Today's car of the day is Road Champs' 1984 BMW 3 Series.
The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. Successor to the BMW New Class, it has been produced in five different generations and in no less than five different body styles. It is BMW's best-selling model, accounting for around 30% of the BMW brand's annual total sales (excluding motorbikes).
For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: BMW 3 Series
This is a recent purchase from Pegers (thanks Dan!). My favorite part of this model is the hinted at Budweiser sponsorship on the front fenders. Here's a generic racer with other real sponsors (Goodyear, Die Hard, Moroso, Mac Tools, and Exxon) and yet they decided it needed a faux Bud sponsorship too. I'm no drinker and if I was I probably wouldn't drink Bud, but something like this is cool to me- it's like tweaking those in charge of regulating what can and cannot be put on a toy. And since one of my pet peeves is altering real race car sponsorships to eliminate alcohol and tobacco sponsorships I like seeing something like this where the diecast companies are poking back. Overall this is not one of Road Champs' better castings, however. But it does offer opening doors and working suspension for play value!
The E30 was sold from 1982 through 1991 in saloon form, through 1993 in convertible form. The E30's introductory price was nearly double that of the E21 just seven years earlier, but the availability of a six-cylinder engine and four-door body style (in 1984) earned sales. The torquey "eta" six in the 325e produced 121 hp (90 kW) and 172 lb·ft (233 N·m) of torque, but met the strict emission standards of the time. The E30 was the most powerful compact BMW offered in the United States since the 2002 Tii.
The lineup was joined in 1985 by the high-output 325i and 325is. Though the engine displacement was reduced to 2.5 L, output was up to 168 hp (125 kW) but torque dropped to 164 lb·ft (222 N·m) as the company focused on performance rather than economy. The rev limit for the new motor was raised from 5,000 rpm to 6500 rpm.
The 325is was an upgrade from the standard 325i, as some new features were added to the car as standard. These included the full electrics package, black roof-liner, BMW "is" body kit, BMW 14 inch BBS "Basketweave" wheels and a Close Ratio gearbox. Other features also found on the 325is were options, however over time, some have been mistaken for standard features. These options include a 25% Limited Slip Differential (LSD), M Sport suspension with Bilstein struts, M-Sport II Steering wheel, BMW sports seats, leather interior, sunroof and BMW 15 inch BBS wheels. Options differed on vehicles produced in the United States.
In 1986 a left hand drive only all-wheel drive version, the 325ix, joined the lineup with a touring version being introduced in late 1987. The four-cylinder 318 was dropped in 1985, but was brought back with a new, 1.8 L DOHC motor (M42B18) for 1991.
In the end of 1987, BMW introduced the touring version of the E30. It was very popular during its production up to 1994. It was available with a 1.6-, 1.8-, 2.0- or 2.5-litre engine and also 2.4-litre turbo diesel.
The most powerful American BMW E30 in 1989 came in the form of the M3. It used a 192 hp (143 kW) S14 straight-four with a four-valve head adapted from the M88 six and Bosch fuel injection.
The BMW E30 was a compact executive car produced by BMW. It was replaced by the BMW E36 in 1990. BMW continued to produce the cabriolet (convertible) E30 well into 1993. The Touring remained in production until 1994 when the E36 touring replaced it. The M3 cabriolet was never officially offered for sale in North America; it was offered only for the European market.
The BMW M3 was first introduced on the E30 platform. A widened version of the E30 front suspension and the drivetrain from the E30 325i were used in the BMW Z1 roadster.
The E30 3-Series was produced in four body styles, a four door saloon, a two door saloon, a five door estate (marketed as the "touring"),a three-door estate also called "Touring", and a two door convertible. A Baur cabrio was also available. The 325ix was produced from 1988 to 1991, and featured all-wheel drive. It was available as a two-door (sedan) or a four-door (sedan) and as touring. The BMW M3 utilised a widened and heavily redesigned and restyled variation of the 2 door body style. The M3 shares few parts with other E30 models, however many M3 parts can be used on the other body styles and are interchangeable offering the consumer an OEM "upgrade". These parts consist of control arms, control arm bushings, steering racks, etc.
The primary distinctive feature of the BMW E30 models produced for the North American market in 1984-1987 are the elongated front/rear aluminum bumpers. These bumpers are commonly known as "diving boards." In 1988, the anodized aluminum bumpers were shortened by revising the cover/fillers and shortening the shocks. In 1989 the aluminum bumpers were replaced with shorter body-color plastic bumpers.
The cars were powered by a range of inline 4 cylinder (BMW M10, BMW M40, & BMW M42) and inline 6 cylinder (BMW M20 and BMW M21) engines, with both petrol and diesel power. Torque output for the engines ranges from 140 N·m (100 lb·ft) torque for the 1.8 L (1766 cc) 4 cylinder engine, to 230 N·m (170 lb·ft) torque from the 2.7 L (2693 cc) 6 cylinder petrol engine. The E30 BMW M3 was fitted with a high-revving 4-cylinder engine (BMW S14) which produced 175 kW (238 PS; 235 hp) in its final European-only iteration.
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