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With it's excellent handling and stylish looks, the 1600 helped create a new type of car, the "compact sports sedan".
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Information
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The next New Class sedan after the 1800 was the 1600, launched in the Spring of 1964.
BMW
1600-2, 1966
Click for a larger image
There were 2 variants of the 1600-2; the 1600ti and the 1600 Cabriolet (shown above). The ti had twin two-barrel Solex carbs and boasted 105 hp. It also had wider rims, front
anti-roll bar and larger brakes. In mid-1971 there was a major revision to the car and it's designation was changed to 1602. More specs...
The 1600 engine had a few drawbacks; lack of low-end power, expensive to tune and worst of all, it did not meet the new U.S. Government Federal emission standards.
BMW's response to the new standards was to drop the 2-liter engine into the 1600. The 2002 was born, and it was first released in early
1968.
Not long after the release of the 2002, the 1600ti was discontinued. The Cabriolet version ended production in 1971.
In the late 1960's, BMW built the 1600-2. The "-2" was used to identify a new body style.
The 1600-2 (later called the 1602) was an instant success. In February 1967, Car and Driver called it "the best small sedan we ever drove" as well as "the best economy car ever
offered to an undeserving American public." The 1602 was cheap ($2,500), fast (102 mph and 11.4 seconds to 60 mph), economical (up to 30 mpg on the highway) and reliable. Due to the strict new U.S. emission standards, the 1600ti, with its
twin carb engine, could not be imported into the USA. The 1600 series ended production in 1975.
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