BMW 3 Series – 6 generations over 40 years celebrated with 3 40 Year Edition

In 2015 BMW is celebrating the worldwide success and heritage of the car that named a segment:  the compact sports executive sedan.

South Africa may have missed out on the 1st generation BMW 3 Series, though very few found there way and home here.

BMW 3 Series generation range codes

BMW is possibly the only car company to make its generation names well known, which makes it easy to refer to by its E or F code.

BMW 3 Series generation range codes:

• Generation 1: E21
• Generation 2: E30
• Generation 3: E36
• Generation 4: E46
• Generation 5: E90
• Generation 6: F30

40 years as the original

As original of its type, the BMW 3 Series became instantly famous when BMW decided (how smart they were) to take a big 6-cylinder engine and fit it under the bonnet of the small 1st 3 Series.  The BMW 323i was born, with 2.3-litre straight-6 engine.  It was in instant sports executive sedan.

The BMW 3 Series is BMW’s best seller, with around 25 percent of total BMW sales being the 3 Series sedan.  Around 14 million have been delivered.

40 years celebrated with 3 40 Year Edition

To celebrate this remarkable anniversary, BMW South Africa has put together their own special contents to make a unique special edition.  While other countries had their 40-year editions, BMW SA was granted a special combination of components.

The local BMW 3 Series 3 40 Year Edition has a unique combination, not available as normal production combination (usually one cannot order M Sport with Individual wheels, for example, so you cannot order your 3 Series to look like this special edition).  Perhaps South Africa was given some preferential leeway to create their own special car, as the 3 Series sedan is built at the quality award-winning BMW Plant Rosslyn, just outside Pretoria.

The 3 40 Year Edition is made up of this unique combination – a mix of BMW M Sport and BMW Individual contents:

Exterior:

- the ever-popular M Sport package (strict-control BMW Germany had a problem allowing the side front M badge to appear on a car with its exclusive BMW Individual content) worth R 32 400 on 320i/320d, R 26 900 on 330i/330d and R 24 600 on 340i

- a set of 19-inch BMW Individual light-alloy wheels (aha, but not the same wheels you can order on the local-spec 3 Series which are 19-inch BMW Individual V-spoke style 439 with 7 spokes, costing R 25 700 on 340i to R 34 700 on 320i/320d models – this special edition has BMW Individual V-spoke style 626 with 10 spokes)

- exterior trim in satinised aluminium (satin-effect silver window surrounds, rather than the gloss black on M Sport) at R 2 100

- Paintwork choice of 3:  Mineral White metallic, or a choice of 2 BMW Individual high-lustre deep colour paints, namely Tanzanite Blue (a vivid royal blue) or Citrine Black (looks black in the shade or at night, but when lights shines on it, a very dark brown sparkles with gold-ish specs) – the 2 Individual paints are a R 15 000 option on this special edition model

Interior:

- BMW Individual instrument panel covered in leather with fold-seem stitching (to the value of R 16 800… but this is usually a linked option which you can only have with BMW Individual leather, at extra cost)

- BMW Individual interior trim in piano black (usually costs R 8 700 for 320 models / R 4 400 on 330/340)

- Dakota leather in choice of Black, or Oyster leather (light beige-greyish) seats, armrest and door panel inserts with black dashboard and carpets

- harman / kardon surround sound system (R 10 300 option on 320/330 models, and R 4 600 on 340i)

- a special logo created for the SA-spec 40th year special edition: on the interior trim, just ahead of the front passenger on the dashboard, an imprinted “3” with “40” inlay (price-less)


Only 400 3 40 built

BMW seems to be unsure what the official name is.  Depending on who you ask at BMW SA, it is either BMW 3 Series 40th Year Special Edition, or 40 Years BMW 3 Series Edition, or BMW 3 Series 3 40 Year Edition (which probably makes most sense as the badge is a 3 and 40).

This special edition is only available on 320i to 340i models (so excludes the 318i entry-level model).  So you can have a 340i 3 40. 

Priced at R 50 000 extra over the standard spec car gives, depending on model, value of closer to R 100 000, which is an unusual BMW bargain… plus that anniversary special 3 40 logo.

What makes this special edition even more special is that BMW SA is building a special edition 3 Series at the same as it switches over production to the BMW 3 Series facelift model, whereas a special edition is usually well within the middle of a production cycle.

BMW SA built only 400 of the BMW 3 Series 3 40 Year Edition units.

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