As lots of our readers could also be conscious, BMW is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the three Sequence this yr. The primary-generation 3 Sequence, codenamed E21, debuted simply earlier than the 1975 Worldwide Motor Present (IAA) in Frankfurt, changing the 02 Sequence, which had established BMW’s identification as a efficiency model and put the corporate on the map in America. Whereas the 02 Sequence nonetheless has a richer heritage than the E21, the latter supplied a extra refined driving expertise and helped BMW navigate the security, environmental, and gas crises that disrupted the automotive business within the Nineteen Seventies and Nineteen Eighties.
Furthermore, the E21 3 Sequence additionally paved the best way for BMW’s present success. In any case, there have now been seven generations of the three Sequence, and in 2023, it was BMW’s second best-selling mannequin after the X3 SUV. In reality, owing to the halo issue of the M3, the three Sequence is much more necessary than the X3 when it comes to model growth.
Design, Efficiency and Engineering
BMW solely supplied the E21 as a two-door coupe, leaving consumers who wished a four-door sedan to contemplate the E12 5 Sequence which got here three years earlier than the E21 and likewise spawned the 218 horsepower high-performance M535i variant (which was succeeded by the first-ever M5).
Nonetheless, each the E12 and the E21 have been designed by Frenchman Paul Bracq, who was BMW’s design director from 1970 to 1974. By the way, he additionally labored for Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot. Bracq ensured that the E21’s exterior advanced from the 02 Sequence, that includes a sporty, clear silhouette, slim kidney grilles, and the trademark Hofmeister kink. In the meantime, the inside had a driver-focused cockpit that was meant to emphasise BMW’s give attention to efficiency and additional differentiate the marque from Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac.
Some critics claimed the E21’s dealing with didn’t absolutely match its sporty picture. They argued that it felt softer than the 2002 and have become tough to regulate on the restrict. In the meantime, U.S. emissions laws restricted American consumers to four-cylinder fashions, which means they missed out on the range-topping 323i. Therefore, they missed out on the range-topping 323i, which featured the M20 2.3-liter straight-six engine that generated 143 horsepower and achieved a 0 to 60 mph time of 9 seconds.
Admittedly, the 323i was nonetheless inferior to the 2002 Turbo — which produced 170 horsepower and went from 0 to 60 mph in simply 7 seconds – however it supplied a noticeable enchancment over the four-cylinder 320i.
Gross sales Success and an Underrated Traditional
Keep in mind that the 2002 and different “New Class” autos saved BMW from going bankrupt, and the E21’s successor, the E30, had a extra engaging line-up, together with the first-ever M3. So the first-gen 3 Sequence ultimately received overshadowed by its predecessors and successor. In any other case, it was a significant industrial success. Certainly, the E21 surpassed 1 million gross sales in simply six years and ended manufacturing with over 1.3 million deliveries (of which, 4,595 have been cabriolet fashions constructed by Stuttgart-based coachbuilder Baur).
If that weren’t sufficient, a 1980 survey discovered that 80 % of E21 homeowners said that they might not change a single facet in regards to the car, validating the notion that the market acquired the 02 successor extra positively than reviewers. Once more, the E21 won’t ever be as iconic because the 2002 Turbo or the E30, however the level is that it was by no means an undesirable automobile and actually, many BMW fanatics proceed to treasure it.
Living proof: A Hagerty evaluation final yr revealed that E21 values have risen lately, with Millennials and Gen X displaying probably the most curiosity. Not solely that, a modified E21 that would full a quarter-mile in 12 seconds gained Radwood’s 2024 Automobile of the Yr award. And to not neglect, the Design Museum London named the E21 as one of many 50 automobiles that “modified the world.” So on the finish of the day, the E21 3 Sequence, although typically missed, is a basic in its personal proper and can at all times be an necessary a part of BMW’s legacy.
