This range of cars was called the ‘New class’ and, introduced in 1962, was the start of the succession of cars that created the niche for BMW in the UK that it now occupies. There was a whole stable of cars all of similar design but with a variety of engines designed to suit a variety of tastes and pockets.
The most popular pre-1966 cars were the 2000 and the 1800 TI while after 1966, BMW produced the 1602 and 2002 series which, I think, became of the most popular BMWs of the whole decade.
The series ran from 1962 until the mid 1970s and produced a host of different models and types with a variety of engines but all of which, thankfully, look similar.
BMW 1800 TI and 2000
The engine for all of the range was an over-square 4 cylinder unit styled as the M10 using just a single overhead camshaft. Engine sizes ran from a modest 1499cc all the way to 1990cc for the two litre making this a versatile engine which was also as good for reliability as it was for performance.
The body comes in a variety of styles including the normal four-door saloon as well as the pretty coupé and two-doors.
Inside the interior was nothing out of the ordinary but the seats were comfortable and the car roomy except that I can recall finding that the legroom for the driver was not particularly good.
One nice thing is the instrumentation with a speedometer, rev counter and then a combined three instrument round dial showing engine temperature, oil pressure and fuel level.
Roadholding on all models is good as is the gear box and it was in this range that BMW established its reputation for producing a fast ‘driver’s’ car. I never owned a BMW in the 60s (or since) but I did drive one and I have to say that it had good performance and roadholding but the one I drove (I think it was the 1800 TI) was not a comfortable car and not that easy to drive.
Performance was one of the main considerations for BMW and they went out of their way to stress this by producing a TI (Touring International) version for some models which were basically the same except for some extra creature comforts and with the addition of a bit more power for the right foot.
Rather interestingly and to my surprise I discovered that some of the early BMWs in this range were 6-volt rather than the usual 12 volt.
The two sets of figures are for the 1800 TI and the 2000 and, for most drivers, there will be little difference in performance between them. The compression ratio on the 1800 is raised to produce a little more power and this gives it the lift it needs to match the 2000 but, of course, there is no substitute for power and the 2000 has the better torque and might manage a better mpg, although in use the careful owner would probably not see much difference in the two models.
Variations
There are a lot of cars in this fleet! Basically it is best to look at them by engine size which is also, in the main, how the model numbers are chosen. The engine came in these sizes: 1.5 (1499cc), 1.6 (1573cc), 1.8 (1766cc), 1.8L (1773cc) and 2.0 (1990cc). Add to this a saloon, coupé and a three-door and then throw in the 02 series with the 1502, 1602, 1802 and 2002 and you have quite a mix.
Statistics BMW 1800 TI
Engine……………………… 1773 cc
Bore………………………… 84 mm
Stroke……………………… 80 mm
Comp ratio………………… 9.5 to 1
Valves……………………… single overhead cam
BHP………………………… 110 bhp at 5,800 rpm
Torque…………………….. 109 ft lbs at 4,000 rpm
Length…………………….. 14′ 11” approx
Width………………………. 5′ 5” approx
Height……………………… 4′ 9” approx
Kerb weight………………. 21.6 cwt
Max Speed………………… 107 mph
0 to 50……………………… 7.5 sec
0 to 60 mph………………. 10.9 sec
MPG (overall)…………….. 17 mpg
MPG (touring)…………….. 22 mpg
Tyres……………………….. 6.0 x 14
Statistics BMW 2000
Engine……………………… 1990 cc
Bore………………………… 89 mm
Stroke……………………… 80 mm
Comp ratio………………… 8.5 to 1
Valves……………………… single overhead cam
BHP………………………… 100 bhp at 5,500 rpm
Torque…………………….. 116 ft lbs at 3,000 rpm
Length…………………….. 14′ 11” approx
Width………………………. 5′ 5” approx
Height……………………… 4′ 9” approx
Kerb weight………………. 21.8 cwt
Max Speed………………… 104 mph
0 to 50……………………… 8.1 sec
0 to 60 mph………………. 11.7 sec
MPG (overall)…………….. 21 mpg
MPG (touring)…………….. 24 mpg
Tyres……………………….. 165 x 14
Price
The BMW 1800 TI came out at £1335 basic and £1515 with purchase tax while the BMW 2000 was £1445 basic and then £1777 with tax.
However to be more realistic here is a price comparison.
BMW 1800………………………. £1481
BMW 1800 TI…………………… £1515
BMW 2000………………………. £1777
Citroen DS………………………. £1636
Alpha Giulia Saloon TI…………. £1397
Humber Sceptre………………… £998
Jaguar ‘E’ type fhc……………… £1954
Lotus Cortina……………………. £1127
Porsche 1600c fhc……………… £2064
Overall
This range of cars, and these two models in particular, represent the type of car that BMW produce today. In the 1960s they were popular and sold well and they seemed to last well, too.
Diecast models
There are a lot of diecast models for BMW but I was unable this time to find one on Amazon UK for you to look at.
Books
Again, there a good many BMW books but I could not find one specially on this range on Amazon UK.
Images
There are a variety of images on Google images and many of them are at high resolution so this is well worth a search.
Photos
Photo 1
