002 also. It was called 2002 Turbo and had a 2-liter turbocharged engine that delivered 170 HP. With this model BMW dominated the Motorsport scene of Europe during the mid 60s and 70s.
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