My memory of the BMW 2002 Ti Alpina I owned and raced in the New Zealand 1969/70 and 1970/71 seasons are that it was a wonderful car. I had just finished two seasons racing a Mini Cooper with a 1000cc engine in my NZ Championship–winning 1967/68 season and a 1275cc
in 1968/69. I needed a new car. With the help of Ross Jensen of Ross Jensen Motors in Newmarket, Auckland, I purchased a new BMW 2002 from the BMW factory in Germany. The car was a standard 2002, fitted with twin Solex carbs and a 2.0 litre engine, giving only 120bhp — which was less power than my 1275cc Mini. I travelled to Germany to collect my new 2002, and spent three months in Kaufbeuren working with Alpina at their factory. At Alpina, my brand-new but standard BMW 2002, which came with an optional extra Limited Slip Diff, was
upgraded to Group 5 power and specs — inlets, valves, cams, oil-ways, suspension, and many other parts were all worked on until not much of the original 2002 was left. The car arrived back in New Zealand in time for the 1969/70 racing season.
No Comments