Something for the old school BMW fans out there: MotorTrend gets behind the wheel of two classic BMWs, Isetta 300 and the beautiful 2002tii. In a news world where car magazines tend to focus mostly on new car reviews, it is great to see that classic cars still get the attention they deserve.
“Thirteen horsepower didn’t sound like a whole lot before climbing behind the wheel of BMW’s classic Isetta micro car and a half-hour behind the wheel on the streets of Munich doesn’t do a whole lot to change my opinion. Ironically enough, my first-ever stint in the classic ‘bubble car’ comes just prior to the start of BMW’s annual Innovation Days event, where the Bavarian automaker will show off some of its highest-tech goodies bound for production cars in the not-too-distant future (stay tuned to Motor Trend Online for more on that, coming soon).Arriving early in Munich for the event, BMW was kind enough to give a private tour around BMW Classic – a facility adjacent to the automaker’s development center that houses a wide array of defining automobiles from BMW’s past. Housed in a building dating to the 1930s, BMW Classic is not a museum in the conventional sense. The automaker does not open Classic’s doors to the public (that’s what the nearby BMW Museum is for) and the cars inside are not on display, as much as they are ‘in storage.’ The environment is stark, the ground floor containing a few motorcycles, race cars, and road cars with small plaques that identify their spot in the history books. Upstairs, on the third and fourth floors is where the real action is – the former housing roughly 50 road cars and the latter housing a similar number of significant race cars.
Following the tour, I was led out to the parking lot where two of BMW Classic’s prized possessions – a 1972 BMW 2002tii and a 1962 BMW Isetta 300 — were waiting, with keys in ignition switches. After being warned of the Isetta’s, well, let’s say ‘finicky’ driving characteristics, I opted to warm up my jet-lagged driving abilities in the (much) more modern 2002.”
Continued here
Author: Horatiu B.
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/10/11/motor ... d-2002tii/