"BMW E21" - the legend of the German car industry

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

"BMW E21" is a real legend. Every fan of the Bavarian brand is familiar with the history of this car and will be able to tell you a lot of interesting facts. In this article, you will learn interesting moments from the history of the creation of the model, technical specifications, read an overview of the appearance, interior and much more.

How did "E21" come about?

This model is a direct successor to BMW's Neue Klasse, which was produced from 1962 to 1975. The car was produced in a wide variety of bodies: from a conventional four-door sedan to a sports three-door coupe. In 1975, after changing many modifications, changes and hundreds of thousands of cars sold, the Bavarian company decides to update the car and move on to a new classification of the model range. Thus, in mid-July 1975, the BMW E21 was presented to the public. The car marked the beginning of a new class - 3 series "BMW". According to the body layout, the car is a mid-size three-door coupe.

Besides popularityamong fans of German cars, the car managed to light up in motorsport. BMW's Motorsport division developed a unique 300 horsepower engine for the race car. The car took part in the race for the McLaren team. A little later, the car replaced the old model in the racing team from BMW.

In addition to the standard version of the two-door coupe, the model was produced in the convertible version. However, this option has become limited and has not received recognition from the automotive community. In 1983, the production of the coupe was completed. During the time spent on the assembly line, the car received 8 engine modifications, which will be discussed below.

BMW 3 Series indexing

With the advent of this coupe in 1975, BMW introduced a new indexation for its lineup. From now on, all cars were distributed in series. The full index consisted of three digits. The first digit means belonging to the series (in this case, "3"). The following numbers indicate the engine size. For example, the 320 is a third-series coupe with a two-liter engine under the hood.

Classic looks

The body shape hasn't changed much since the Neue Klasse. Features remain recognizable, but the changes are hidden in the details. Let's start the inspection of the car from the front.

The "BMW E21" left the usual round optics. The turn signals have moved slightly and changed shape: now they are located vertically, to the side of each headlight. Has also undergone changesradiator screen. Now only the two central sections stood out with a chrome frame. Rear optics has changed completely. Round headlights were replaced with rectangular ones. Bumpers and lining on the body did not change dramatically.

Salon

In the cabin of the "BMW E21" everything is rather poor. The interior decoration is almost completely moved to the novelty of the previous model. From the start of production until 1981, BMW equipped the model with only one trim and configuration option. After 1981 and the appearance of a new 6-cylinder engine in the list of modifications, the creators of the car offered customers a new upholstery and equipment.

"BMW E21": specifications

During the entire production of this car, more than 8 modifications were published. The first model of the series was the 315 with a 1.6-liter unit and 75 horsepower under the hood. Based on this motor, the company released the 316 “troika”, in which there were forced 90 horsepower.

In 1981, the first injection engines began to appear. An engine with a volume of 1.8 liters and a capacity of 105 horsepower received a new modification of the 318i. The most powerful version of the BMW 3 Series was equipped with a 2.3-liter engine with 125 horsepower. This car accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in just 9.5 seconds, which is an incredible figure for a mass-produced urban coupe in the 1980s. Fuel consumption on all modifications is kept within 9-10 liters per 100 kilometers. The car is exclusively rear-wheel drive and was produced only with a manual transmission.gearshift.

Competitors

During the production of this model, there were not so many competitors in the RWD coupe class for everyone. Basically, these were colleagues from other German automakers. Cars such as Opel Ascona, Volkswagen Jetta and Opel Manta fought for market influence. But the main rival has always been the Audi 80.

"BMW E21", the tuning of which is still popular among connoisseurs of automotive classics, has become a real icon and era. In 1985, the 21st bodywork was replaced by the "E30" model. Over the entire period of release, more than 1 million 300 thousand copies rolled off the assembly line.