Car of the Month

(Dedicate to my Father, Ron Stern who sadly died on the 5th July)

August 2009

Alan Wood's 2002 Cabriolet Tii

Want to see your 02 featured here (any condition as long as there's a story)?

Email me any 02, any condition richstern@hotmail.com

How did I become a BMW enthusiast, well when I was an apprentice Electrician in the late 60's early 70's the boss of the company had a BMW, I can remember him having a 2500, a 2800 saloon, then a 3.0csi, they were on a different level to any other cars at that time. I was regularly a passenger in his cars, and they did impress. One day I came back to the office and there was a Tii parked there, his car was in for servicing and they had lent it to him.

He dropped me of at a job in it, after that ride I just wanted one, it made my 1963 Vauxhall Viva seem ???????? although I had fitted a SL90 engine, steel wide wheels and cut the springs down, but that's another story. We also used to do the Electrical maintenance work at the local BMW dealers in Preston where his cars were serviced, then called Kinders. I worked there on several occasions spent more time talking to the mechanics and looking at the cars than doing any electrical work. The mechanics all used to say the BMW's were mechanically brilliant, but body wise crap, a few years later I found out what they meant.

Another memory I have of 2002's, it was probably 1974 and I had a 1972 Escort Mexico Mk1, driving back from the Lake district on the M6, I was in the middle lane and a Tii came up in the outside lane and over took me, just after he got passed a lotus Cortina came flying up in the outside lane flashing the Tii to move over, the guy floored it and left the Lotus for dead just pulled away, im sure the dick in the Lotus was gutted, magic moment.

I bought my first 2002 a 1975 Tii Lux in 1985 it was 10 years old, then spent 4 years restoring it, even at 10 years it was rotten, the mechanics were right, I owned this car until 1995 when I bought my Targa Cab as seen below. I had looked for a suitable Targa for a few years, wanted one to restore but not to much welding, I got the one that needed welding, and the mechanics were again proved right.

I also decide I would rebuild the car to suit me, so having broken up a Tii and having all the bits, I rebuilt it as a Tii, including replacing the wiring harness, suspension, brakes etc and I fitted a 5 speed gearbox. I was looking through the small ads in Practical Classics during the restoration and noticed a ad.... BMW Tii engine, hardly used.

I rang the guy, he had a barn just outside Edinburgh were he kept a couple of Fiat Spiders, a mate of his had bought a crashed Tii back in the 70's, stripped it and was going to fit the engine into his Touring but had never got round to doing it, the engine had done under 20k and had been in the barn for years, it was complete, fuel injection pump, everything, got it for £75.

I stripped it couldn't find any wear at all just put it back together with all new gaskets etc, its still in the car today. The restoration of my car started in 1995 and was complete in 2001, so I think it still looks good and has stood the test of time. I have always had a 2002 since 1985 that's 24 years, during that time I have restored the Tii saloon, my Targa and also a Touring, which I eventually sold to Nick Vise, think he put a funny engine or something in it ??????? Anyway hope you like my 2002 history and the pictures of my car.