BMW 3 Series
The 3 Series is BMW’s most important and influential model family, shaping the standard for the sporting mid-size class since 1975. More than any other model line, the 3 Series has expressed BMW’s driver-focused character, balanced driving dynamics and the idea of a car that combines sportiness with everyday usability. Each generation has introduced technical advances while preserving a clear design language and the brand’s characteristic dynamic feel.
This page features a range of 3 Series models from the E21 generation to the G81, including both regular versions and M models. Together, these cars reflect how the 3 Series has remained the central axis of BMW’s model range over the decades, combining compact proportions, sporting character, technical development and a broad model line into one of the most significant model families in the brand’s history.
Click on the model image or name to open the gallery and description
BMW 3 Series Sedan (E21) was the first generation of the 3 Series and the model with which BMW established what would become one of the most important model families in the company’s history. Introduced in 1975 as the successor to the successful 02 Series, the E21 carried the compact and sporting character of its …
BMW 323i (E21) was the sporting flagship of the first-generation 3 Series and the model that most clearly demonstrated the potential of BMW’s new compact model family. Presented in 1977 and entering production in early 1978, the 323i combined the small and relatively light E21 body with a new 2.3-litre fuel-injected straight-six engine. The result …
BMW 316 Cabriolet Prototype by Karmann (E21) is one of the rarest side branches in the history of the first-generation BMW 3 Series. Completed in 1975, it was not a BMW production model but a full-convertible prototype created by Karmann in Osnabrück. Its purpose was to demonstrate that the newly introduced E21 could also work …
BMW 320 Baur TopCabriolet (E21) represents one of the most interesting side branches in the history of the first-generation 3 Series. BMW itself offered the E21 only as a two-door sedan, but Stuttgart-based coachbuilder Baur developed an open version known as the TopCabriolet. Its combination of a removable front roof panel, folding rear soft top …
BMW 320i Group 2 (E21) represents the competition side of the first-generation 3 Series and an era in which BMW’s compact E21 became an increasingly familiar sight in European touring-car racing. Introduced in 1975, the first 3 Series was known as a road car for its compact dimensions, rear-wheel drive and driver-focused character, but these …
BMW 320i (E30) belonged to the second generation of the 3 Series and was one of the models that helped establish the E30 as one of the best-known and most highly regarded generations in BMW history. Introduced in 1982, the E30 developed the basic concept of the earlier E21 while becoming more spacious, technically mature …
BMW M3 GTS (E92) was the most radical road-legal special version of the fourth-generation M3 and one of the most uncompromising BMW M cars of its era. Unveiled at the end of 2009 and entering production in 2010, the GTS was not simply intended to make the regular M3 Coupé slightly faster. BMW M GmbH …
