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Moving out of
the Niche
The new model series was a great success right from the start. Eberhard von
Kuenheim, at the time the Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, thus
made a clear statement on the new 3 Series in a two-page ad in 1976 under the
title “BMW Moving out of the Niche:” “This model series has given us a level
of success far beyond our own expectations. And the new cars not only meet the
sporting ambitions of a relatively small group of excellent motorists. Rather,
they are aimed at a larger group of experienced drivers looking increasingly
for quality and safety. Hence, we are actually appealing to a far larger group
of prospects.” And indeed, BMW was speaking the right language: Just one year
after its debut, the BMW 320 was voted the best saloon in the world in the
category up to two liters by the readers of Europe’s largest car magazine.
The First
Six-Cylinder in its Class
Clearly, this success encouraged BMW’s development specialists to keep up
their good work: They soon gave the 3 Series a pioneering role, making this
the first car in its class with a six-cylinder power unit. So when the two new
320/6 and 323i made their debut at the 1977 Frankfurt Motor Show they were
clearly the highlights in the eyes of BMW enthusiasts everywhere. Indeed, this
combination of an agile and sporting saloon with a silken-smooth, refined and
powerful six-cylinder was quite unique in the market.
Particularly the 323i very quickly gained the reputation of a wolf in sheep’s
clothing: Displacing 2.3 liters, the K-Jetronic injection engine featuring
transistorised ignition developed maximum output of 143 bhp accelerating this
two-door high–performance compact saloon to a top speed of190 km/h or 118 mph.
And to provide the same kind of deceleration, the 323i came with disc brakes
all round. Featuring technologies of this kind, the top-of-the-range 3 Series
was not only faster than numerous cars one class higher up in the market, but
also superior in its technical features. Not just that the two straight-six
power units offered superior output and performance – no, they were also very
fuel-efficient: “Consuming 13.2 and 13.4 liters (21.4 and 21.1 mpg Imp) under
testing conditions”, stated a renowned car journal, “the 320 and 323i prove
that it is quite possible to achieve superior economy with a small
six-cylinder”.
In all, BMW had invested DM 110 million in this engine series, one of the
achievements being that production of the six-cylinders was now faster and
took less time than production of the former four-cylinders. Above all,
however, the engineers and technical specialists had created a new benchmark
in the 3 Series segment: “The really outstanding point is how the car develops
its power”, wrote one of Europe's leading car magazines. “With vibrations
reduced to virtually zero, the small engine revs up to maximum speed in a
silken-smooth surge of power, with that muscular sound of six cylinders but
without the slightest hassle or pretentiousness.”
In the meantime, however, a gap had developed between the 98-horsepower
318i and the new 320/6 developing a superior 122 bhp maximum output. So in
1979/80 the four-cylinder models moved up: The 1.8-liter power unit was
revised and entered the market as a 90-bhp carburettor engine in the 316 and
with a 105 bhp fuel injection power unit in the 318i. And since there was now
also room for a new entry-level model, the 315i powered by a 75 bhp 1.6-liter
made its appearance in 1981.
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