BMW E31

The E21 was the first generation of BMW 3 series produced from the year 1975 to 1983

The BMW E21 was manufactured as a two door salon car series that went into production in 1975 and ended its year of motor vehicle production in 1983. Originally it was a replacement for the BMW 2002ti which was manufactured from 1962 – 1975. The first E21 to be produced was fitted with the 1500cc naturally aspirated engine. Initially a family of four door sedans and two-door coupes, the new production line was extended to manufacture two door sports sedans only.

The interior and the cockpit design of the E21 marked the introduction of a totally new design concept for BMW, with the center console angled towards the driver, giving the vehicle the feel of a racing car. This feature has become part of BMW’s interior design for many years through its phenomenal range of cars. On the release of the E21 there were three models available to the public for purchase, namely the 316 (1.6 litre), the 318 (1.8 litre) and the 320 (2.0 litre) versions of the BMW M10 four cylinder petrol engine. The 315 powered by a 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) 1.6 litre M10 engine made its appearance in 1981.

The 320 models came with new featured dual round headlights instead of the single headlights that were gifted to the 316 and 318 which all featured only a single round headlight on each side of the front grille. At 1977 Frankfurt Motor Show BMW unveiled its new BMW E21 series of cars, featuring the new in-line 6-cylinder M20 engines which replaced the four in-line cylinder 320 model featuring a 2.0 litre, 12valve version of the M20 engine.

The 323i model was later introduced which featured a 2.3 litre engine with an output of 105 kW and 141 Hp. The braking system was also upgraded, with the 323i featuring disc brakes all round, making this a very popular, need-to-have-car of the times.

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