1973 BMW 2002 Restomod in Jay Leno's Garage
The BMW 2002 is the ancestor of the modern BMW performance car, but there is always room for improvement. Dorian Hicklin tastefully modified this 1973 car and recently brought it to Jay Leno's garage.
Like many car owners, Leno asked Hicklin to come visit when he saw his car out and about. With its bright orange paint, it was hard to miss. The car had previously been owned by a friend of Hicklin's, but had been neglected for many years.
After Hicklin closed the deal on the car, he had the body and chassis fully rebuilt on the rotisserie. He did not, however, leave it 100% stock. The front bumper was removed for a cleaner look, and the ride height was lowered thanks to an aftermarket adjustable suspension.
The 2.0-liter inline-four was bored up and received a new carburetor, more aggressive camshafts, heavy-duty lifter springs and valves, and an Alpina exhaust system. Hicklin told Leno that he did not want to do too many crazy modifications, but still estimated the output to be 150-160 hp (the car was not dyno tested when this video was shot). This is a healthy increase over the stock version's roughly 100 hp.
Also, the 2002 model was shipped from the factory with a four-speed manual transmission, but Hicklin swapped in a five-speed manual and rear limited slip differential from a later E21 BMW 320. The brakes are from an E12 5-series.
Hicklin does not intend to keep the completed 2002 only on public roads. That means a fire suppression system, roll cage, trunk-mounted fuel cell, and racing seats and harnesses; the 2002 is also designed to be driven on the track, but Hicklin has also left the suspension compliant for comfortable on-road driving.
The interior is quite spartan, but not without style. It features checkered seats, a drilled shift knob, and a dashboard appropriated from the BMW 3.0 CSL.
Watch the full video to learn more about this well-made restomod and to hear the sound of the tuned inline-4 as Leno and Hicklin cruise the streets of Los Angeles.
