Driving the First BMW 3 Series (E21 BMW 320/6)

In the 3 Series, BMW created a dynasty of recognisable and immensely successful compact executive saloons. And from 1975 - here's the original - the BMW E21 that started it all, complete with its six-cylinder engine and manual gearbox.

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[Mancozeb]

Poetry in Motion ! Both your narration and the car. That 6-cylinder is so sweet. Ok - They usually are - and that one, is pure honey. Great review, Ed.

[AutistCat]

I have to praise the presentation and broadcasting skills you’ve developed over a short period of time. Brilliant job, mate.

[shankarbalan]

these old BMWs and Mercedes are the pinnacle of mechanical engineering. Nowadays most cars are the same save for the badges. Thanks Ed as usual for the informative video.

[StudioFox]

I couldn't stand my stepfather, but as a 12 year old I volunteered to wash his 323i so I could sit in the driver's seat and admire the whole thing up close. Excellent review T-C.

[dappergent]

Our friends across the pond could lean a thing or two on how to narrate a car video from this man.

[kim]

Please take a 10/10 for that comprehensive review Sir.

[richardhaywoodh]

I was lucky enough back in 1983 to have a rare 4 cylinder 320i fuel injection model, it was a 1976 right hand drive but imported in 1978 so was as S rather than N reg. Black with fantastic folding britax sunroof, Smiths servo glide electric windows, cross spoke slloys and Martini Stripes, what a great car that was....

[GentilsGarage]

Not only this is the best E21 video around, it's the best BMW video about what defined BMW for decades and how it started. It's very easy for anyone just to read books and repeat on camera, but the way Ed does his research and then puts everything into perspective and context, makes for a very captivating videos. 11/10 from me.

[paulvon]

One of the best cars ever! This was all dudes dream car from the 1980s ... Crank up the Duran Duran.

[jimsimpson]

Another great review. Being a young lad back in the early 1970s, I can tell you that BMWs were a very rare sight on the roads then.

[kasperkjrsgaard]

Again a presentation that’s up to BBC-quality. What you do is so well made that it’s impressing. It’s of broadcast quality in pictures and narration.
So well done 😊👌

[Lar]

A master class in how to make a classic car review video and with a superb vehicle to do it with.

[jameskrell]

I had a 316, 323, 520 and then a 320. After that I left buying BMW but planed to return to them, I never did and now I don’t even like modern BMW's. In the days I had a BMW they stood out but not in a in your face way, they where disitctly stylish and then when you drove one it was a great rewarding experience. To tour in a BMW was a great experience and memorable. Something I didn’t feel again until I drove an Alfa Romeo in 2012. I’m British but in my experience the reason why men in particular where fixated on Ford and Vauxhall was that their fathers bought them. Different times that are hard to belive by those that weren’t there. You folowed the football team your father suported, you drunk the beer your father drunk, you ate the food that your father ate and you suported the same political party your father supported. If you were working class anyway. I had it said to me more times then I can remember why do you want to buy that rubbish (BMW) hard to belive now but thats how it was. 

I did have a Mercede’s between the 323 and the 520 but I never warmed to them. My father was Mercede’s until the day he died after leaving Ford behind in the mid 1970’s. His background was engineering so there was probaly a link there.

Previous to the BMW’s I had owned a Citroen GS, great driving car but rusted terribly, A Peugeot 304, rare in Britain then with comfy upholstery and a metal sun roof as standard and then a 504 Ti, another great car. All these I toured in, great times.

[dirkleroy]

Wonderful presentation of BMW's history over the past decades and of the first 3-series which crafted the modern-day future of BMW.

[brianwhelan]

I had a 320 in the 80s, it definitely stood out but it was expensive to run and needed repairs constantly. The BMW was an aspirational car and cars were relatively expensive in the 80s while houses were 30K Euro! In Ireland young fellas basically worked for their car and insurance was astronomical. My first car was a Ford Anglia which was 19 years old which I bought for IR£25, the insurance was IR£440!

[powertripper]

Top notch job!

Feels and sounds like a proper motoring journalist from the eighties!

You should deserve your own channel!

[richardhaywoodh]

Your review style is great researched & eloquent, nice nostalgic review for a car I previously owned & enjoyed as a daily driver

[staceys]

These things sold like hotcakes in California in the early 80s. They were the symbol of the new Yuppie class. At least in the US, it was the e21 that solidified BMW's image as a quality, sporting car. For BMW in the 70s and 80s, to make a volleyball analogy, the 2002 caught the volley from the opposing team, the e21 set up the perfect shot, and the e30 was the forceful spike over the net.
My uncle bought a 320i in 1980, and it got passed down through the family and now I have it.

[anthonygray]

The 320i was what I lusted after in college. It took til 87 when I got my hands on a 316 while stationed in Germany that I got to enjoy a BMW. Later I had an E36, E46 and E92 until they kind of lost their styling mojo. Maybe I need to look at one of these!

[CCC]

Brilliant narration and knowledge … better than any mainstream TV Channels 👍