Snake charmer: BMW 2002 by Son of Cobra | OPUMO Magazine

Take a surf fan who also loves BMW’s classic 2002 series, and this bulging beast is what you end up with. Paul Lefevre, the French-born California surfer behind Son of Cobra, has taken his obsession with BMW’s hugely successful compact two-door and added bucketloads of extra character while reducing weight wherever possible. The result is a little coupé that not only looks the restomod part, but is more than likely to execute on your next track day, too.

The starting point is the sharp lines of BMW’s little wonder, launched in 1966 as part of the company’s so-called Neue Klasse - or New Class - design language. Form follows function perfect, you’d worry that any modifications would ruin this classic. Son of Cobra suggest you’d be wrong. These images provide the proof: Lefevre’s personal 2002 wearing just about every carbon fibre part that Son of Cobra offer for sale - aside from his surfboard accessory range - along with a fully reimagined period-respectful interior and a whole new world of power under the bonnet.

Let’s start with that traffic-stopping exterior. Those bulging front and rear arches, inspired by period Alpina items, are in carbon fibre as are, in no particular order, roof, doors, bonnet, boot and distinctive front air dam. All are off-the-shelf Son of Cobra items. Under the skin, KW coilovers give that signature lowered stance, steering rack is heavy duty while front and rear subframes are both lightened and strengthened. Overall weight is dramatically down - by at least 200 lbs.

So look under the carbon fibre bonnet to find what’s going to propel this newer lightweight Neue Klasse. Gone is the frankly weedy original engine, good for around 100 bhp, depending on variant. Now shoehorned in: an inline four-cylinder from an E30 series BMW M3, producing at least 207 bhp. Looks the part too. Largely thanks to a carbon fibre exhaust manifold and with the entire power unit now sitting further back in the car, for better weight distribution. Transmission is five-speed Getrag 265. But it’s not all about the mechanics of the 2002.

If the exterior flirts with just the right side of lairy, the interior is Conran Shop-sharp. Okay, so the carbon fibre roof is exposed and the rear bench is gone. But upfront the Cobra bucket seats are reupholstered in grey M1 tweed fabric, echoed to door cards, carpets and along the dashboard. Dash itself is carbon fibre - obviously - and the steering wheel is by Renown.

Exact pricing is hard to gauge, because the build you see here is highly personal. Our advice: first source a sound 2002 - around £20,000 will buy a nice one - and place a call to California. We wouldn’t expect change from at least another £80,000, depending just how heavily you go on modifications. We would expect a one-of-a-kind build that gives BMW’s 2002 a whole new lease of life. Top of the Neue Klasse, in fact.

Next up: The fastest BMWs of all time.

Philip G Lane has been writing for OPUMO for many years. He is a budding crime novelist and a dedicated sneakerhead. When he's not writing, you can find him fawning over classic cars and brutalist architecture or sipping a vodka martini.