Admired BMW Alpina Reminds Us of Previous Owner

Bob Murphy is a bit of legend in the ranks of BMW 2002 Tii enthusiasts. If you spend some time browsing any BMW 2002 forum or the Tii registry, which Bob used to run, you can find countless threads praising Bob’s years of dedication to helping the community and his knowledge of 2002s.

Bob Murphy became a resource for new and up-and-coming members of the 2002 community, and his car might be even more of a legend than he is. Bob outfitted the meticulously maintained 1974 BMW 2002 Tii with some of the best and most rare parts from two rare 2002 models: the 2002 Turbo and the Alpina A4S. Many new and original OEM BMW parts were used throughout the restoration as well.

The project began as a mild restoration and slowly transformed into every 2002 owners’ wish list of parts. This car is a nearly perfect example of the old-school-enthusiast approach to tuning and personalization: each individual part wasn’t simply purchased from a Google search result, but was carefully selected after countless hours of research and sourcing by Bob himself—which gives each part its own story, after being hunted down through letters, phone calls, or through the friends and contacts he’d made in the 2002 community. All of these details and this history are what led Bob’s 2002 Tii to become an icon in the classic BMW enthusiast community. Bob essentially turned his Tii into what he wanted from new off the showroom floor.

This 2002 reflects Bob’s meticulous attention to detail with a real focus on speed. It’s considered by many to be one of the cleaner 2002s in America. Everything, from the slightly pulled fenders, to the Alpina-sourced engine bits show a deep understanding of the BMW 2002 parts bin. Rumor has it that the Turbo wheels originally fitted to the car were the last OEM set available at BMW dealerships. No expense (of time, energy, or money) was spared on the engine either. Lifting the engine bay reveals the difficult to source Alpina intake.

After all this time and work, it shocked the community when in 2008, Bob put his beloved 2002 up for sale after 33 years of ownership and with only 26,326 miles on the odometer. Bob had developed a degenerative eye disease, which impaired his ability to drive and explains why Bob put the special car up for sale.

Though Bob no longer owns this 2002 Tii, he is still very much a part of the 2002 community. The 2002 reappeared recently sporting a fresh-looking set of Alpina one-piece wheels and some other minor visual tweaks. It’s an icon and a testament to the common bond that all gear heads, hoons, and the Petrolisti share: an undying passion for cars.

Photography by Josh Clason