Lot 457: 1976 BMW 1502 Coupé

The foundation of BMW’s post-war resurgence was the four-door 1500 saloon and its derivatives, the company capitalising on their success with the launch of a revised two-door range in 1966. A three-door hatchback coupé and Baur convertible completed the range. Like the earlier cars, the new 1600 (later 1602) featured unitary construction, all-independent suspension and front disc brakes, and came with a 1,573cc, 85bhp version of the Munich manufacturer’s dependable, single-overhead-camshaft, four-cylinder engine. Endowed with attractive styling, more than adequate performance, reasonable economy and excellent controllability, the 1600 family proved outstandingly successful, and even after the successor 3-Series arrived, the 75bhp 1502 continued in production as an ‘entry level’ model. Nearly 350,000 of all types were produced between 1966 and 1977.
This example of a 1970s BMW, rarely seen in the UK, was purchased new by its first private owner from Sandal BMW of Wakefield, whose demonstrator it had been. Kept by its original owner for 28 years, the car has covered circa 17,000 miles from new and remains in stunning condition. Finished in orange with black cloth interior, the latter retaining the original 8-track stereo, the vehicle is offered with original service pack and sales invoice, sundry bills, MoT to November 2006 and Swansea V5.