mrhartge
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BMW 3 Series 1977-1983 From a 21st Century perspective, BMW's 3 Series is about as slam-dunk-wonderful a car as there is available. It's got a well-deserved reputation for packing outstanding driving dynamics, excellent quality and undeniable prestige into handsome sheetmetal — it's the standard against which all other small sedans are, and must be, measured. Back in the 20th Century however, when the 3 Series first appeared, it wasn't a sure thing at all.In the mid '70s, BMW faced the task of replacing its now-aged 2002 coupe. But BMW also knew that the 2002 embodied the company's spirit. And the 2002's replacement would need to keep that intact.BMW picked a ripe moment in history to introduce the 3 Series. The world was just coming off the shock of the oil embargo as the first one rolled off the Milbertshofen assembly line May 2, 1975, and people who would have never considered a smaller car before suddenly found the idea of an exquisite but relatively frugal machine irresistible. In 1974, BMW sold 184,330 cars, but bolstered by the European introduction of the 3 Series in 1975, worldwide sales reached 221,298. The 3 Series hit North America as a 1977 model and that pushed BMW production over 290,000 that year and beyond 320,000 in 1978.Internally designated E21, the 320i was marginally larger than the outgoing 2002 (at 100.9 inches, the 3's wheelbase was 2.5 inches longer and the car's 177.5 inch overall length was 1.5 inches longer) and used that extra size to produce a more stable car with better ventilation and a more easygoing manner. As a direct successor to the 2002, it was still available only as a two-door and carried over most of the styling themes established by that car; the forward-leaning grille, clipped rear side windows and low waistline.Under the skin, the car was an evolutionary step up from the 2002. Basic elements like the McPherson strut front and trailing arm rear suspension, and front disc/rear drum power braking system differed in detail and specification, but were similar in overall design. For power, the car had a 2.0-liter Bosch K-Jetronic fuel-injected inline four rated at 110 horsepower; it met emissions regulations without a catalytic converter. The standard manual transmission remained a Getrag four-speed unit, while a ZF three-speed automatic was optional.The evolution of the American-market E21 320i was incremental. In 1980, the engine shrunk to 1.8 liters (though the name remained 320i) and BMW added a three-way catalyst to the emission control system. Though it now produced just 100 horsepower, the 1.8's performance deficit was ameliorated somewhat by the adoption of a five-speed manual transmission. This change did not, however put much of a crimp in America's enthusiasm for the car, as sales continued to climb, spurred by BMW's increasing reputation and the second oil embargo in 1979. As the last few E21s dribbled out of dealer showrooms in 1983, BMW had firmly established its 3, 5 and 7 Series sedan product mix and was ready to move all of its products solidly upmarket throughout the rest of the decade. 1984-1991 In Road & Track's first test of the new 1984 318i, in its July 1983 issue, the first of the second-generation "E30" 3 Series, the most startling thing about it was the price tag. At an as-tested $18,210, this 318i was more than double the price of a 1977 320i — and in general specification the newer car wasn't much different from the older one...at least in two-door form.While again an evolutionary change, the E30's styling offered significant aerodynamic benefits over the E21. The grille was now less radically angled and the headlights were almost flush with it. In contrast to the flat hood of the E21, the E30's sloped gently and the car was otherwise more rounded and slick. There wasn't much difference in size, either, with the E30's wheelbase stretching a mere 0.3 inches from the E21's 100.9 to 101.2, and overall length actually dropping slightly. But what many buyers noticed first about the E30 was how substantial and tight the car was. Knowing that the "Baby Mercedes" was on the way, the E30 engineering team had redoubled their efforts on build quality and dependability, which were traditional Benz strengths.With 101 horsepower from its 1.8-liter injected four, the 1984 318i two-door was an innocuous start for the E30. But almost immediately following that car was the 325e, which featured a 2.7-liter version of the inline six-cylinder engine first introduced on the larger 528e sedan. With a high compression ratio, but a low redline and economy-minded gearing, the "eta" 2.7, like all BMW sixes, was smooth and elegantly torquey in the company's smallest car, but hardly sporting in character. But its 121 horsepower were the most BMW had offered to U.S. buyers since the 2002tii, and the car was decently quick, making it to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds and completing the quarter-mile in 16.6 seconds at 81.5 mph for Road & Track (the 318i did the same deeds in 11.6 and 18.3 seconds for the same magazine with a 74.0-mph trap speed in the quarter).The four-door arrived for 1985, and along with it came a new four-speed automatic transmission available with either the four or the six. By 1986, the demand for the four-cylinder 318i had dried up, and it was dropped from the lineup, but antilock four-wheel disc brakes were now standard and a better-handling, sportier-looking 325es two-door joined the line.The E30 really came of age in the 1987 model year with the appearance of the 325i and 325is models, which abandoned the eta reduced-rev/high-fuel mileage engine concept and the introduction of the 325iC Convertible, the first pure convertible offered in the 3 Series. "The new 325is is the first genuinely sporting BMW to reach our shores since the 2002tii went out of production in 1975," wrote Car and Driver upon testing the '87 325is. The 325is engine, though part of the same M20 family as the eta engine and having the same 84mm bore, had a 75mm stroke (down 6mm from the eta) to drop displacement from 2,693 to 2,494 cubic centimeters. That short stroke was one element that opened the rev range a full 500 rpm higher and pushed the output to 168 horsepower and 164 pound-feet of peak torque — easily the most powerful 3 Series to that moment. Car and Driver's 325is blasted to 60 mph in just 7.4 seconds and completing the quarter-mile in 15.6 seconds at 88 mph. So gratifying and ingratiating was the new 325i engine that most reviewers felt the car was worth its soaring price tag. In the case of Car and Driver's 325is, that tag read $27,475 — which the magazine pointed out is, taking inflation into account, double the price of the old 2002tii.BMW's Motorsport division had gotten its start in the early '70s creating high-performance street cars, as well as race cars. By 1987, the reputation of the Motorsports division for building brilliant sporting machinery was well established. And yet entering 1986, it had never really played with the 3 Series.The original M3 made it over to the United States 1988. Originally built to take on Mercedes' Cosworth-tweaked 190E 2.3-16 in FIA Group A racing, the M3 employed a 2.3-liter four-cylinder capped with a twin-cam four-valve head that was essentially one of the big six four-valve heads less two cylinders. Dropped into a modified 3 Series two-door body shell (the flared fenders, more steeply raked rear window and higher trunk lid meant only the hood was left untouched from more plebian 3s), the Bosch fuel-injected "M Power" four was rated at 192 horsepower at a wailing 6,750 rpm when it finally got to North America. "This is not a car for yuppies," wrote Car and Driver on their first exposure to the U.S.-spec M3. "This is a car for us. In case you haven't noticed, BMW's U.S. lineup has blossomed to include a dazzling array of leather-lined hot rods that beg to be flogged through the twisties and hammered on the superslabs." Stirring the five-speed manual transmission, Car and Driver blasted that 2,857-pound M3 to 60 mph in just 6.9 seconds, blitzed the quarter-mile in just 15.2 seconds with a 92-mph trap speed and screamed to a 141-mph top speed. With an as-tested price of $34,810, the M3 was at that time (and still in many minds) the ultimate BMW 3 Series.BMW would build an all-wheel-drive 325ix model in 1988 as well, and the Motorsport fanatics would conjure up "Evolution" models of the M3 for those who found the wonderful original only a good starting point. But with the introduction of the M3, the possibilities of the E30 3 Series were thoroughly and gloriously exhausted as it faded out of production through 1991. 1992-1998 The E30 established the 3 Series as a full range of compact coupes, sedans and convertibles. The two-door heritage of the 2002 had been overcome, and the 3 Series was now a full line of compact cars with sporting ability. It was also the envy of the industry, as pretenders as suspect as the Cadillac Cimarron and as legitimate as the Audi 4000 Quattro tried and failed to duplicate (or at least emulate) BMW's 3 Series magic. Replacing a product as successful as the E30 with anything but an evolutionary development was bound to be tricky and fraught with commercial danger.Tricky and dangerous though it was, the E36 replacement for the E30 was the first clear and obvious break with the proportions and styling details established way back with the 2002 and was an all-new machine in almost every way.In practically every dimension, the E36 four-door was slightly larger than the E30. At 106.3 inches the E36's wheelbase stretched 5.1 inches longer than the E30's and it was slightly more than 4 inches longer overall. But the extra size was put to good use with increased passenger room, a substantially stiffer structure and an ideal 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution. But the wedge-shaped body of the E36 kept it from looking much larger than the bolt-upright E30, and its sleek detailing both improved aerodynamics and reduced wind noise.While the E36's front suspension remained a MacPherson strut design, engineers made the rear suspension more sophisticated than ever before. Called the "Z-axle," the new rear end was a multilink system as opposed to semi-trailing arms used in previous 3s. It offered much better camber change characteristics throughout its travel. Mounted to its own subframe, the Z-axle wasn't cheap but it worked spectacularly well and would become the prototype for rear suspensions under subsequent BMWs, including the 5 and 7 Series. While mostly new in design, other elements of the E36's chassis were familiar, such as the rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel disc brakes and ABS system.A new DOHC 24-valve aluminum head bumped the 325i's to a robust 189 horsepower. So robust, in fact, that the first five-speed 325i tested by Car and Driver bolted to 60 mph in just 6.9 seconds and ran the quarter-mile in 15.3 seconds at 91 mph. That's just as quick as the original M3 to 60, and just a tenth of a second behind it in the quarter-mile — and this was the mainstream volume-production four-door. By the 1993 model year, the M50 engine would gain BMW's VANOS variable valve timing system, and, consequently, a sweeter, fatter torque curve.The four-cylinder engine in the 318i also used a four-valve cylinder head to make 138 horsepower. But U.S. BMW buyers were increasingly opting for six-cylinder engines in their cars, and throughout the E36's life, fewer and fewer fours were sold.While the four-door E36 debuted in the fall of 1991 as a 1992 model, the two-door coupe didn't appear until later in that model year. The convertible remained unchained, however. Unlike previous 3 Series two-doors, the E36 version wasn't an upright sedan with two less doors, but a more rakish car altogether. The front windshield was more steeply laid back than in the sedan, as was the rear window, and from the A-pillar back the 325is coupe was a completely different car from the sedan. But it looked a lot like the sedan anyhow, a family resemblance that was comforting to most buyers and disappointing to some critics who thought BMW could have been more radical with the coupe. In 1994, the E36 version of the convertible finally bowed.BMW still wouldn't let the U.S. have the "Touring" wagon model of the E36 when it went on sale in Europe during 1995, but it did bring the "Compact" hatchback 318ti to North America during that model year. With a chopped tail and the semi-trailing arm rear suspension from the E30 aboard, the 318ti was intended to extend the 3 Series appeal downmarket and attract entry-level buyers. The only engine available was the 138-horsepower 1.8-liter four and the interior decor was rather austere in comparison to the increasingly plush innards of other 3 Series cars. Never fully accepted by many BMW enthusiasts, the 318ti would attract relatively few U.S. buyers before leaving production after the 1999 model year.For the 1996 model year, the 2.5-liter engine in the 325i and 325iS was replaced by a new 2.8-liter inline six whose horsepower jumped a bit up to 190, but whose peak torque production swelled from 181 pound-feet at 4,200 rpm to 207 pound-feet at 3,950 rpm (the 1996 model E36 also had a few subtle visual changes). The 325i and 325is became the 328i and 328iS. In 1998, a 168-horsepower 2.5-liter version of the M52 was offered in the coupe and convertible to create, strangely, the 323i Convertible and 323is Coupe. No one has yet come up with a convincing explanation for BMW's decision not to call them 325s.Of course, the star of the E36 line would be the M3. Hitting the market for 1995 with a thunderclap of exceeded expectations, the E36 M3 two-door coupe wasn't the narrowly focused track car the E30 version was, but an exceptional road machine with a flexible engine and an imperturbable chassis. The U.S. M3 was equipped with a bored-and-stroked version of the 325i's inline six. This 3.0-liter had 240 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque at its disposal, which it deployed in such a refined and generous fashion. European M3s got a 282-horsepower version of the same engine, but it was peakier with a less hearty torque curve.To say that reviewers were enthused by the new M3 would be a drastic understatement. They raved about the suspension tuning, they blathered on about how perfectly dressed the car was with its tasteful ground effects and they nearly plotzed when describing the interior's design and execution. And it was fast. Car and Driver's first E36 M3 rocketed to 60 in just 5.6 seconds and covered the quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds at 98 mph. That's a full 1.3 seconds quicker to 60 than the E30 M3 tested by the same magazine and nearly a second quicker in the quarter-mile — with everyday livability the peaky-beast E30 M3 could never approach.So successful was the E36 M3 that variations on it appeared quickly. For racers, BMW introduced the M3 Lightweight in 1995 with reduced weight (about 200 pounds less) for competition — sort of a throwback to the E30 M3. Though they lacked amenities like air conditioning, a radio and a backseat, and their narrow focus compromised everyday livability and performance, the 85 Lightweights brought to America by BMW sold out quickly.The M3 Evolution appeared as a 1996 model and nominal engine displacement grew from 3.0 liters to 3.2 liters. In Europe, that meant output now stood at an astounding 321 horsepower at a screaming-banshee 7,400 rpm. In America, with slightly different bore and stroke dimensions, horsepower remained at 240, but peak torque output ballooned to 236 pound-feet at a mere 3,800 rpm. And for the first time, in 1997 the M3 was offered as a four-door and with a five-speed automatic transmission. Motor Trend tested a manual-equipped four-door M3 and made it to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds.With the M3 also being offered as a convertible in 1998, the E36 was coming to the end of its life. How could BMW improve upon this car? Current Generation Following the path it set with the introduction of the E36, the E46 3 Series came to market one model at a time, starting with the 1999 323i and 328i four-door sedans. The most obvious changes to the new 3 Series come by way of its reshaped body and include a new front end, wider wheel arches, and a more rounded roofline. The headlights now feature "cut outs" below the lenses, which emphasize the traditional BMW quad headlight design.As the E36 had grown in size in comparison to the E30, so grew the E46. The wheelbase increased only an inch to 107.3, while overall length was up about an inch and a half to 176 inches. That's larger than the E36, but still comfortably compact and smaller than the current Honda Accord.Mechanically, changes to the E46 were, at first, rather subtle. Structurally, the body shell was, BMW claimed, 70 percent stiffer than the E36 and the extended wheelbase allowed the engine to be moved further back in the chassis to again achieve a 50/50 weight distribution. More extensive use of aluminum in the suspension components helped reduce unsprung weight, and the track was widened, even though the basic suspension, braking and steering system designs were almost unchanged. Rear-seat passengers found the E46 roomier than any previous 3 Series, and all the occupants were protected by new structures and/or front, side and side curtain airbags.Four-cylinder models aren't part of the E46 equation in America (though they continue to be offered elsewhere). The six-cylinder engines feature a lighter aluminum block, a more advanced Double VANOS variable valve timing system and a dual resonance intake system so that the 1999's 2.8-liter made 193 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 206 pound-feet of torque at just 3,500 rpm (in the 328i), while the 2.5-liter produced 170 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque in the still confusingly named 323i.For 2000, the E46 line expanded with the introduction of the 323Ci and 328Ci coupe models and later, the convertible (in 323Ci form only). For the first time, a wagon (only as a 323i) joined the line.Despite still being fresh in the marketplace, the E46 was upgraded in both 2001 and 2002. For 2001, the 2.5-liter engine was modified to boost its output up to 184 horsepower, while the 2.8-liter engine was replaced by a new 3.0-liter version rated at 225 horsepower. Though wagons were still restricted to the smaller engine, convertibles could now get the big one. In celebration, BMW once again called the 3 Series with the 2.5-liter engines 325s and those with the 3.0-liter engine became 330s. In addition, the company reintroduced all-wheel drive as an option on sedans and wagons to create the 325xi and 330xi, and lightened the steering (to the chagrin of hard-core BMWphiles). For 2002, BMW updated the E46's appearance with a revised front fascia and new taillights.So, to no one's surprise, the E46 continued to be just as wonderful as all its 3 Series ancestors. But the E46 M3 was something else altogether.With flared wheel arches, side gills and four chrome exhaust tips burbling under a unique rear skirt, the M3 was muscular, refined and just a bit menacing — a frat boy who's both the smartest kid in school and the greatest steroid abuser.But it's what that sheet metal covers that's best of all. Under the aluminum "power dome" hood is 3.2 liters of straight six packing every engine technology except thrust vectoring (still reserved for fighter aircraft now, but if the air force ever drops its security classification, BMW will probably add it). Output is a staggering 333 horses, which is fully 93 more than the previous M3's motor. It's amazing what variable valve timing, individual throttle bodies for each cylinder, an 8,000-rpm redline and an exhaust system BMW calls "one of the freest-flowing ever installed in a production car" can produce. In our tests, the M3 ripped from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds flat turning a good chunk of the California atmosphere to gelatin in the process. Devouring the quarter-mile takes just 13.5 seconds at 105 mph.How can BMW possibly top the current M3? Just contemplating the possibilities is dizzying.For 2003 the 3 Series finally received the option of a DVD-based navigation system. Other enhancements fitted as standard included a front center armrest for the 325 models, a rear center headrest for sedans and wagons and a moonroof for the wagons. A performance package for the 330i sedan brought 10 more horsepower, a six-speed manual and a firmer suspension (with 18-inch alloys) to this already superb sport sedan.A slew of changes took place for 2004; those of the mechanical variety included the expansion of the six-speed SMG gearbox to models beyond the M3 and the availability of an automatic transmission to the 330i Performance Package. Visual tweaks were subtle on the 330i (a black grille insert replaced the previous silver unit) and more overt on the coupes and convertibles (new front fascias and light cluster designs). A few new features joined the standard equipment list for sedans and wagons, including rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights.
k: just to long to read, just came across great effort Hartge very informative.
