A personal story of three
My first contact with the BMW three was in 1979, because shortly after my 18th birthday I took my first driving lesson in a yellow BMW 320 with an inline six-cylinder engine. Even back then, I was impressed by the sound of the engine and what I considered to be its outstanding performance, as I only had a modest four-cylinder engine at home. A 316 was also used for a few driving lessons, but of course it clearly lost out to the classy 320 in my memories.
After a long period of abstinence (with mostly Italian cars and a French fling), I didn't own my first BMW until the end of the 1980s. I bought one of the early 320i convertibles from the E30 series, equipped with fabric seats to save money. I loved this car and I can remember a Christmas drive with the roof down, it was so warm (even then) around December 24th. After two years, I sold the car to a colleague who continued to drive it for several years.
The next BMW in my garage was an early 325i from the E36 series in Mauritius blue with a gray leather interior. At that time, they still installed the entertainment electronics themselves and the four-door (manual) saloon was equipped with a Blaupunkt radio tape recorder including a six-disc CD changer and a sinfully expensive mobile phone. A year later, the BMW changed hands again and I drove an Audi or Mercedes-Benz for a while.
In the mid-nineties, I bought a BMW 328i Touring E36, which I only drove for a short time.
I never owned the successor to the E46 series, although I can remember a test drive in a coupé, but with SMG and all kinds of driving safety electronics, it didn't quite convince me (for the time being).
It wasn't until 2007 that I bought another three-wheeler, this time a 330i estate from the E90 series, which I remained loyal to for almost three years. I remember thinking it was the best everyday car I had ever owned. In fact, the estate (with automatic transmission) ran very well and was surprisingly economical, with a six in front of the decimal point on the display of the on-board computer.
I drove the next generation from time to time on various occasions, but the good memories of its predecessors never faded. Over 97,000 km came together in my own BMW three-wheeler over the years, many of them unforgettable.
I also enjoyed the opportunity to drive the earlier models again on the occasion of the "50 Years of BMW Threes" campaign organized by BMW Switzerland and BMW Classic (see article on the BMW M3 GT and the BMW 330i Touring E46 ).
The test drives as part of my Zwischengas editorial activities were also always a pleasure, because whether 323i (E21), 325i (E30) or M3, these cars are simply a joy to drive.
