OVERVIEW

Has it really been 40 years since BMW wowed the crowd at the 1975 Frankfurt International Motor Show with its first 3 Series? Both designers and engineers will tell you that the toughest job in the automotive industry is replacing an icon and the car that the 3 Series had to supplant — the immortal 2002 — was nothing if not iconic.

But a welcome reception it did receive despite being a) noticeably boxier than the sporty 2002 it was replacing, and b) not nearly as powerful. And, unlike today where the 3 Series is available as a coupe, convertible and sedan (as well as, in some markets, a station wagon), the original 3 had just two doors and two doors alone. Nonetheless, it would go on to become the best-selling Bimmer of all time and the car that made BMW a household name.

Here’s a look back at all six generations of the popular sports car:

The first generation — E21 (1975 to 1982)

The E21-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E21-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E21-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E21-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E21-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E21-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E21-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

Introduced in 1975 in Europe, the original 3 Series — 316i, 318i and 320i — was shaped under auspices of head designer Paul Bracq, who was also responsible for the mid-sized 5 Series.

Codenamed E21 (as BMW aficionados refer to their cars’ chassis codes), its 2.0-litre four pumped out a credible-for-the-day 125 horsepower in Europe (110 hp in North America) thanks to then-considered-phantasmagorical Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection.

Later, 1977 saw the first 320i hit North American shores and it was also the year that the 3 gained what has become another icon for BMW, the inline six engine (2.0L and 2.3L variants available) of the 320 and 323i.

Other odd designations include a not-imported-here 315 (though the engine was actually a 1.6L) introduced in 1981, the same year BMW sold its millionth 3 Series. A total of 1,364,039 were sold before production of the first generation was stopped in 1982.

The second generation — E30 (1982 to 1993)

The E30-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E30-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E30-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E30-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E30-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E30-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E30-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E30-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The first generation’s replacement, the E30, also started out as a two-door only model, powered by a similar engine range beginning with the base 1.6-litre four and working its way up to the range-topping 2.3-litre six, now producing 139 horsepower in European trim.

BMW then introduced the fuel-economy conscious (but not particularly well received) 325e and its 2.7-litre “eta” six producing just 121 horses but claiming a then-astounding 33.6 miles per gallon (8.4L/100 km). The 325e was also the first truly environmentally friendly BMW, all versions available only with the then-revolutionary catalytic converter.

Electronic fuel injection arrived in 1985 with European 325is boasting a serious bump to 177 horsepower. A short time later, the first diesel-powered 3 Series arrived, the six-cylinder 324d producing 86 horsepower and barely able to crack 160 km/h. The same era, circa 1985, also saw BMW’s first all-wheel-drive product, the 1985 325ix marrying a 171-hp inline six with a permanent all-wheel-drive system.

The famed M3 was introduced in 1985, originally built to take on the Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 in FIA Group A racing. Spun to a then-heady 6,750 rpm, the M3 pumped out 193 horses by the time it got the North America in 1988. The second-gen E30 was also the first 3 to be offered in sedan guise, with four doors arriving in North America half way through its design cycle in 1985.

A convertible and then a wagon model soon followed. The second generation also saw BMW’s first electric vehicle, eight 1987 325iX models converted to front-wheel-drive electric propulsion for on-road testing. By the time the last second generation — a convertible — 3 Series had rolled off the production lines in 1993, some 2,339,251 E30s had been sold.

The third generation — E36 (1992 to 1998)

The E36-generation BMW 3-Series. Handout , BMW

The E36-generation BMW 3-Series. Handout , BMW

The E36-generation BMW 3-Series. Handout , BMW

The E36-generation BMW 3-Series. Handout , BMW

The E36-generation BMW 3-Series. Handout , BMW

The E36-generation BMW 3-Series. Handout , BMW

The E36-generation BMW 3-Series. Handout , BMW

The E36-generation BMW M3. Handout , BMW

The E36-generation BMW M3. Handout , BMW

The subsequent E36 saw the first of what we now appreciate as the 3 Series’ signature aerodynamic stylings. Some 100 millimetres longer in wheelbase than the E30, the third-gen also added the rear legroom that North American customers had decried as wanting. And while MacPherson struts remained the suspension of choice up front, 1992 saw the introduction of BMW’s famed “Z-axle,” the first of the multi-link suspensions that would make BMWs famed for their handling.

The iconic six-cylinder engine also saw a switch to double overhead cams, four-vales per cylinder and aluminum construction. North American 325i models were good for 189 horsepower, good enough, said Car and Driver, for a zero to 100 km/h time of less than six seconds. The era of the high-performing family sedan had arrived!

Also read: Our review of the E36-generation BMW M3

Then, BMW added its now ubiquitous VANOS variable valve timing system to the mix and the result was the incredible, 282-horsepower 1992 M3. Americans, however, had to make do with a watered-down 240 horsepower version that was just an enlarged version of the 325i’s 2.5-litre six bored and stroked to 3.0 litres.

We Canadians were lucky enough to get a small 45-unit batch of the 286-hp European variant in 1994, but were then relegated to the detuned Americanized version thereafter. Eventually, the European M3 was enlarged to 3.2 litres, revving to 7,400 rpm and boasting 321 horsepower. Automatic Stability Control also made its debut in the third generation of baby Bimmers, along with traction control. By the time production ended in 1998, 2,745,780 E36s were sold.

The fourth generation — E46 (1999 to 2006)

The E46-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E46-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E46-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E46-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E46-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E46-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E46-generation BMW M3. Handout , BMW

Unlike the first two generations, which both debuted as two-doors, the first E46 to hit the road in 1999 was the four-door 323 and 328i, joined by the 318i in Europe. The fourth gen also saw the first BMW diesel with direct injection — the 320d — while rear seat passengers got yet another boost in comfort with more knee room (20 millimetres) and headroom.

The mighty M3 was released in 2001 in both coupe and convertible bodies with a “power bulged” hood and 333 horsepower underneath. With 93 more horsepower than its strangled predecessor, a redline of 8,000 rpm and individual throttle bodies for each of its six cylinders, the E46 M3 ripped its way to a 5-second zero-to-100 km/h acceleration time. Its SMG automated-manual six-speed transmission, however, was not as well received.

BMW’s vaunted Valvetronic system debuted in 2001, a variable valve timing mechanism so sophisticated that it eliminated the need for a separate throttle; the gas pedal — via a computer — was connected directly to the intake camshaft. Unfortunately, the first Valvetronic model, the BMW 316ti hatchback, emphasized economy and only produced 115 horsepower. In the end, the fourth-generation 3 Series proved popular enough to sell 3,266,885 units before production ceased in 2006.

The fifth generation — E90 (2006 to 2011)

The E90-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E90-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E90-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E90-generation BMW M3. Handout , BMW

The E90-generation BMW M3. Handout , BMW

The E90-generation BMW M3. Handout , BMW

The E90-generation BMW M3. Handout , BMW

The E90-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The E90-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

Now designated the E90, the BMW 3 Series was again the best-selling entry-level luxury car in Canada and the United States. Nonetheless, there was some controversy over its styling, as it was designed by BMW’s famous/notorious designer Chris Bangle. Not quite as “Bangle-butted” as the 7 Series — BMW had by then backed off his radical rear end protrusions — reviews were nonetheless mixed.

iDrive, the particularly diabolical infotainment system, also reared its head, complicating an interior previously known for its logical simplicity. Enthusiasts, on the other hand, welcomed the new 5-link rear suspension system as the best yet on a BMW. By now, BMW had given up on matching model names to engine displacement and the 325i’s 3.0-litre six boasted 215 horsepower, and the 330i some 255 horsepower. Of course, the star of the show was again the M3, growing another two pistons and pumping out an almost supercar-like 414 horsepower from its 4.0-litre V8.

Zero to 100 km/h now took less than 4.5 seconds. 2007 also saw the introduction of the 300-hp, turbocharged version of BMW’s 3.0-litre six, now featured widely throughout its product portfolio. BMW also launched a high-performance diesel, the 335d, with 286 horsepower and an incredible, almost M3-like 428 lb.-ft. of torque.

Nonetheless, perhaps as a result of its Bangle-ization, the fifth 3 Series was the first generation not to outsell its predecessor with sales totalling 3,102,345 before production ceased in 2011.

The sixth generation — F30 (2012 to present)

The F30-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The F30-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

The F30-generation BMW 3 Series. Handout , BMW

2014 BMW 4 Series Handout , BMW

The BMW 435i Gran Coupe. Handout , BMW

The European-spec BMW 420d Gran Coupe. Handout , BMW

2014 BMW 3-Series Gran Turismo. BMW

The F30-generation BMW M3. Handout , BMW

The 2015 BMW M3. Handout , BMW

2015 BMW M4 Cabriolet. Handout , BMW

BMW M4 Handout , BMW

2015 BMW M3 Handout , BMW

BMW went radical in 2012, finally dropping the “E” suffixes to its codenames, the sixth-generation 3 Series officially being dubbed the F30. The bigger news is that what was once simply labeled the 3 Series Coupe/Sedan morphed into the 3 Series sedan and the 4 Series coupe, followed quickly (and confusingly) by the 4 Series Gran Coupe and the 3 Series Gran Turismo.

By the time BMW was done, the 3 Series had grown to two ranges with six distinct models, not counting the various and sundry engine and transmission combinations including the first hybrid model, the ActiveHybrid 3, which combined the 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six with an electric motor for a maximum of 340-horsepower and 8.7 L/100 km fuel consumption.

Does it live up to its predecessors? We review the BMW M3 and M4

An eight-speed automatic also made its debut — the first in this segment said BMW at the time — and iDrive finally lost most of its complication. Purists, though, rejoiced more at the return of the six-cylinder, now twin-turbocharged to 425 horsepower, in the new M3 and M4. Even more important, countering a trend that started with the original four-cylinder M3, the 2015 M3 and M4 are the first M products to be lighter than the models they replaced. At the other end of the spectrum, the 328d, the only diesel BMW brings to North America in the 3 Series, consumes a Prius-like 5.5 L/100 km on the highway.