The BMW 3-Series celebrates its 50th birthday in 2025. A retrospective drive.

On the occasion of BMW Group Switzerland’s and the BMW 3-Series’s 50th birthday, BMW Switzerland organized a Heritage Event in Munich with BMW Group Classic exclusively for 12 press representatives from Switzerland. I felt truly honored to be one of the chosen attendants and like to take you along a wonderful day throughout the BMW 3-Series generations in the following review:

What its all about:

As the heritage takes place in Munich (obviously), BMW Switzerland provided me with a brand-new BMW M3 Touring as traveling companion perfectly suited for the German Autobahn.

I had to do a mandatory stop in front of the original BMW entrance gate that now belongs to the BMW Group Classic department.

Hotel Check-In and getting ready quickly to enjoy our dinner at the magnificent “BMW Welt”, sitting close by the Olympic village and is designed by the architects Coop Himmelblau is - fun fact alert - the most visited tourist attraction in Munich.

A detailed review on the BMW M3 has recently been published on my website. Read it here.

The next morning kicked off directly at the BMW Classic where we entered the holy halls and got a short view through the classic car workshops. Here’s a selection of what was hidden behind the portals:

After a short briefing, we claimed our cars and headed towards south to Tegernsee for our lunch. Southern Bavaria is considered a recreational area and is characterized by breathtaking landscapes with dense forests, many lakes and great roads. Perfect conditions to give the six cars from the BMW museum collection a proper run.

First generation:

The first generation of the 3-Series (E21) was launched in 1975 as the successor to the “Neue Klasse” and the BMW 2002. Designed by Paul Bracq, the E21 was regarded as the stylish Bavarian carmaker's entry-level model and was aimed at a down-to-earth, ambitious clientele who occasionally wanted to be a little more dynamic on the road. The concept was well received. After just six years of production, over one million E21 vehicles were produced and sold. Thanks to several engines on offer (316, 318, 320 and 323 as well as a diesel and Baur convertible), there was a suitable vehicle for different needs. In all its iterations, the first 3-Series has been produced over 1,35 million times until 1983.

The silver BMW 323i marked the top-of-the-line model with its glorious M20 inline-six engine producing 140hp. Doesn’t seem like a lot but with a weight of approximately 1.1 ton, the 323i isn’t a slow car at all. The development of torque across the rev range is a pure pleasure, the sound sonorous, unfiltered and powerful. A pure pleasure!

Photo by: Daniel Kraus

Second generation:

The E30 series is probably the BMW icon par excellence. To start a comparison with the E21 now would not be proportionate. Because although the materials in the interior have hardly been improved, the E30 M3 presents itself as a convertible in its most opulent road form. Originally intended as a homologation model for Group A, the 786 times built M3 convertible serves more as a lifestyle model with sufficient engine power. The 2.3-liter S14 engine delivers around 200 hp via a 5-speed sports gearbox, in which the first gear is located at the bottom left, just like manually gated Ferraris in the past. And despite the four-cylinder engine, the first M3 sounds self-confident and loud enough to slot in easily between the Porsche 964 Carrera and Ford Sierra Cosworth at the local car meet.

The E30 series grew continuously. In the course of the production period from 1982 to 1994, further body variants such as the Cabrio and the Touring were created. For the first time, all-wheel drive was even available in the Touring and the saloon, which is still recognizable today with the abbreviation “X” in the model designation. More than 2.3 million E30s have been built throughout its production lifetime.

Third Generation:

The E36 saw the light of day in the early nineties. Designer Pinky Lai teleported the 3-series into a new era. The round headlights had to make way for flat, angular headlights, the body is less angular, and the interior is more oriented towards the driver. As the AWD option didn’t seem to be enough popular, the generation has only been available with RWD.

Despite the new design, the third generation was just as popular and became a widespread status symbol of the working class.

The third series also fell victim to the tuning scene. Due to the sharp drop in value, the E36 became very popular as a basis for individual realization. Lowering, rims, body kits, headlights, spoilers and interiors were modified. The E36 is more popular than ever before as a means of transportation between the club, high school and petrol station meetings. The model is particularly popular with young drivers.

To be honest, I have to admit that I belong to this generation myself and BMWs have been part of our family history for decades. My former E36 323i Touring Sport Edition in Avus blue and the popular BoaBoa interior was legally converted with KW coilover suspension, wheel spacers, front spoiler lip, black painted headlights and a loud Bastuck exhaust system. During my 11 months of ownership, the car had four different wheels fitted. The M52 engine worked reliably despite a mileage of over 300,000 km. The age was mainly visible in the form of rusty doors and tailgates. We'd better not mention the intensely scratched underbody...

The 323i of the BMW Museum is painted in Morea Green and equipped with the very rare turquoise partial leather interior. Plus, the optional storage compartment for music cassettes in the center console. A fantastic vehicle that brought back many memories during the drive.

Onwards we go with the green pearl, the unicorn among the M3s; The 1995 E36 M3 GT. It is one of 356 produced cars, all painted in British Racing Green and built with the same Amaretta Sport seats covered in Mexico Green Nappa leather and black microfiber fabric. Interestingly, the M3 GT already had some carbon fiber inlays and motorsport plaques in the interior.

As in true RPM manners, we’re in love with homologation specials. The GT has been homologated for the FIA GT Series and IMSA GT Series. And this green beast is one of BMW wildest horses in their stable. The S50B30 engine in the M3 GT has a retuned ECU, 264-degree camshafts, a dual-pickup oil pan, adjustable rear wing, and upgraded VANOS (camshaft control system) software, producing 295 horsepower and 323Nm of torque at 3’900rpm already. But it didn’t come with a Dog-Leg gearbox such as the E30 M3 although the E36 had five gears, too.

People who still hate on the E36 M3 have probably never driven one. Get in, fasten your seatbelt and give it the beans. The glorious S50 engine revs up very nicely and starts letting off the firework mid rpm range already. It seems that this M3 wants to push. The aggressively set up camshafts do not like low revelation numbers. Therefore, it truly comes to life above 3’500rpm. This thing literally hunts down some twisties and truly feels at home in southern Bavaria.

This is a true collector’s item and one of the most fascinating sports cars of its era. What a machine. And what a time to be alive.

Forth generation:

It’s getting nostalgic right now. As a 1998 born kid, I grew up with the E46. My parents owned a manual pre-facelift E46 320d Touring in steel blue for roughly ten years. It even had the exact same wheels than the shown model below!

This Orient Blue E46 330i Touring has delivered a special experience. When I got in, it just hit 2000km on the odometer. Yes, you read that correctly. It is literally a new car. Therefor I can totally image how it felt driving a new E46. The 330i even has a built-in navigation system and phone. The three-liter inline-six was the most powerful engine choice with 231hp and 300Nm of torque at the rear wheels. Another new feature of the E46 was the separately opening rear window, which is now a popular gadget among BMW drivers.

The E46 was one of the best-selling vehicles of its time, with around 3.3 million units sold. It also marked the introduction of modern direct-injection diesel engines at BMW, which set new standards in terms of performance and smooth running. Compared to its predecessor (E36), the passenger cell was designed to be much more stable, thus increasing accident safety.

Fifth generation:

Debuted in 2005, the E90 has been built until 2013 in its M3 variant. Slightly over 3 million E90s have left the factory.

The shown variant is a 320si. And before you skip that one you need to know that the 320si is a homologation special, too! Only 2’600 examples have been made. Its engine, the N45B20S has been hand built as the homologation for the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship). With a power output of 173hp and 200Nm of torque at 4250rpm, it isn’t a rocket ship but revs up to 7’000rpm and is about 20kg lighter than a regular 150hp 320i.

I had higher expectations of the BMW 320si than it was able to fulfill. It is not particularly fast and has no visual features. The engine is lively but needs time to get the rather heavy car (1425 kg) moving properly. It is, however, a nice everyday car for those drivers who have an affinity and enthusiasm for motorsport.

The BMW 320si WTCC racecar was developed by BMW Motorsport on the basis of the production model shown below. It was produced at the BMW plant in Regensburg using the same manufacturing process as the regular 3-Series but was later painstakingly converted by hand for racing use. More than 60 units have been delivered by BMW Motorsport Sales.

My final choice:

The biggest driving pleasure has the E30 M3 provided. The lakeside cruise along the beautiful Tegernsee, knowing that I was driving an utterly iconic car, Queen rocking on the radio and the perfect weather unleashed the best vibe. I absolutely loved that moment.

To end this review, I wanted to thank the whole marketing team at BMW Switzerland for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure I’ll probably never forget.

This event showed me what BMW really means to myself, and I promptly bought another BMW the following day. This time it's not an E36, but another car from the nineties that's at least as cool!

Review & photos by RPM | Robin P.M.