The BMW 3 Series is a 2-door Sedan (automobile) / saloon / 2-door convertible from Bmw, built from 1975 to 1983, as the oil crises and the first emissions rules rewired the industry. Under the bonnet: 1.6–2.0 . Paul Bracq drew it. The total made was 1,354,958.
The story
The BMW E21 is the first generation of the BMW 3 Series, a range of compact executive cars. The E21 was produced from June 1975 to December 1983 and replaced the BMW 02 Series. The series was exclusively built in a sporty two-door sedan / coupé body-style (except for convertibles made by Baur). Contrary to its predecessor, a 'Touring' body with a sloped rear hatch was no longer offered. Six-cylinder models were made immediately recognizable by quad round headlights, instead of the basic two.
Initial models were produced with carburetted four-cylinder petrol engines of 1.6 L, 1.8 L, and 2.0 L. Fuel-injection was introduced in late 1975 on the 320i – but in 1977, a carburetted inline 6-cylinder engine replaced both the 320 and 320i models, while a detuned version of the four-cylinder injection went on sale in the United States. In 1978, the 3-series received its first fuel-injected six-cylinder in the 323i as a flagship performance model; and in 1981, a bottom end detuned 1.6 L was offered in the 315. The cabriolet body style, manufactured by Baur, was produced from 1978 to 1981, with all available engines. There was no BMW M3 model for the E21 generation, but several limited edition models were produced based on the model with the largest engine, the six-cylinder 323i. The E21 was replaced by the E30 3 Series in 1982.
What is underneath
Power comes from 1.6–2.0 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It weighs 1020 -. It shifts through a 4-speed Manual transmission / manual / 5-speed manual / 3-speed ZF 3HP22 transmission / ZF 3HP Automatic transmission / automatic. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2563 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Its family tree is legible: it took over from the BMW 02 Series; its successor was the BMW 3 Series (E30); assembly was at Munich, West Germany. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Volkswagen Polo, the Hyundai Pony, the Volkswagen Scirocco — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Bmw catalogue sit the BMW 116 and the BMW 269.
What it costs now
The money question first: $13,300–$66,800 is the typical asking range today, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $2,905–$8,773 a year. Insurance sits around $1,490–$3,420 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.