Background
After the first BMW 3-series (E21) had proven to be a very successful car addressing a real demand in the market, BMW launched its second 3-series generation in the form of the E30 model. Introduced in 1982, production ran for a total of 12 years. By 1994, more than 2.4 million E30s had been produced. Different versions were on offer, including a 4-door sedan and a 2-door coupé that was also built as a convertible. Power came from four- or six-cylinder engines.
From today’s perspective, development took quite some time, as the first studies started out as early as 1976, more than 6 years before its official market launch. Most notable changes to the predecessor were improvements to the suspension in order to reduce the notorious issue of oversteer from which the E21 suffered. After the launch in 1982, a first minor update to the E30 was brought to market in 1985 and included exterior and interior trim improvements. Other modifications included the engine range, and the first factory convertible was introduced.
The final iteration of the E30, which included major updates, was introduced in September 1987.







