Car of the Month

November 2007

Bryan Lancelot's Awesome Turbo

Want to see your 02 featured here? Email me any 02, any condition.

Background:
My interest in 2002s began as a teenager in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1970s where I encountered my first 02 and has culminated in being the proud owner of a 2002 Turbo that has been completely restored to be one of the best examples in the world.

My 2002 Turbo ownership and odyssey began in January 2001. At that time I was already the owner of two Ceylon (metallic gold) 1973 2002 tiis that were being restored by "The Werk Shop" (Lake Bluff, Illinois, proprietor Don Dethlefsen) when I came across a 2002 Turbo being auctioned on eBay. I had always planned to own a Turbo, and over the years I kept my eye open for one that was in relatively good structural and mechanical shape and could be obtained for a reasonable price. As luck would have it, this particular Turbo being sold on eBay seemed to meet my criteria.

I was the high bidder of the auction and consummated the purchase of Charmonix 2002 Turbo VIN 4290281 during January 2001 and I arranged to have the car shipped via boat to the U.S. The Turbo’s owner, Mr. Rick Brett, whom I purchased the car from could not have been more pleasant to deal with. Before I sent Rick the money to finalize the purchase, he went out of his way to send me a detailed video that showed every inch of the car including close ups of every part of the car that had rust accumulating. After viewing the video I had no reservations about finalizing the purchase of the car as the video matched the eBay description and pictures.

After purchasing the Turbo I did not immediately have The Werk Shop begin restoring it as we were still in the process of restoring the two 2002 tiis and we needed time to find and procure key OEM parts for the Turbo that would be needed during the restoration. The restoration of the Turbo began in early 2004 and completed in 2005.

I chose The Werk Shop to perform the restoration because of Don Dethlefsen’s knowledge of BMWs, his attention to detail and his unwavering commitment to quality workmanship. In addition, Tom Kelly, a master BMW engine builder and BMW restoration craftsman would be the restoration project leader. To date, and solely based on my own judgment, I have not encountered another BMW restoration facility in the U.S. that does a better job restoring BMWs than The Werk Shop.

The Restoration:

From the beginning, my ultimate goal of the restoration was to end up with a Turbo that would be judged as one of the best examples, if not THE best example, of a 2002 Turbo in the world. My direction to Don and Tom to guide them during the restoration process was simple: Restore the Turbo to exact OEM specifications so it would look and drive exactly like it did when it was sitting on a dealer’s showroom floor in 1974. In addition, I wanted the Turbo to be restored with a few of the most desirable options the Turbo could be ordered with. The two most coveted options for the Turbo, in my opinion, were the Getrag 5 speed transmission and the “bottle cap” alloy wheels. Since the Turbo I purchased did not have these options I had to hunt for quite some time to find these parts, but I was able to find both the transmission and the alloy wheels from a gentleman in the Netherlands. As an aside, the Internet was extremely helpful in locating parts since the Turbo was never officially imported to the U.S, most of the critical parts we needed for the restoration had to be located in Europe. I am not sure how restorations of rare cars were performed efficiently prior to the proliferation of the Internet!

At the beginning of the restoration the car was completely dismantled down to the welds. The frame and body where then dipped in an acid bath to completely remove any rust. The car was then coated with an Epoxy to prevent rust from ever forming again, and finally, a no expense spared paint job was applied in Charmonix. I will admit that there are two things on the Turbo that are not to BMW’s original specifications for the car. Those items are the Motorsport stripes on both sides of the car and the “2002 Turbo” reverse script and Motorsport colors on the air dam. I had those items painted and clear coated on the car versus using the original sticker sets that I was able to find for the Turbo. I have to admit that the painted on Motorsport stripes are stunning.

Every nut, screw, bolt, washer, etc. that could be reused were stripped and re-electroplated to make them look like they did when they were brand new. The engine, driveline components, and suspension were disassembled and rebuilt with OEM parts and cleaned or repainted so they looked exactly like they did as the car rolled off the assembly line. Literally, no part on the car was left untouched. Even the steering wheel was replaced with an OEM steering wheel that was purchased new by a 2002 owner in 1975 and was still in its original plastic wrapper.

Conclusion:

Spot the Difference? Yes these Motorsport stripes were painted, not the standard stickers.

I believe the restoration of the Turbo met my goal, and in my humble opinion, I feel VIN 4290281 is arguably the best example of a 2002 Turbo in the world. I give thanks to Don Dethlefsen and Tom Kelly of The Werk Shop for sharing my vision in restoring the Turbo and for putting up with my anal retentive standards throughout the restoration process.

Since the Turbo has been restored I have had the pleasure of showing the car at a couple of concours around the U.S. where it has won its class.

I do drive the Turbo on sunny days in Colorado as my busy work and family schedules permit. Rest assured, I do not pamper the car when it comes to driving it. In my opinion, the Turbos were meant to be driven in a spirited fashion and I thoroughly enjoy driving the Turbo on the mountain roads in Colorado. However, I will honestly admit I have yet to master driving the Turbo where I can consistently keep it at the peak of its power curve, but I am certainly enjoying the practice!

Previous Cars Of The Month: