8 May 2015 8:00 pm / 79 comments
Some say that life begins at forty. Barring any unforeseen developments, that will certainly apply to the BMW 3 Series. Not that the first half of the compact sport sedan’s life has been dull and insignificant – the
3er created the segment and has been the benchmark ever since. It is desired by many, winning new devotees to the temple of Bavaria with each generation.
It all started 40 years ago when Munich needed to replace the BMW 02. In July 1975, BMW rolled out the first 3 Series, a two-door sedan with a compact footprint and a sporty character. The E21 was powered by four-cylinder engines (1,573, 1,766 and 1,990 cc) with 316, 318, 320 and 320i model designations – ‘i’ stood for fuel-injection in a day when carburettor engines were the norm. Two years later, the segment’s first six-cylinder engine (320 and 323i) was introduced with all-round disc brakes.