2002 Turbo - Revisited
By Kimber Hamlin
BMWCCA Roundel May 1983

As a 2002 Turbo owner I was delighted to see the article "2002 TURBO-The Ultimate 2002?" in the March '83 issue of the Roundel. Despite the very professional layout I am concerned with what I consider some glaring inaccuracies about this fine car. By way of clarification here is my two-cents worth on the subject.

I own an early white Turbo (one of the first 250) and have garaged a second one for a couple of weeks for a friend. (I drove this car extensively at Lime Rock during the Oktoberfest '82 instructor's day.) I have driven a 3rd Turbo (5-speed), and closely examined two others. I have read road tests from CAR (August '82), MOTOR (April '74), ROAD AND TRACK (Yes, Paul Frere did a road test in July of 1974) and have a photocopy of an original brochure. All this does not make me an expert, but I do know a bit about the 2002 Turbo.

The Jekyll and Hyde personalities of the Turbo are frequently mentioned (usually in connection with driving in the rain and/or on the track). The examples I've driven are everything that I had been working toward for years with my '76 2002. During Oktoberfest '82 I drove John Somatican's silver Turbo (conservatively ... 'cause John was watching) at Lime Rock Park. Without pushing to the limit, I was turning laps of 1 minute 10 seconds. My best lap in my well sorted 2002 is 1:13.

I found the car to have delightful performance. The engine is smooth and rather quiet throughout its entire range. The turbocharger comes on around 3500 with a solid push-rather than a "kick." Normal cornering exhibits moderate understeer, although oversteer can be induced by full or trailing throttle. On a dry surface, induced oversteer is easily controlled by some opposite lock and a moderating of the throttle. Transitions (slaloms) are best completed smoothly, although the Turbo can be thrown about in true 2002 fashion without surprises.

It is necessary to be cautious, while cornering near the limit of tire adhesion, that the engine doesn't come "on boost." If you understand the "friction circle" it's obvious that bursts of power while turning will increase the tire slip angles. An understeering car may push straight off the track. If you induce too much oversteer . . . you'll spin. (See Monty Wells excellent article on handling in the june, 1982 Roundel.)

As the track time piled up, I found a couple of other delightful aspects of the Turbo-brakes and cooling. After rocketing down Lime Rock's straight, it was comforting to know that the oversized brakes (similar to the 2800 CS coupe) were more than adequate to shed the 60 or so MPH necessary to negotiate Big Bend. The brakes were consistent, well balanced, and easily modulated. Trail-braking deep into Big Bend could be accomplished without dramatics.

John's Turbo also put up with the 20-minute sessions without overheating. The large radiator and spoiler- mounted oil cooler kept the engine at normal temperatures. The oil in the crankcase never exceeded 180 degrees.

The Turbo is "overpowered" . . . especially in the rain. Is there any high performance car that is not skittish in the rain? (Quattro owners, please don't reply.) I once spent a delightful rainy day with the New Jersey Chapter at Lime Rock in a stock engined '76 2002. Even it seemed overpowered at speed. Full throttle through the Esses, or West Bend gave immediate gobs of oversteer. I felt like I was driving 300 horsepower.

If John Bergen's Turbo is a handful on the track, I'd suggest a smoother driving style and some wide wheels and tires. His car appears to have 185/70 Pirelli CN36 tires on 5 1/2 inch rims. I'd recommend a set of high performance 205/60 Comp TA, European NCT, or P7 VR tires on 7 inch wide wheels. Recent tire technology has done a great job of sedating the "Mr. Hyde" of high performance cars. Of course, if you are imprudent enough to exceed the new higher limits-the results are even more dramatic (read that COSTLY).

The facts seem to disagree with Mr. Bergen's article in a number of other instances:

-The clutch is stock Tii.

-The steering is the same. It may feel heavier because of wider tires.

-Of the five Turbos I've seen, four of them did not have the touring tank (with its raised floor).

- Boost comes on around 3500 RPM.

-The rotors and drums on a 320i are identical in size to the Turbo, but the part numbers are different. The Turbo brakes are more similar to the 2800 CS Coupe.

-The Motorsport stripes were not optional; they were standard equipment and came in two versions: two or three color.

-The pedals are slightly different from the 2002 but are identical to the Tii

-The German public soured on the Turbo, not because of its gas mileage, but because it had the bad manners to self-destruct when driven for extended periods of time (over 1 hour) in excess of 5,000 RPM.

- I'm told that the owner's Manual specifically warns against doing this because of heat buildup in the turbo unit. The turbo vanes melt!

It is not my intention to discourage Mr. Bergen, or any member for that matter, from contributing to the Roundel. I do feel, however, that the Roundel staff should view all contributions more critically so as to insure their accuracy. I am proud to be a part of an organization that produces such a fine publication. Let's see to it that our editorial content is a accurate as possible and on a par with our professional appearance.