The E21 generally remains the affordable classic in the 1970s to 1980s BMW range, being undervalued when compared to many of the E10s and E30s. It has all the right ingredients for the BMW faithful, too – especially in little six European trim. The 323i looked like a scaled down 6-series and it effectively was, but that doesn’t make it in any way unattractive. Alpina, too, had their had in this model, producing no less than seven variants in a short run. The most popular is the bad boy B6 2.8, but there was a lesser known M20 powered C1 2.3, too. With 170 horsepower and all the right Alpina details, it’s begging for the attention that it deserves:
Month: September 2021
I have to say the fascination with BMW wagons and their ensuing high prices sometimes perplexes me, as Audi offered a sporty, manual, all-wheel drive Avant that is great looking, reliable and long-lived and will make you feel pretty special. That’s especially so when it’s optioned in one of the more rare shades available on the B5; today’s example is Cactus Green Mica. It looks great offset by Celebration wheels, and it’s got a lot of recent maintenance – so let’s take a look!
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1999 Audi A4 2.8 quattro Avant on eBay
2 CommentsOkay, it might look odd, and not like much…but, this is genesis if you are a BMW fan.
BMW’s first car was actually not of their making; it was the 3/15 it inherited with the acquisition of Dixi, itself a reorganization of Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, in 1928. The Dixi 3/15 was, in fact, a licensed copy of the Austin 7 – and while BMW renamed the car the 3/15 DA-2 in 1929, that is pretty much all they did. However, in 1932 BMW launched its first full-fledged car design. While it looked quite similar to the outgoing 3/15, the exterior of the 3/20 belied many changes under the skin.
The new 3/20 had a different chassis underneath, and though the body looked very similar to the 3/15 it was now assembled by Daimler-Benz in Sindelfingen. The front suspension was carried over from the 3/15 (meaning it was in large part Austin parts), as was the engine – though it was upgraded to generate 20 horsepower, with a net taxable horsepower of 3 (hence the name 3/20). BMW fiddled with the rear suspension, and added a transverse leaf-spring swing axle. Like the 3/15, these were built in Eisenach – which would go on later to built the ‘EMW‘s I talked about back in June. Production of the 3/20 lasted only three years until 1934, when it was replaced by the heavily revised 309, the first car to sport BMW’s famous kidney grille design.
These are quite rare cars to find at all, but one popped up for sale so let’s take a look!