Memories of the open BMW 320i (E30)
I sold my beloved Peugeot 205 GTI to buy a new BMW 320i Cabriolet just as it came onto the market almost 30 years ago. I couldn't really choose which equipment options I wanted because the car had already been ordered by the dealer.
So it came in the "night design" and had the smart check pattern on the gray fabric seats. At a traffic light, this motivated a guy who pulled up next to me to make the disparaging remark "kä Lädder?", which in good German means "no leather?". It was fine without.
I loved this convertible and drove it open in summer and winter and whenever possible. I once hauled a full-grown 1.6 meter wide and 2 meter long mattress on the roof. Due to the lack of roof racks, we had to tie the mattress with cords and when we lost one of them, a farmer along the way lent me a "Hälslig", one of the ropes usually used to tie calves. It was an adventurous transport.
I can remember a December 24th that was so warm that I was able to drive around in the open. The winter tires were on steel rims, the BMW wheel covers cost almost as much as the rims. The three-wheeler never let me down. I only had to replace the roof once, not because it failed, but because an attempted break-in had left a 30-centimeter-long slit in the car.
In the end, I sold the car to my best friend with around 40,000 km on the clock, something you only do when a car is really bulletproof. He then drove the car for another three or four years and finally sold it with well over 100,000 km on the clock for very little money. Today, the 320i would be a classic, but it was probably disposed of years ago. What a pity!
We have just published a comprehensive driving report on the E30 Cabriolet.
