what is it about the Roundel...

friedgreencorrado wrote: I see what you're saying (and agree with it, now that you've brought it to my attention), but I was actually thinking of when I made the comment was how well the cars went down the road. To me they have a suspension & engine dynamic that was much superior than anything else in it's class at the time.

Oh, I agree. I think part of the problem with most 02s today is that the suspensions have either been radically modified with sport-tuned components (as mine has) or have old and decayed factory parts, both of which reduce the balance between performance and compliance that the original arrangement had, with components in good condition at least. A stock 02 with a brand new OEM suspension still rides pretty well, but it will never have the isolation of most modern stuff. As for the engine, I suppose it could be brought closer to modern with MS and other refinements - the M10 was used up into the mid 80s, after all - but again, the smoothness of modern engines seems quite elusive.

My E28 felt like a big brother to my 02; my E39 feels like a distant cousin twice removed.

02Pilot wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote: I see what you're saying (and agree with it, now that you've brought it to my attention), but I was actually thinking of when I made the comment was how well the cars went down the road. To me they have a suspension & engine dynamic that was much superior than anything else in it's class at the time.

Oh, I agree. I think part of the problem with most 02s today is that the suspensions have either been radically modified with sport-tuned components (as mine has) or have old and decayed factory parts, both of which reduce the balance between performance and compliance that the original arrangement had, with components in good condition at least.

It's been almost 20yr since I had my last 02, and your comment was just as true back then as it is today. They were (are) such great cars that they lent themselves to tuning like few others at the time. And since we enthusiasts were (are) at the forefront of preservation of cars like the Two, I really don't think it's odd that most of the 02s that survive have been modified in some way. I can say that my last one was a mongrel. It was a "square tailight" car, but with a tii head, and twin sidedraft Webers. It also had a pretty ratty pair of Recaro C's in it. I never considered "restoring" it to anything approaching stock. I was proud of my coilovers and my urethane bushings.

02Pilot wrote: A stock 02 with a brand new OEM suspension still rides pretty well, but it will never have the isolation of most modern stuff. As for the engine, I suppose it could be brought closer to modern with MS and other refinements - the M10 was used up into the mid 80s, after all - but again, the smoothness of modern engines seems quite elusive.

Ah, I'm old enough now not to care about that stuff. All I recall at the moment is that an extremely modified version of the M10 once won the World Championship for Drivers & Makes...

02Pilot wrote: My E28 felt like a big brother to my 02; my E39 feels like a distant cousin twice removed.

I really can't comment upon modern BMW chassis. The E24 and E28 are probably the last ones I've had much personal experience with. The only other thing I've driven is a buddy's E36 M3 (not the filter word for our forum, but the actual car), and I loved it.