BMW 3 Series History

Both the BMW 3 Series and colour TV had an enormous impact on the world over the next 30 years.

For BMW, the 3 Series has become the Munich-based car-maker's most successful model series.

However, such lofty ambitions were far from set in stone back in July 1975 when the BMW Board of Management unveiled an entirely new model series to the world at the Munich Olympic Stadium. Little was known about the new car other than its possible model designation. Following the 5 Series, which had already introduced a new era of model names, the first number was now to be either a '3' or '4'. Ultimately it was to be known as the '3'.

Like its original ancestor, the sporty, dynamic two-door 02 Series, the new 3 Series started out as a two-door with a strong familiar design link with the then 5 Series. When the second generation 3 Series arrived in 1982, BMW was already at work on a four door, which was unveiled in 1983.

Although brand new, the 3 Series was distinctly BMW. The frontal view was proudly dominated by a pronounced kidney grille - a BMW trademark - standing out clearly from the radiator and continuing a slightly raised creased signature line down the centre of the bonnet. It's a design identity that continues today.

Dynamically, the 3 Series set a trend others still strive to emulate. It was carefully set up with an emphasis on sporty performance and inherently good dynamics. The suspension incorporated track control arms with independent spring strut suspension at the front and semi-trailing arms with independent spring struts at the rear.

The sporting intent was carried over to the car's interior. In terms of dashboard design, the 3 Series marked the introduction of a new design concept, the centre console facing towards the driver, cockpit style, which was destined to become a strong highlight of BMW's interior design for many years.

At launch in Europe three engines were available - 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litre - with the model designations 316, 318 and 320. Despite their modest capacities the streamline body design helped endow the cars with top speeds ranging between 160 km/h and 180 km/h.

BMW followed the success of the four-cylinder 3 Series offerings at the 1977 Frankfurt Motor Show by introducing two new six-cylinder versions, the 320/6 and 323i. Sports touring enthusiasts rejoiced and the 323i very quickly gained a reputation as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Its fuel-injected 2.3-litre six boasted an output of 107 kW, endowing the car with a top speed of 190 km/h. To distinguish between the four and six cylinder models, the smaller-engined cars had two headlights while the six adopted the now familiar quad lamp look.

The six-cylinder quickly earned a reputation as one of the smoothest engines around. One of Europe's leading car magazines summed it up thus: "With vibrations reduced to virtually zero, the small engine revs up to maximum speed in a silken-smooth surge of power, with that muscular sound of six-cylinders but without the slightest hassle or pretentiousness."

The new model was a great success right from the start. Eberhard von Kuenheim, at the time the Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, made a clear statement on the 3 Series philosophy in a two page advertisement in 1976 under the title "BMW Moving out of the Niche".

"This model series has given us a level of success far beyond our own expectations. And the new cars not only meet the sporting ambitions of a relatively small group of excellent motorists. Rather, they are aimed at a larger group of experienced drivers looking increasingly for quality and safety. Hence, we are actually appealing to a far larger group of prospects."

It is clear he was speaking the right language. Just a year after its debut, the four cylinder BMW 320 was voted the best sedan in the world in the 2.0-litre category by the readers of Europe's largest car magazine.

European success was to follow in Australia. The new 3 Series was quickly on sale in Australia and just as quickly secured a faithful following.

The success of the first generation 3 Series ensured the car that followed would be greeted with huge anticipation, and of course in true BMW style it delivered on the expectation.

The thoroughly revised and updated second generation car (E30) appeared in 1982. It had grown slightly, affording even more interior room and creature comforts. However, the athletic design DNA established by the first-generation carried over, as did its powerful range of four and six-cylinder engines.

For the first time the 3 Series included a four-door sedan which quickly became the volume seller as it expanded the appeal of the 3 Series concept to a far wider market of driving enthusiasts.

BMW added a Touring model in 1987 and stylish Cabrio (firstly made in association with Bauer), then a full factory Convertible. The pinnacle of the E30 3 Series family was the first M3 with a highly tuned four-cylinder engine, followed by the even more awesome M3 Evolution. No factory cars were built in right-hand drive, though some were converted by outside specialists in response to demands from RHD markets.

By 1990 BMW enthusiasts were greeted with the third generation E36 3 Series with even more emphasis on passive and active safety. Anti-lock brakes became more widespread and BMW engineers built the car to survive the latest crash requirements with a particularly strong safety cell. With the new sedan also came the lower and sleeker two-door coupe in 1992.

In 1998 the fourth-generation E46 arrived with even more comfort, greater safety levels and enhanced performance. The most outstanding new technical feature on the six-cylinder engines was the introduction of double-VANOS providing an even more muscular torque curve and further reducing harmful emissions.

When the technically-advanced fifth-generation E90 3 Series arrives in June, it will continue an enduring legacy. The car that created the class and set an elevated benchmark well out of its rivals' reach has done it again.

The BMW 3 Series remains the definitive compact sports luxury sedan.

BMW 3 Series Highlights

_ The first-generation E21, launched in July 1975 in Munich.

_ Four models available initially - 316, 318, 320 and 320i - all with four-cylinder engines.

_ The first six-cylinder model arrives in 1977, known as the 320/6 and 323i.

_ A customer survey in Europe in 1980 showed that 77% of buyers bought a 3 Series because of its superior performance, 65% because of its handling and 64% because of its styling.

_ In 1981, almost exactly six years after the start of production, BMW built its 1 millionth 3 Series. By the end of production in 1983 1,364,039 cars had been built.

_ The second-generation 3 Series, E30, was introduced in 1982. Its hugely successful production run ended after 2,220,225 cars were built.

_ The third-generation, E36, arrived in 1990 while the fourth-generation car, the E46 was unveiled in 1998.

_ The legendary E30 M3 was launched in 1985 with a 200 hp (149 kW) four-cylinder 16-valve 2.3-litre engine. This endowed the car with a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 230 km/h. Initially, only 5,000 were to be built but by the end of 1992 17,970 M3s were produced.

_ In 1997 BMW became the first car-maker in the world to offer the SMG Sequential M gearbox in the M3.

_ The racing version of the M3 won many official touring car championships around the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

_ By the mid-1980s demand for family oriented wagons had grown. A BMW engineer built the first Touring by cutting open a 3 Series sedan and creating a wagon body. When he showed BMW executives his car in 1984 they gave it the green-light for production. The first 3 Series Touring arrived in August 1987.

_ To February 2005, 3,141,330 E46 model 3 Series cars have been built, making it the most successful series in the BMW Group's history.

_ In its last full year of production in 2004, 449,732 3 Series cars were sold worldwide.

_ In total, 9.59 million 3 Series models have been built since it was first launched in 1975. Around 108,000 have been sold in Australia since 1977.

_ Apart from the Sedan and M3, variants include a Coupe, Touring, Compact, Bauer Cabrio, Convertible, M3 Evolution. In Europe a range of diesel and four-wheel drive versions were also offered. The 3 Series also donated much of its chassis and running gear to create the extremely successful Z3 Roadster.

_ BMW designer Wilhelm Hofmeister is credited with first drawing the small forward wedge at the base of the C-pillar in 1960s, a strong design trait of the first 3 Series. The "Hofmeister kink", as it was nicknamed, has become a signature design feature of almost all BMWs since.