BMW 3 Series 1982 - 2-Door

This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2025 on Saturday the 8th of November, NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT. , It’s 1975; Jaws was selling out cinemas and breaking box office records, Bohemian Rhapsody was on the radio all day long, jumpsuits, platform shoes and waist-high flares brighten up the High Street, Margaret Thatcher has just become Leader of the Conservative Party, Brian Clough has take over at Second Division Nottingham Forest, and BMW introduced their new 3-Series.The brainchild of Paul Bracq, BMW's Director of Design from 1970 to 1974, and introduced to replace BMW’s various '02 models, few could have predicted just how much of a success the 3-Series would become throughout the subsequent five decades and currently, seven generations. Many aspects of the E21’s design have lived on in later 3-Series, the dashboard angled toward the driver, the short overhang at the front, the crease line along the body, double-kidney grille, twin headlamps, and the Hofmeister kink at the C-pillar.Built initially in two-door form only, the newcomer made use of BMW's existing and well tried overhead-camshaft engines initially, ranging in size from a 1.6-litre four to a 2.3-litre six. Curiously, although it started life with a 1,563cc engine, the four-cylinder 316 model, as offered here, gained a 1,766cc unit in 1980, which should logically have made it a 318, however we imagine that the marketing department were comfortable with the fact that many prospective customers who didn’t look too deeply would be impressed by the 316’s significant performance advantage over other '1600s'.With the E21's successor, the E30, arriving in showrooms in late 1982, the 316 on offer here was built in the last few months of the model’s production. Finished in Polaris Silver Metallic with a navy blue interior, it was optioned from new with a 5-speed gearbox, twin headlights and special grille, tilt/slide sunroof, rear headrests, and a rear spoiler and would have looked very much like the top of the range 323i.Having spent the previous 20 years in dry storage, it was purchased by our vendor after a full recommissioning that included all fluids, full brake overhaul with new front callipers, new exhaust, new carburettor, new period correct alloys and a fresh MOT with no advisories at the time. Within the last year it has had a full gearbox rebuild and new clutch and brake master cylinders by Brunswick Automotive of Ely.It’s very seldom these days that we see an early 3-Series in such great shape with a virtually immaculate cloth interior, excellent bodywork and an odometer reading of under 40,000 miles. BMW were at the top of their game in the early 1980s and this would be a delightful car to use and show at a very realistic guide.