Trace the 50-year success story of BMW’s 3-Series in this luxuriously produced and stunningly illustrated volume.From its launch in 1975 with the 316, the 3-Series has moved from strength to strength, defining what it means to be a performance sedan/coupe/wagon. Beloved by enthusiasts worldwide, it is the series benchmarked by all other manufacturers. Whether daily driven, tracked, or raced, BMW’s 3-Series delivers the goods.
BMW 3-Series 50 Years charts the 3-Series’ design and technical evolution from the 1970s to today, from the clean, classic two-box design of the E21 and E30 to the handsome E46 to today’s sophisticated G20. The book features:
- A detailed history of the BMW 3-Series by automotive historian and industry analyst Tony Lewin
- First-person interviews with key designers and engineers
- Photography from BMW’s archive as well as commissioned, contemporary photography
- Sidebars diving into interesting stories covering design, related models like the Z cars, and the collector perspective
The 3-Series is a performance and competition story, as well, with no car more storied, or critical to BMW’s reputation, than its vaunted M3. Racing and M3s play out across the book’s chapters, providing a performance perspective across the 3-Series’ 50 years.
With decades of showroom, performance, and competition success, BMW’s 3-Series, in all its permutations, shows no signs of slowing down.
BMW 3-Series 50 Years details the full story in a lively volume deserving space in every enthusiast’s collection.
Profusely illustrated throughout, a worthy addition to the Veloce Pictorial History series. Each BMW model (1945-2013) has been painstakingly researched detailing body derivatives, production changes, technical information and hundreds of period photos and diagrams, plus how the ever-changing advertising was used to promote each model.
A comprehensive pictorial history of BMW cars covering the postwar models right through to 2013, when electric and hybrid models started to make an appearance.
The detailed text covers all model ranges, and includes full specs, colour variations and styling details. Illustrations include original line drawings, black & white plus colour period photos, and interior detail. Sports derivatives, limited editions, vans, estates and coupes are included, along with a section on motorsport achievements and TV/Movie appearances. Contemporary factory advertising slogans are also featured throughout. Complementing the historical content, technical specifications, ongoing production changes and build figures are included for completeness, making this the ideal reference work for model identification and authenticity.
This title is one of several that Trevor has written for Veloce's hugely successful A Pictorial History series, and is a bookshelf-must for anyone interested in a slice of BMW motoring heritage.
Table of Contents:
- Contents
- Introduction
- Early beginnings: Pre-war cars
- Post war saloons 1945-1955: 321, 326, 327 & 340
- 1952-1959 501, 503 & 507
- 1950s/60s Microcars and 700
- New Class from 1962, saloons, coupes & 3200 CS (incl. 2000)
- 1966-1977 02-Series (1502, 1602 & 2002)
- 1968-1977 2500 & 2800 (E3 & E9) Saloon & Coupes
- 1972-1988 5-Series (E12 & E28)
- 1975-1994 3-Series (E21 & E30)
- 1976-1999 6-, 7- & 8-Series (E24, E23, E32 & E31)
- The 1978-1981 mid-engined M1 (E26)
- The later 1987-2003 5-Series (E34 & E39)
- Z1, Z3, Z4 & Z8 (1989-2008) roadster and coupes
- 1990-2006 3-Series (E36 & E46)
- 1994-2015 7-Series (E38 & E65/6, then F01/02)
- New century SUVs: X5, X3, X6 & X1 (E53, E83, E70, E71 & E84)
- 2003-2010 5-Series & 6-Series (E60/61 & E63/64)
- The 2004-2013 Compacts: 1- & 3-series
- The future's electric (i3 & i8)
- Appendix 1. E-Series model designations
- Appendix 2. Key achievements in motor sport
- Appendix 3. Main BMW TV & movie appearances
- Index
