TEAMING UP FOR TGEN: Clarion USA donates its first Clarion Builds car for a great cause

April 4, 2016
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by Barbara Toombs

This 1974 BMW 2002 (Lot #3004) from the Clarion Builds team will be crossing the block in Palm Beach to benefit the Barrett-Jackson Cancer Research Fund at TGen in Memory of Russ and Brian Jackson.

You might call it a “cult classic.” The iconic BMW 2002, which initiated the auto industry’s sport sedan segment, has been transformed into a sensational Resto-Mod destined for a higher cause: to raise funds for the Barrett-Jackson Cancer Research Fund at TGen in Memory of Russ and Brian Jackson.

Clarion Builds is an innovative new marketing program designed to help connect Clarion to new and existing fans who are car enthusiasts, automotive sports fans and everyone with an interest in design and style. This 1974 BMW 2002 was chosen as the first project for the team. Although it was in pretty good shape for a 40-year-old car, if of course had 40-year-old standards and technology.

Clarion set out to make everything feel as nice, or nicer, than when the car left the factory in Germany back in November 1973. The goal was to keep the car looking as it did back then, but also to have some serious fun by enhancing key components and capabilities “behind the scenes” to bring the car up to present-day standards in terms of performance and technology.

The Clarion Builds team joined forces with a number of hand-selected partners to restore this car from the ground up. With Clarion involved, the car naturally sports the latest in entertainment, connectivity and audio technologies – all subtly worked into the BMW’s classic interior without radical or shocking modifications. The stock engine was fully rebuilt and enhanced for greater performance, and the suspension, tires, brakes and much more were upgraded to bring the 02 up to par by today’s standards.

What makes this car even more special is that it will be crossing the block at the 2016 Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction, with 100 percent of the hammer price benefiting TGen.

After Barrett-Jackson Chairman and CEO Craig Jackson lost both his father and brother to colon cancer, he established the Barrett-Jackson Cancer Research Fund at TGen in Memory of Russ and Brian Jackson in 2010. Beginning with the 2011 Scottsdale Auction, one or more cars have rolled across the block each year to raise funds for this worthy cause, raising more than $1.2 million to date.

The Clarion Builds BMW 2002 will be the eleventh car to cross the block for TGen. “We are very pleased to be able to extend the reach of the lives touched by the Clarion Builds program with the donation of the auction proceeds to the TGen Foundation in support of cancer research,” said Allen H. Gharapetian, Vice President of Marketing and Product Planning for Clarion Corporation of America and Chief of the Clarion Builds program.

When the gavel falls on the winning bid on this unique car, the winning bidder will not only go home with a one-of-a-kind automobile, but will have the satisfaction of knowing that every dollar of that bid is going to an incredible cause.

For up-to-date information about this vehicle, click HERE.

Watch this video for a behind-the-scenes look at TGen and the story of the Clarion Builds BMW 2002, and scroll below for more images: