Meet the Red Baron

For years now, my wife is getting teased by our friends for once showing an over-appreciation for a wine called 'Red Baron' (it is an okay wine, but going to a party with 6 bottles!?). So when I was looking for an apt name for this Verona-red B… — For years now, my wife is getting teased by our friends for once showing an over-appreciation for a wine called 'Red Baron' (it is an okay wine, but going to a party with 6 bottles!?). So when I was looking for an apt name for this Verona-red BMW 2002 which I originally built for her, one name came to mind...

I wanted to build a classic for my wife as a day driver and always had a soft spot for the beautiful 02 series: my dad had one and as a young spotty 18-year old I got to drive it - and I felt like a king.

There is so much scope to upgrade these cars: Turbo body kit, S14 engine out of the E30 M3, 5-speed overdrive transmission, sport's suspension, et cetera - and still keep the classic looks that pulled BMW back from the brink of extinction.

I picked up a 1972 survivor in Victoria. She was a matching-numbers, original Australian delivered car in the correct colours that she left the factory with, so I decided not to give her my normal treatment and do more of a classic restoration.

I usually stay away from classic restorations, I like to give the cars I build the benefit of the modern advancements in automotive technology. But some things are worth preserving. For example, I would never restomod a matching-numbers Corvette like Doris, the FBD 1958. These beauties deserve to be restored to their original glory. After all, there are plenty of non-original cars to do that to.

So the "Red Baron" project was conceived: original spec with just a few minor additions like the 5-speed, some decent lowered springs and Bilstein shocks and a few engine tweaks.

The journey

How did it go?

Click on the photos to read further

The engine

2 liter M10 engine with a home-made turbo kit!

Bodywork

Interior

Reconstruction

The reveal...