The 2002 Hommage shines the spotlight back over BMW’s successful history with turbocharged engines. In 1973, the BMW 2002 turbo became the first series-produced vehicle in Europe to feature turbo technology. In so doing, it turned the BMW 02 into a full-blooded sports car.
The sporting silhouette of the BMW 2002 Hommage lies low against the road. Its compact proportions – complete with long wheelbase, short overhangs and prominent “shark nose” – promise a driving experience that thrills with irresistible dynamics and agility. Aerodynamic details like the large spoilers at the front and rear team up with the profusion of air intakes and exits to optimise airflow around the car and maximise downforce in every driving situation.
A particularly striking feature of the car’s flanks are the pronounced wheel arches, which frame the body like four brackets and add stature. In the process, they recall the homologated version of the BMW 2002 turbo, which needed broad extensions bolted onto its body to accommodate a significantly wider track. The Hommage car integrates this detail neatly. Sleek surfacing and precisely chiselled lines envelope the powerful wheel arches and hand them a starring role.
In perhaps the most literal reference of the original 2002, the 2002 Hommage features a unifying “waterline” to connect many of the car’s formal elements. This unbroken carbon fibre line physically wraps around the car from front to rear, while also creating a horizontal distinction between upper and lower body surfaces.
A set of 20-inch light alloy wheels in bi-colour design round off the styling as the car meets the road. The modern looks of these lavishly milled, multi-spoke items recall the racing rims of bygone eras, while gold-coloured brake callipers bearing the M logo add an extra stamp of class.
The front end of the 2002 Hommage is a confident and extravagantly dynamic affair; its styling bridges a gap of 50 years in combining the characteristic, horizontal grill graphic of the 02 series with modern elements of BMW design. In its lines and form, the bonnet references the “spear” contour stretching down the centre of the 02 models that swells slightly into a surround for the BMW logo as it approaches the kidney grille. Further precise lines lend structure and definition to the matt surface.
Occupying centre stage at the front end is the familiar BMW kidney grille. Here, it takes the form of a low-standing, connected unit, offering a flesh slant on the kidneys’ historical rendering as a cohesive design element. Sculpted, black double-bars add finesse to the details of the broad-set grille.
Like the original 2002, the BMW 2002 Hommage also has two single round headlights that provide the striking front end with its outer limits. The headlights’ reflective gold colouring is a pointer to the “golden” 50th anniversary of the BMW 2002’s launch. The headlights also reprise the yellow hue commonly found in the headlamps of racing cars back in the day.
An unbroken horizontal black band unites the design elements of the front end and in so doing, underlines the car’s wide and athletic stance. Those with a keen eye will also pick out the turn signal repeaters, which – like those of the car’s forebear – are located separately from the headlights and embedded in the wrap-around carbon fibre waterline element.
The large front apron, a stylistic and functional aerodynamic nod to those models of the 1970s, shortens the visual distance between the 2002 Hommage and the tarmac. Together with the car’s wide, sporting stance, this technically innovative, forward-thinking design sends out a message of top-class roadholding and handling flair through fast corners.
Now, as in the heyday of the BMW 2002, design excellence and turbo technology bring unsurpassed levels of fun to twisty racetracks, country roads and mountain passes alike.
The “turbo” lettering in mirror writing on the front apron casts the mind back to the original decals of the 2002 turbo. Accent surfaces in exposed carbon mark the point where the front apron and side skirts hand over to the road, and also provide a technically alluring contrast to the body-coloured surfaces.
The rear-end design of the 2002 Hommage also calls on elements of the 2002 turbo. For example, the horizontal sub-division of the car’s generous surfaces and its clear lines make a width-emphasising and thus suitably dynamic statement, laced with a modern feel. The almost rectangular lights provide a stylistic border for the rear end. The glass covers have a contemporary black-panel look and only offer a view of the inner workings when the lights illuminate.
The asymmetric BMW logo placement to the right of the licence plate between the two rear lights is likewise a characteristic element of 02 rear styling. The muscular fenders bookend the rear section and accentuate the wide track, while a precise spoiler lip brings a modern edge to the car’s detailing. A carbon diffuser integrates the now familiar two sets of twin exhaust tailpipes and wraps up the rear styling with a sporting flourish.
BMW’s fresh interpretation of the BMW 2002 adopts the form of a compact sports coupe in the classical tradition of BMW Hommage cars. But more than that, the 2002 Hommage represents a clear statement of how pure driving pleasure is defined in 2016. 
Classic 2002s in fantastic condition can be found in this place.
