BMW 318i E21

In May 1975, series production of the first 3 Series with the factory code E21 started at BMW Plant 1 in Milbertshofen. The car was a hit and a worthy successor to the legendary 02 series. The successful model ensured that the machines ran around the clock until the plug was finally pulled at the end of December 1983. The 21 is the first model in BMW's history to be built more than a million times.

In addition to its positioning in the premium segment, the E21's drive and chassis were also key to its great success.

The competitors, Audi 80, Passat, Taunus and Co., were introduced to the market with an entry-level engine of 55 hp from 1.2 l to 1.3 liters displacement and both the very successful Audi 80 and the Passat had already reached 85 hp in 1975. The E21, on the other hand, only started where the competition had reached the zenith of displacement and power. The four-cylinder engines of the E21 produced 90 hp from 1.6 l (BMW 316), 98 hp from 1.8 l (BMW 318) and 109 hp from 2.0 l (BMW 320). The 318i with 105 hp followed in 1980 and the 315 with 75 hp in 1981. All engines came from the BMW internal M10 engine family with a 5-bearing crankshaft, chain-driven overhead camshaft and one intake and one exhaust valve per combustion chamber. The idea of incorporating a six-cylinder engine into the model series from 1977 onwards was nothing short of revolutionary and gave rise to the 320/6 and the top-of-the-range 323i model. We will not go into these models any further now, as there is a 318i for sale here.

A great deal of work was also done on the chassis: The front and rear axles were completely redesigned and provided the E21 with driving dynamics that the rigid-axle and in some cases leaf-sprung vehicles of the competition could only dream of. Brake boosters and brake force regulators were a matter of course. Computer-calculated front and rear crumple zones and a dimensionally stable passenger cell provided protection.

The interior of the E21 also had all kinds of new features. The E21 was the only vehicle in this class to have an ergonomically designed cockpit with a high-quality, foam-covered dashboard. The basis of this luxury included an intermittent windscreen wiper system, an electric windscreen washer system and an analog quartz clock. Another unusual feature for the time was that there were no exposed sheet metal parts in the interior - everything was upholstered and exactly where it belonged.

Today, the E21 is rarely seen and is a wonderful, beautiful and reliable classic car that delivers a lot of driving pleasure for relatively little money.