Daily Slideshow: A Classic BMW Gets New Life with an F20C
It might seem like an odd pairing, but Honda power in a classic Bimmer makes an awful lot of sense.
Old Meets New
Modern motors in classic cars. It's a trend that's existed for decades now, making engine swaps about as normal as your average Monday. But when enthusiasts start mixing and matching manufacturers, things tend to get a little controversial. Especially when you're talking about putting a new age Honda F20C in the O.G. of sports sedans - the BMW 2002. But as revolutionary as this predecessor to the 3-Series might have been, it never really provided much punch under the hood.
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Signs of Progress
Sure, the 2002 was eventually offered with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. But it bears little resemblance to the F20C, outside of displacement. Honda's modern mill is all-aluminum, with goodies like forged aluminum pistons, a forged alloy crank and connecting rods, and 11.7:1 compression. The revolutionary motor produced an uber-efficient 120hp per liter (almost two horses per cubic inch), without the need for forced induction. Which is a full 70 more than BMW's turbo four from back in the day.
>>Join the conversation about this classic 2002 BMW with an F20C engine right here in S2Ki.com.
Alternative Power
Couple that with a sedan weighing nearly 700 pounds less than an S2000, add on a turbo pumping out 10 pounds of boost, and you've got a recipe for fun. With few additional mods outside of bigger throttle bodies, fuel rails, injectors, and an AEM computer, owner Max Polishchuk told Super Street that he's making a healthy 404 horsepower. But Polishchuk owns a BMW shop in Sacramento, California, known as CAtuned Motorsports. So what would possess him to go with a Honda motor in his Bimmer?
>>Join the conversation about this classic 2002 BMW with an F20C engine right here in S2Ki.com.
Cheap Power
After all, it's not like BMW doesn't make a ton of great engines that would've been right at home in his compact 2002. Not to mention choices that wouldn't tick off the brand's faithful. Turns out, the answer comes from a combination of Polishchuk's interests and some other, real-world considerations.
"We have loved BMWs for a long time," Polishchuk explained to Super Street. "Even as kids. But we have built Hondas and have had many S2000s. We joked for years about stuffing one into a classic car. The BMW S14 is a great classic racing motor but a used motor needing a rebuild is right around $3,000. Rebuild parts are very expensive, and a typical rebuild consumes about 40 hours. Add up the parts and labor and it comes out to be a lot of money with not a lot of power. The F20C offers a great horsepower-to-weight ratio, as well as cheap power."
>>Join the conversation about this classic 2002 BMW with an F20C engine right here in S2Ki.com.
Minimalist Performance
The idea of swapping an F20C into a classic 2002 is so intriguing (and successful) that CAtuned now sells a complete conversion kit. They've done three of the swaps in-house so far, including this one. According to Polishchuk, the only issue lies with the rear end. A '80s BMW 320i rear bolts right in, but blows up pretty quick once you reach the 500 hp range. So they're working on modifying an E30 rear that should hold up to 650 ponies. Other than that, mods consist of little more than Wilwood front brakes and a minimalist interior. Which makes a lot of sense, considering the original mission of both the S2000 and the 2002 as lightweight performance cars!
>>Join the conversation about this classic 2002 BMW with an F20C engine right here in S2Ki.com.