30 de ani de seria 3 :)

[chas3]

http://www.forbes.com/2005/04/22/cx_dl_0425featslide_8.html

 

The 3 Series is to BMW as Barry Bonds is to the Giants: the franchise.

 

Just as Bonds brings his team to the attention of thousands of fans, the 3 Series is for many the face of BMW. It is the company's best-selling car year after year, and in 2005 it's celebrating its 30th anniversary. In June, BMW will release the fifth generation of its 3 Series in the U.S., and that vehicle will be the latest edition of the most successful BMW of all time. (To read more about the new 3 Series click here.)

 

How successful? Since 1998, when the predecessor of the current generation was introduced, BMW has sold more than 3 million 3 Series cars. (In 2004, sales declined 14.9%, but that dip is attributable to the end of the product cycle and customers' anticipation for the upcoming redesign.)

 

The 3 Series is also one of the most widely targeted cars on the market, its performance and reputation the benchmark by which all other four-seat sports models are judged. Competitors such as DaimlerChrysler (nyse: DCX - news - people ), Toyota (nyse: TM - news - people ) and Honda (nyse: HMC - news - people ) have worked hard to dethrone the 3 Series. But no matter how good the Audi A4, Mercedes C-Class or Lexus IS 330 become, they are still eating BMW's dust.

 

The company introduced the first 3 Series at a special event at Munich Olympic Stadium--near BMW's headquarters--in July 1975. The original model had the "kidney grille," which is still a 3 Series hallmark. It featured a wedge shape that extended to an unusually high rear end. When critics complained about these proportions, BMW toned down the rear by adding a black plastic trim panel between the taillights.

 

The first 3 Series interior was marked by a center console that faced the driver--a feature that would become characteristic of BMWs for many years.

 

BMW claims the 3 Series was the first car in its class with a six-cylinder engine, a type of power plant the company introduced at the 1977 Frankfurt Motor Show. A 2.3-liter six-cylinder gave the 3 Series 143 horsepower (hp) and a top speed of 118 mph.

 

By 1980, the 3 Series had acquired its reputation for superior performance. A study conducted in that year said 77% of 3 Series buyers purchased the car for its performance. Superior handling--response to steering forces--was a motive for purchase to 65% of customers and is still a trait of the 3 Series. Looks were cited by 64% of buyers as a factor in their decision. Almost two-thirds of buyers said their next cars would be BMWs.

 

In 1981, the millionth 3 Series came off the lines. Six years into its life, the 3 Series was already the highest-selling BMW in history, and a second generation appeared in 1982. This model featured more interior room, despite a shorter overall body length.

 

The first four-door 3 Series appeared in autumn 1983; all previous models had been coupes. By the mid-1980s, the 3 Series convertible and the high-performance M3 model had joined the lineup. The first M3 used a racing-derived, 200-hp four-cylinder engine. BMW's factory in Munich soon reached its capacity, and a new plant in Regensburg, Germany began building cars in November 1986.

 

In 1984, a BMW engineer with a pregnant wife wanted his 3 Series to have more versatility and, in his own garage, turned the car into a station wagon. His superiors saw the vehicle and were impressed enough to start a program to mass-produce 3 Series wagons. Deliveries began in early 1988, and the wagon completed a range, which to this day includes sedans, coupes, convertibles and wagons.

 

The third-generation 3 Series appeared in 1990 and smoothed out some of the older model's box-like proportions. The fourth-generation--of which the current 2005 3 Series is the last member--came out in May 1998. By autumn of that year, the 3 Series was a modern machine, featuring xenon headlights and a navigation system, and by 2000 the first all-wheel drive 3 Series cars began to appear.

 

The 3 Series is today one of the most desirable vehicles in the world. Although it is not a purebred sports car--such a vehicle has, by definition, only two doors and only two seats--it is one of the more sporting luxury cars on the market. The 2006 model will have an estimated starting MSRP of $28,000.

 

When the new 3 Series goes on sale in June, it will feature two inline six-cylinder engines: a 2.5-liter, 218-hp power plant and a 3.0-liter, 255-hp one. The exterior and interior will feature all new styling, and the car will house the first application of BMW's complicated iDrive infotainment controller.

 

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(Courtesy of Forbes.com)