The E21 might have been the first BMW badged as a 3 series, but it is one of those rare instances where its successor became wildly more popular than the original. But, given that E30 prices are on the move, perhaps the E21 will become the new affordable BMW classic. This particular 320 is an early one, as production commenced in 1975. The E21 wasn’t the most visible BMW in motorsport, but it did make appearances in both the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DTM) and Group 5 racing, where it would succeed the 3.0CSL. The E21 was also active in IMSA, and this particular 1975 320 was the first of its kind to win a race in that series.
The term “yuppie†didn’t exist in the 1960s, but if any car from the era could have been associated with that subculture, it could probably be the 2002. Years after this model ceased production in 1976, subsequent 3 series models would be the object of desire for upwardly mobile professionals. The 2002, however, was the car that really put BMW on the map in the post war years and went on to represent something for which to strive for German families seeking to rebuild their lives. The 2002 would last long into the 1970s and pass the baton over to the E21 3 series after the 1976 model year. This earlier model is a nice find, as many of these lesser 2002s have been restomodded or done up as tributes to the faster, more upmarket 2002tii and turbo models.
Earlier in the week I wrote up a pristine, lower mile E12 528i that was a very pretty color combination and rare to see. The early generation cars of the 1980s – the E12, early E24 and E21 – are still in collector no man’s land; they’re in general not sought after enough to justify expensive restorations, and they’re not valuable enough for people to keep in pristine condition. They’re also not the best performers that BMW has produced; but in spite of that they’re all pretty cars and when well presented it’s a reminder of how clean and desirable some of these early BMW designs were. Few are as pretty as the original Paul Bracq designed E24 with it’s low, lean and long stance. Bespoilered later in life the design become increasingly cluttered and more aggressive, and while that has a certain appeal the early cars really do express the original design better. Today there are two examples, surprisingly, of the early run 630CSi – in your choice of original or modified “extra-spicy”. Which would you prefer? Let’s start with the modified version:
While the BMW faithful and converts have flocked to the E28 and E30 as the next collectable and drivable classics, nearly ignored in BMW history are the E21 and E12 predecessors; cars that both revolutionized the small luxury sport sedan market and set the stage for their more sought after replacements. If you’re not in as much of a hurry and don’t mind the more 70s, less 80s approach of the earlier cars, finding a clean example is a much cheaper proposition than the market stars that everyone is looking for. Truth be told, finding those clean examples – especially the E12 variety – can be difficult, but today there is a mint condition, lower mile 1979 528i example on Ebay:
This past weekend I wrote up a great looking 2002 Ti Touring Turbo-look, that unfortunately for most U.S. fans was a bit too far for most to contemplate. I loved the squat stance with fat tires over the Turbo flares, but where that car had taken the replica idea to towards the race track today’s replica follows the route of the original Turbo and is a bit more tame as a road car. Without a doubt the original featured one of the best graphics packages ever available from the factory, with reversed “obrut” to let the driver ahead know what was about to pass them. Take a look at this neat tribute:
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