This Glorious Honda-Powered BMW 2002 Has A 9,200 RPM VTEC Surprise

The 1974 BMW 2002 pioneered turbocharging on European cars and did it while wearing one of the coolest stripes ’n spats combos ever fitted to a factory produced vehicle.

But a good, genuine Turbo could cost you $100k or more, and although performance in the order of 7 seconds to 60 mph (97 km/h) was pretty strong for the early 1970s, it was delivered with plenty of lag, something having only four gears made even more pronounced.

That’s not a problem you’ll have to worry about with this stunning Honda-powered Turbo replica, which is just begging for some custom “S2002” stickers and badges. First registered in the UK in 1976, it was originally a basic right-hand drive 1502 but has been dressed up with the front air dam, arch extensions, and three-color M graphics to look like the blown cars that ended production two years earlier.

But the biggest transformation is under that wrapper, where the 1502’s emaciated 74 hp (75 PS) 1.6-liter M10 inline-four has been hauled out and replaced by the 2.0-liter F20C from a Honda S2000. Running Jenvey throttle bodies that must make it sound absolutely epic as it nears a 9,200 rpm rev limiter, the engine sends 240 bhp (234 PS) to an LSD-equipped rear end via a six-speed S2000 transmission. That makes it considerably more powerful than a real Turbo, which generated 168 hp (170 PS) and matches the output of the super-rare E30 M3 Sport Evo.

Related: Jay Leno Gives This Home-Brewed BMW 2002 Restomod His Stamp Of Approval

Inside, the S2002 blends old and new, giving you period Recaro seats, but a Stack digital dashboard and OMP quick-release steering wheel that turns BBS-style wheels with the help of an electric power steering setup from an Opel Corsa.

The £33,000 price translates to $40,000, which looks pretty good value given that you could easily pay $25-30k for a standard 02, and would have to spend an awful lot of time and money to turn it into something as cool as this. You can check out the original listing on Car & Classic here.