This Engine-Swapped BMW 2002 Is A Super-Cool Classic To Drive Daily

And now for something completely different. We were in a BMW kind of mood this week after it emerged that the next M3 would be both lighter and more powerful than even the M3 CS of today. It’ll be a bit of a weapon.

Anyway, that got us involved in the classifieds, and look what we found: a 1974 BMW 2002 with a modest engine swap courtesy of an E36-era 318i. It’s not crazy, it’s not ridiculous and it’s not likely to get you guys putting your fists through your screens, but we rather like it.

It comes in fairly well-used condition inside and out, but what a looker. The shark nose and old-school kidney grille are flanked by two classy, round headlights and an achingly cool chrome rail around the waist line.

Wire-look alloy wheels sit beneath small but tightly designed wheel arch flares that, at the front, descend into a deep, aggressive front skirt. At the back a proper exhaust hangs beneath a high rear bumper and a long boot lid. As three-box shapes go, BMW made the most of this one.

The seller, in South Carolina, says that the original engine failed not long after he bought it, and, seeking something that would give a close approximation of the feel of the factory motor in tandem with a better gearbox and some reliability, he plumped for a 1.8-litre E36 3 Series lump. He only specifies the model, not the year, but power when new would have been between 111bhp and 114bhp.

It has only done 289 miles since the swap, says the owner, and has recently also had some new brakes. We’re not told what sort of mileage is on the chassis or the replacement engine, though, and it could still do with a few cosmetic tweaks including a potential full respray.

The arrival of a new baby is forcing the sale, he says, but the 2002 is becoming a retro classic and the seller seems to know it. The car itself looks in very decent order in the pictures, but asking $25,000 for it seems harsh, given its lack of originality and alleged need for new paint and other bits and pieces.

We picked this out because it’s an example of that rarest of things: an engine swap made not for V8 gains (bro) or for show, but purely to sit well with the car’s original ethos and add a bit of everyday usability. That’s got to be worth some points, even if the price is sadly way out of reach.