A race odyssey
by Evan Griffey
photography by Scott Dukes
The BMW 2002 was produced from 1968 to 1976 and its popularity as a road racer and cult icon rivals that of the Datsun 510. Both cars were successful club racers in their day and still enjoy a zealous following. Fortunately, the trend of engine swapping to enhance performance and reliability knows no boundaries.
Ed Haroutonian of Pasadena, California, has used a combination of traditional lines and modern drivetrain components to forge a classic sleeper with his 1969 BMW 2002. As with many projects, this screamer had an inauspicious beginning. "I originally purchased the car from a friend who wanted to build it as a project with his daughter," says Haroutonian. "But she got pregnant, so he sold the car to me for $2000."
The first area tackled was the paint and body. Haroutonian installed a factory Turbo-model front airdam, along with front and rear Turbo flares before repainting the car bright red. At this point, the stock M05 four-cylinder engine was running like a Swiss timepiece, so Haroutonian, owner of Groma Fabrication, focused on the suspension and brakes.
Bilstein coilover shocks with 450lb/in springs all around provide control, while Ireland Engineering anti-roll bars (22mm front, 19mm rear) combat roll. Stopping power was enhanced with a set of Volvo front disc brakes with four-piston calipers scavenged from a 240. Out back, things were kept in the family with a two-piston BMW 320i set-up.The all-important contact patch is provided by 225/50-series Toyo RA-1 rubber. True to the 2002's roots, Haroutonian selected Axis Oldskool wheels to round out the mods. The 15x8 Oldskools add a custom aura without affecting the Beemer's sleeper status.
The stock 1990cc M05 engine was not a real thrill-maker-something had to be done to liven up BMW's 'ultimate driving machine.' Originally, Haroutonian planned on fitting an E30 318 fuel injection system, but there were complications in the build. "With the help of my friend Jeremy, from Ireland Engineering, I ditched the four-cylinder, fuel injection idea and opted for a six-cylinder M20 conversion," says Haroutonian.
At the time, it was a good call, because a specially prepared M20 engine was sitting at the shop. With the motor and transmission dangling over the engine bay, Haroutonian started to build motor mounts, transmission mounts, radiator mounts and lots of other miscellaneous stuff to get the motor sitting just right.
The special attributes of Haroutonian's M20 are its internals. It's been fitted with an S52 (E36 BMW M3 motor) forged crankshaft, 9.8:1 compression forged JE pistons and S52 rods, which stroke the 2.3-liter to 3.2 liters of M-inspired fury. The car hasn't been on the dyno yet, but Haroutonian estimates output in the 300hp range.
Other engine tricks include a 292-degree cam, port-matched head, a one-off Groma Fabrication intake set-up and custom Groma headers leading to a three-inch custom exhaust system.
Once completed, the in-line six couldn't put down any of its serious torque, because driveline parts were scattering. "The car had to deal with much more power than it was designed for and we started to blow up differentials-never mind the burnouts and doughnuts in the parking lot," says Haroutonian. The rear subframe was soon measured and cut up, and a differential from a six-cylinder E30 was mounted, with matching shortened driveshaft and axles. This was not an easy job.
How balanced is the car? Does it have the horses to compete? We asked Haroutonian which mods he thinks will best improve his chances in the USCC. After some deliberation, he responded: "I think this year is going to be old school versus new school. The 2002 is one of the pioneers of the sport compact industry. More importantly, the M20 3.2-liter stroker motor really transforms this car, the M20 five-speed transmission is much stronger than the tranny that came in the car, and the big diff is also much stronger than the stock 2002, so I am confident it will hold up to the abuse we will undoubtedly endure at the USCC."
It should be noted that this old-schooler is still serving as a daily driver as it hopes to regain some of that competition form from the 2002's glory days. We can't wait to see it really stretch its legs.