1976 BMW 2002 Keeps Classic Look With Modern Touches

“Tastefully” restored BMW 2002 may be small, but it’s still a hell of a lot of fun to drive!

When Bavarian Workshop was asked to restore a 1976 BMW 2002, they wanted to keep the modifications to a minimum, at least at first glance. As you look at the finished car, you see immediately see a couple minor modifications to the exterior. But unless you look under the hood, you wouldn’t have any idea that it’s been heavily modified. In the above episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Marc Norris, from Bavarian Workshop, details all the changes mad to the vehicle.

First off, you notice the addition of BMW Turbo flares to the 2002. Those were added to help fit the modern, wider tires. Other than that, you’d be hard-pressed to spot any noticeable changes to the vehicle. Under the hood, however, is a completely different story.

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Adding a S14 M Motorsport engine from an ’89 M3 actually doubles the horsepower to 230. While that doesn’t seem to be a huge engine, because of the vehicle’s weight and small frame, it really does move. Pretty much every bit of mechanics of the vehicle has been modified to more modern driving standards, but only with BMW parts.

Jay Leno says that this restomod is “tastefully” done. That’s because when you look at the interior and the exterior, it screams classic BMW. That’s on purpose, as Marc Norris says in the video. He wanted to keep it as much of a 1976 BMW 2002 as possible, while updating it where necessary. Overall, Leno clearly loves the drive of the 2002, as he whips around corners and listens to the new engine rev up through the five-speed transmission.

All in all, this is a great looking BMW, and it appears amazingly fun to drive. Let’s hope we see more of these 2002s out on the roads!