Sometime in the late 60’s, a seminal article on a car that would eventually become a legend was featured in Car and Driver magazine. The enthusiast’ magazine called the BMW 1600-2 the “best small sedan” they had ever driven. The numeral “2” was indicative of the body style -- the car was essentially a small 2-door sedan with a zippy engine -- that defined a new genre in the mold of exciting “ultimate driving machines”. But increasingly strident US emissions controls meant that the excellent 1600 engined car could no longer be brought into the country. Enter now the 20021
David E Davis, Jr., in a subsequent article that made him, the magazine, and the car famous, wrote about the 2002: “Turn your hymnals to 2002. If the 1600 was the best $2,500 sedan C/D ever tested, then the 2002 is certainly the best $2,850 sedan in the whole picking world…”

Well, many young – and not so young – people read that same article and yearned for a chance to drive or own such a fine driving machine, one that C/D’s Davis extolled to the high heavens. So, one day, when my best buddy Charlie Rufino – who was driving an Alfa 1750 GTV at the time – asked me if I was willing to take over the BMW 2002 that his brother decided not to have, I naturally said yes!

The hard part was convincing my dad that I deserved the car and that it would be good for me, conveniently omitting the fact that I had a perfectly serviceable and able Opel Rekord coupe in the garage for my use. Somehow, he allowed himself to be convinced, and I ended up the proud and insanely happy owner of a car that has become an icon over time.

The car was not fast, if we think in terms of the top speeds that either a Toyota Vios or a Honda Jazz with 1.3 engines can muster. But the BMW 2002 managed to weave its way around the metropolis in a way that other more pedestrian cars could never manage. Remember that this was the age of Detroit iron, and Japanese cars were just beginning to make their mark in this country and the rest of the world.

Our group used to take the little cars out for rides in the countryside, with trips to Tagaytay and beyond a clear favorite. In one particular drive, we took 2 Alfa coupes and a sedan together with my trusty BMW 2002 to Tagaytay and drove at breakneck speed along the ridge.

That was one exhilarating drive, and I had forgotten details about it until one friend of mine who happened to be riding shotgun recalled that I had avoided an obstacle on the road by merely flicking my wrists and whisking the car alongside the offending object.

Not being used to the dynamics of the car, he thought we would promptly drive off the road, and was holding on for dear life. In another incident, a crazy scion of a wealthy family tried to drive me off the road in his souped up car, but I merely avoided him and he ended up flipping his car and losing his wheels…after which I drove beside his damaged car -- he was holding on to the steering wheel in shock – and asked him if he was having fun.

Now, kids, never ever do these things without adult supervision or taking a course with Russel Swift in stunt driving. What is important to note is that we would never have been able to do any of those things if the cars we drove were poor handlers. And that has always been the strength of the BMW small cars, something that has extended into their larger cars over the years.

When my dad tried out the car for himself, he came away impressed. And for a fellow who had been weaned on Detroit iron – our garage saw a procession of Thunderbirds, Cadillacs, Lincoln Continentals, Pontiacs, Chevys, et al – he made a rather impulsive move. He promptly ordered two BMWs, the 3.0 sedan and the rather sexy looking 2800CSA coupe. Needless to say, my younger brother Ramon and I would sneak out these two cars as often as we could, since they represented the epitome – so, we thought – of both luxury and performance back then. And the girls we were dating back then loved to ride these more upscale cars, of course.

As a result of this first impressionable ownership experience with a relatively inexpensive car that had great performance credentials, my friends and I have tended to take a second glance at any new vehicle that fits these parameters.

For example, when the BMW 1-series of cars first came out, we went to test different variants and found that this car closely approximated the exciting driving experience we had back then with the 2002. In another instance, my son came home with a Mazda 2 hatchback, and I fell hopelessly in love with the car and its light and zippy character. But that is another story for another day.