“I’ve always wanted an NK,” says Sandlapper Chapter BMW CCA member Greg Bare. “I saw Al Taylor throwing his NK around at Sebring when I was seventeen years old, and that’s when I knew I’ve gotta have one of those.” And by “NK,” Greg means “Neue Klasse”—the line of BMW sedans and coupes produced between 1962 and 1972. A couple of decades after the experience at Sebring and over 100 BMWs later—yes, that’s the correct number of zeros—that dream became a reality with a stunning 1966 2000 tilux.
What drew Greg to BMW? He laughs, “How much time do you have? I got into BMWs when my dad brought home a very, very sad 1973 2002.” Greg was in middle school at the time, but after he and his father went through the 2002, it became Greg’s first car. In fact, he was autocrossing the ‘73 alongside his father’s ‘75 2002 when he was only carrying a learner’s permit at the age of fifteen. “My dad had to sign a waiver for me,” he explains.
A love and familiarity of 2002s led to buying, fixing, selling, and parting out more of the iconic model than some have seen in an entire lifetime. Greg jokes, “I’ve owned over a hundred 2002s, and I’ve driven about seven of them.” When Greg was in high school, he and his friends would find cheap 2002s, fix them, have fun with them, and then move on to the next. Or if they were too far gone, he would part them out. “I would sell the parts to help fund fixing up my own BMWs. It was never a business, it’s just how we funded our projects—and our fun,” he says.
As Greg says, “The 2000 tilux is a rare bird.” The Neue Klasse 2000 sedan was released in 1965, with the 2000 TI following a year later. The TI boasted a 121 horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder M10 engine from the 2000 CS, 30 more horses than the non TI thanks to two-barrel side draft carbs and a higher compression ratio. The TI also had improved handling courtesy of front and rear anti-roll bars and wider wheels and tires than the base 2000. The 2000 tilux built on top of the TI, featuring upgraded interior accessories like a wood-trim dash and optional leather.
This particular ‘66 2000 tilux came onto Greg’s radar long before he took ownership. He recalls first seeing “the NK,” as it is called by the Bare family, when it popped up on Bring a Trailer in 2010. Greg says, “It was when [Bring a Trailer] was just posting ads of cars—before they actually did auctions. The NK was a Euro-spec car from Canada and was bought by the famous secret BMW collector, Rey Rivera from California.” Rivera eventually sold it to Greg’s friend and owner of Precision Sport Industries (PSI), Sean Myers in Winter Springs, Florida.
Picking up the 2000 tilux from Sean Myers. [Photo by Greg Bare.]
As it’s best to embark on automotive adventures with friends, Greg’s friend Boris picked him up from the Orlando airport with a truck and trailer. Greg says, “We threw the NK on the trailer and drove it to North Carolina. Boris picked up an E21 shell from a buddy of mine and towed that back to Orlando—he’s still building that car.”
Trailering the 2000 tilux from Orlando to North Carolina. [Photo by Greg Bare.]
A beautiful M10 built by Jeff Chang.
Greg had a vision for this ‘66 2000 tilux. “I wanted it to look period correct. I wanted more performance, without it looking like a resto mod,” he says. To go with the jewel of an M10 engine, other performance bits on this Neue Klasse sedan include a shorty header and Abarth exhaust. A set of fully adjustable coilover suspension for the 2000 tilux was designed and installed at BC Racing headquarters. The stock wheels were rebarreled, increasing their width from four to six-and-a-half inches. A set of NOS factory mud flaps, sourced from German eBay, protects the body from any rocks kicked up by wider and stickier tires. The interior received a set of Recaro seats, which match the stock blue cloth quite nicely, and a Nardi steering wheel.
Greg points out that the Recaro seats are a bit more 1980s than 1960s and admits, “The only place I’ve bent the rule was with the Recaro seats. The Recaros are just for driving the mountains—I had to have something to support me. The stock seats were like driving on a lazy boy.”
The 2000 tilux was originally a Polaris silver car, but was repainted to a non-BMW blue at some point in its life. The blue paint was a bit matte when Greg purchased the car, so he spent a week wet sanding and polishing to bring back its shine. When he later repainted the hood and went to match the color, he learned it’s actually Vespa Blue—yes, a color from an Italian scooter. As it sits now, it’s a super clean ‘60s BMW sedan, with loads of performance and just the right amount of patina.
Greg’s favorite thing about his 2000 tilux is the driving experience. He says, “I love the way it handles. It’s very unassuming. People don’t think it’s going to do what it does until you actually see it perform in the mountains—people get surprised by it and that’s fun.” He continues, “It’s so predictable. It starts and goes so well, it’s so balanced, and it just feels like I could drive it for hours. It just does everything I want it to do.”
The 2000 tilux keeps getting bigger in my side view mirror. What’s under the hood?!?
This 2000 tilux certainly has a sleeper/underdog vibe, which I have first-hand experience with. Even with Greg’s NK transporting his wife Mary, his son Chase, and a trunk full to the brim, I couldn’t seem to pull away from him on North Carolina’s famous Rattler, Route 209. The Rattler is a wonderful road, which has been compared to The Tail of the Dragon, and feeds right into Hot Springs. A must for those caravanning to the Vintage and a perfect medium for Greg to showcase the abilities of his driving skills and mountain-carving 2000 tilux.
With mountain driving being one of Greg’s goals for this NK, his favorite experience with the car was doing just that. Greg reflects and says, “The first time taking it in the mountains, having my wife and my son in the car, and all four windows down with the sunroof open. It was overcast and cool, and we were just cruising in the mountains and spending time together as a family. Being able to enjoy that was just really cool. Stopping at the overlooks, enjoying the car, and using the car as it was intended.”
Greg’s 2000 tilux is right at home alongside a household of BMWs, including his wife Mary’s nicely built 1974 2002, a 2018 X5 diesel, and F56-chassis MINI. For someone who is all about driving and enjoying cars, it’s no surprise that Greg offers the following advice for his classic BMW compatriots: “The thing that I try to preach to people is that if you have an old BMW, drive it. Stop leaving in the garage. I’m looking for an opportunity to drive mine every chance I get.” —Mike Bevels
Tags: 2002 restoration