BMW 2500 - successfully reaching for the stars

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BMW 2500 - successfully reaching for the stars

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Created on August 15, 2018

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

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Balz Schreier

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Bruno von Rotz

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BMW AG

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BMW 2500 (1976) - elegant three-volume sedan

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BMW 2500 (1976) - for people who like to turn the steering wheel themselves

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BMW 2500 (1976) - can be mistaken for much younger BMW vehicles from a distance

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BMW 2500 (1976) - for the fast businessman

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BMW 2500 (1976) - two rear-view mirrors, not a matter of course

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BMW 2500 (1976) - with the typical BMW four-eyed face

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BMW 2500 (1976) - Headrests were still not standard equipment in the early seventies

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BMW 2500 (1976) - ran over 190 km/h at the time

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BMW 2500 (1976) - whoever was allowed to stand in front of the door was considered a made man (or woman)

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BMW 2500 (1976) - the trunk had space for up to 600 liters of luggage

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BMW 2500 (1976) - Munich elegance on 4.7 meters

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BMW 2500 (1976) - beautifully shaped center console

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BMW 2500 (1976) - exemplary clear dashboard

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BMW 2500 (1976) - plainly designed instruments, as were common at BMW for many years to come

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BMW 2500 (1976) - Warning displays clearly in view

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BMW 2500 (1976) - Speedometer up to 220 km/h

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BMW 2500 (1976) - Pioneer radio cassette player from the period

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BMW 2500 (1976) - Sliding roof with hand crank

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BMW 2500 (1976) - Windows were still lowered by crank handle

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BMW 2500 (1976) - elegant upholstery covers

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BMW 2500 (1976) - belt attachment still on long whips

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BMW 2500 (1976) - Fuses in compartment to the left of the steering wheel

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BMW 2500 (1976) - you have to find the hood opening first

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BMW 2500 (1976) - the longitudinally mounted in-line six-cylinder engine is concealed by the large air filter

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BMW 2500 (1976) - the firing order of the in-line six-cylinder engine

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BMW 2500 (1976) - of course with BMW kidney grille on the front

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BMW 2500 (1976) - the BMW sign, no longer quite as fresh as a daisy

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BMW 2500 (1976) - aluminum wheels at extra cost

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BMW 2500 (1976) - Twin headlights as a trademark

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BMW 2500 (1976) - large rear lights, the design changed over the course of the production period

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BMW 2500 (1976) - the interior ventilation, as installed from summer 1971

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BMW 2500 (1968) - Concept drawing rejected

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BMW 2500 (1968) - concept drawing, rejected

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BMW 2500 (1968) - pre-series, front view with significantly more chrome

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BMW 2500 (1968) - pre-series, the chrome decorations still disappeared

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BMW 2500 (1968) - pre-series model compared to the BMW 2000

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BMW 2500 (1968) - pre-series model compared to the BMW 2000

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BMW 2500 (1968) - prototype during test drives, not yet with the final face

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BMW 2500 (1968) - test car with additional instruments

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BMW 2500 (1968) - the engine with six cylinders in series

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BMW 2500 (1968) - the new E3 luxury class series at the presentation

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BMW 2500 (1968) - the new big BMW with six-cylinder in-line engine and 150 hp

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BMW 2500 (1968) - production model, front view

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BMW 2500 (1968) - Interior of the newly introduced E3

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BMW 2500 (1968) - functional fittings, hardly any chrome to be seen

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BMW 2500 (1970) - with vital six-cylinder engine

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BMW 2500 (1970) - visually almost indistinguishable from its bigger brother, the 2800

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BMW 2500 (1970) - practically only distinguishable from the 2800 by the type plate

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BMW 2500 (1973) - Advertisement from 1973

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BMW 2500 (1968) - V. Falkenhausen with "his" engine

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BMW 2500 (1969) - View into the engine compartment

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BMW 2500 (1969) - at the Paris Motor Show

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BMW 2500 (1969) - 150 hp, with six-cylinder engine

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BMW 2500 (1969) - the big BMW, built with the same body as a 2.5 and 2.8-liter vehicle

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BMW 2500 (1971) - with the vital six-cylinder engine

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BMW 2500 (1969) - dashboard, identical to 2800

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BMW 2500 (1969) - see-through drawing, also applies to 2800

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BMW 2500 (1969) - plenty of interior width

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BMW 2500 (1970) - Girls and mopeds that fit into the 600-liter trunk of the E3

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BMW 2500 (1968) - sporty entry into the luxury class

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Summary

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the BMW E3 series. From today's perspective, the BMW 2500/2800 models appear to be the sensible progenitors of the modern seven-series, but back then the E3 series was a departure into a new world. And a return to the luxury class. Was the BMW 2500 really as good as everyone thought at the time? This driving report with a BMW 2500 from 1976 traces the history of the model and shows it in historical and current pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Setting out for new greatness
Successful design
Extremely positive response
Quality right from the start
Evolution in small steps
Star just not beaten
Not a battleship
50 years of driving pleasure
Further information

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Today, it is hard to understand why the new "big" BMW seemed so sensational to reporters in 1968. But if you remember that after the Baroque Angel, BMW only built vehicles with a maximum of four cylinders and many with even fewer cylinders, then you understand the interest in the first six-cylinder of modern times. The E3 series was announced in the fall of 1968 as a new vehicle line above the "New Class" and it came with a completely new engine, the M30, in which BMW had thrown all its expertise into the balance and really did a masterful job. Thanks to the "three-ball vortex chamber" combustion chamber and a crankshaft with seven bearings, the BMW engineers achieved particularly smooth combustion and almost vibration-free running of the straight-six cylinder. Nothing was left to chance, and a great deal of attention was also paid to the lubricating oil supply in order to provide a long-lasting engine. With success - the engine was already highly praised in the very first reports. And it produced an unusually high 150 DIN hp at 6000 rpm, which already characterized it as a sports engine. And fired the BMW 2500 to above-average driving performance.

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