New BMW 3 Series Coupe In Depth

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Concept
Page 3: Design
Page 4: Power Units
Page 5: Automatic Trans.
Page 6: Suspension
Page 7: All Wheel Drive
Page 8: Body & Safety
Page 9: Light Concept
Page 10: Features/Equipment
Page 11: Production
Page 12: History

History

Always Something Special – the BMW Coupé

• The BMW 327 – Europe’s first production coupé

• Engines ranging from two to twelve cylinders

• Setting new standards in design and performance time and again

The task of developing a coupé has always been a particularly demanding, but also an attractive, challenge for the engineers of a car production company. After all, the customer choosing a coupé is always looking for driving pleasure of the highest standard. And BMW has succeeded time and again over the years and decades in fulfilling the great expectations made of a car of this calibre, consistently pushing up the benchmark also in this area. So it is no coincidence that coupés proudly bearing the white-and-blue BMW logo have set numerous milestones in the history of automotive technology and production.

The first chapter in this long history began eight years after the start of car production by BMW AG. The BMW 3/15 launched in July 1929 and also referred to as the “Dixi�' is already a great success when BMW’s first Sports Coupé makes its debut in 1937: the BMW 327 Coupé. It is precisely at this time that German car designers give up the old principle of cubism and adopt the airflow line coming over from the USA, with flowing lines and contours, sleek, curved wheel arches, and almost voluptuous body curves.

Applied to sports or city coupés, this particular style has already created a special kind of car in the United States: cars with two doors and a fixed roof, with a powerful engine and, in particular, highly sophisticated features and equipment. Taking up this philosophy, BMW presents the 327 Sports Coupé, a modern grand touring car built for covering long distances at high speeds on the Autobahn, naturally with that character so typical of BMW.

1937: the BMW 327 becomes the first production coupé built in Europe.

Measuring 4.50 metres or 177.2 inches in length, the BMW 327 Coupé sets the trend in many of its styling features. The wheel arches and engine compartment form one complete unit with individual sections flowing into one another and featuring integrated instead of free-standing headlights. The engine compartment lid is no longer split down the middle and fitted on hinges, but rather folds open to the rear in one single piece. The spare wheel fitted outside on the bootlid is fully covered, and even the number plate illuminated from inside is integrated in the body of the car. Another feature typical of this era is the partial covers on the rear wheels with their classic airflow cutouts.

Featuring fabric upholstery matching the colour of the car and specially designed instruments, the interior exudes supreme elegance and style in every respect. The two individual seats at the front are fully adjustable,
with their backrests folding down all the way to the seat bottom on the rear seat bench.

In addition to the standard engine, a two-litre straight-six developing 55 hp, the BMW 327 Coupé is also available just one year after its market launch with the 80-hp power unit carried over from the legendary BMW 328 Sports Car. This powerful six-cylinder gives the Coupé a top speed of 145 km/h or 90 mph, and soon becomes the very epitome of the sports engine.

Even back then, BMW’s philosophy in car production is obvious, as is clearly expressed by a statement published in 1937: “The two-door, four-window BMW Sports Coupé is certainly the ideal grand tourer for the demanding motorist wishing to enjoy the thrill of speed and sports motoring.�'

1954: BMW 502 – Germany’s first post-war V8.

As in the case of the BMW 327 Coupé, the potential clientele for this very special kind of car is again a small, hand-picked group of connoisseurs also after the end of World War II, since at the time there is still a substantial difference in prices between really exclusive cars, on the one hand, and mass-production vehicles, on the other. Precisely this why BMW’s first post-war coupés are not built in large numbers. Baur, a specialist German coachbuilder in Stuttgart, adds a two-door model based on the BMW 501 to the model range in 1952, with the BMW 502 Coupé offering V8 power replacing the six-cylinder model in 1954. With production of these connoisseur cars amounting to just 30 units, the BMW 502 Coupé is obviously a coveted collector’s item today.

In terms of design, the rather “baroque�' Baur Coupé with its unusual step-like transition from the rear end of the roof to the luggage compartment is an interim step to a feature now characteristic of the coupé: With this two-door model being built on a saloon platform, and with the emphasis on the front seats, both the roof and rear window were flattened to the rear. And to this day, this specific shape of C-pillar with its greater angle is regarded as a typical sign of distinction characteristic of coupé design.

In 1955 the BMW 503 Coupé, together with the BMW 507 Sports Car, becomes one of the great stars of the Frankfurt Motor Show. Like the Baur Coupé, the BMW 503 Coupé is not marred by a B-pillar disturbing the lines of the car, and the four side windows move down completely into the body. Particularly with the windows open, the narrow C-pillar ensures a strong impression of supreme elegance in design.

1959: BMW 700 – the Company’s first compact coupé.

Moving on to 1959, BMW presents a new Coupé destined to become the forefather of all the brand’s compact Sports Coupés: the BMW 700 Coupé. Measuring just 3.50 metres or 137.8 inches in length and designed by Michelotti, the BMW 700 Coupé is the first BMW ever to feature a monocoque body. But there is also another reason why the new car sets a significant milestone in the history of the Company: Extra-light at just 640 kilos or 1,411 lb, the BMW 700 Coupé outperforms its competitors in its class of motorsport right from the start. Indeed, with its 30-horsepower two-cylinder, the BMW 700 Coupé, featuring the same interior space but even better roadholding, offers the same acceleration and top speed as the legendary BMW 327 Coupé.

This applies even more to the BMW 700 Sport pushing up the benchmark once again as of 1960 with its 40-horsepower engine. And this principle applied by BMW to this very day makes sense, the BMW 700 Coupé with its superior technology at an affordable price reaching a sales volume of almost 30,000 units by 1964.

1962: the BMW 3200 CS establishes a new era in automotive design.

Creating the design of the BMW 3200 CS launched in 1962, Nuccio Bertone achieves a true masterpiece in styling and design excellence. The upright kidney grille at the front with two horizontal grilles at the side, as well as the C-pillar with its distinctive “kick�' pointing to the front, remain characteristic elements of BMW cars to this very day.

Bearing the letter “C�' for the first time, this 4.83-metre (190.2-inch) Coupé is powered by a V8 engine displacing 3.2 litres and developing maximum output of 160 hp.

1965: the BMW 2000 C with automatic transmission for the first time.

The next step en route to the 3 Series Coupé comes just three years later: Following the BMW 700 with its sporting qualities and the BMW 3200 CS positioned far higher up in the market, BMW launches the 2000 C/CS in 1965 as a truly comfortable, sophisticated and, in particular, elegant car.

Powered by an 100-horsepower engine and featuring an automatic transmission as standard, the BMW 2000 C is a new achievement by BMW. Boasting a supreme standard of quality within the interior and in its design, the body of the 2000 C/CS once again points into the future: The roof structure with narrow A- and C-pillars is delicate and almost filigree in its looks, the body of the car is stretched out, and both the front and rear are inclined to the inside. Further features are the striking headlights with their separate high and low beams giving the car the nickname “Chinese Eye Coupé�', and the complete front end interrupted only by the kidney-shaped radiator grille.

1968: the BMW 2800 CS with its trendsetting six-cylinder.

By the late ’60s BMW’s success curve is pointing up steeply – sales figures are increasing, the Company’s image has achieved an even higher standard than before, and customers are demanding more power and comfort. The result of all this is the BMW 2800 CS launched in 1968. A further development of the BMW 2000 C/CS in terms of design, the new model boasts dual headlights in its arrow-shaped front end, while the kidney grille is surrounded by horizontal intakes on each side and the car runs as standard on light-alloy wheels.

Power coming from the engine bay now 10 centimetres or approximately 4 inches longer than before benefits from a six-cylinder destined to set the standard in modern engine construction and provide the foundation for countless victories in motorsport for decades to come: The 2.8-litre power unit features a crankshaft running in 7 bearings and with 12 counterweights for unparalleled smoothness free of vibration, pistons with triple-hemispherical combustion chambers for an optimum combustion process, an overhead camshaft and engine output of 170 hp.

1976: the BMW 630 CS with enhanced comfort all round.

The BMW 2800 CS ultimately sold in various engine capacity and performance versions with the six-cylinder ranging from 2.5 to 3.2 litres in size, is replaced in 1976 by the BMW 6 Series Coupé. Again almost 10 centimetres or 4 inches longer than their predecessor, the BMW 630 CS and BMW 633 CSi offer even more generous space inside, with two bucket seats at the rear. It is also a fact, however, that these models have now moved out of the compact sports coupé segment.

1990: the BMW 850i with Germany’s first post-war V12.

With just a decade to go until the end of the millennium, the BMW 850i featuring Germany’s first 12-cylinder since World War II marks the top end of the BMW Coupé family for the time being. Brand-new in its design and with a front section and pop-up headlights reminiscent of the BMW M1, this highly innovative Coupé is a Gran Tourismo of the highest standard. With its 300-hp 12-cylinder, the BMW 850i not only offers generous engine power, but also sets the standard for more than a decade in terms of top-end suspension technology and all the comfort of a high-class luxury performance saloon.

1992: the BMW 3 Series Coupé featuring variable camshaft management for the first time.

The next compact BMW Sports Coupé does not make its appearance until 1992. Measuring 4.43 metres or 174.4 inches in length, the new two-door model is 3 centimetres or almost 1.20 inches lower than its successful Saloon counterpart – this, together with the front section stretched out by8 centimetres or 3.15 inches, the low-slung engine compartment lid with air intakes, the roof almost 3 centimetres or 1.20 inches shorter, the wide
doors with frameless windows and B-pillars under a glass cover, as well as the shorter and lower luggage compartment lid, gives the car a truly classic and elegant side-line. And despite the car’s sporting and elegant look, space available and headroom on the rear seats are truly generous.

One of the most important innovations in technology is BMW’s variable VANOS valve management pointing in a new direction by using its great potential not only for more power and performance, but also in the interest of enhanced economy and environmental compatibility. And it almost goes without saying that the car’s equipment and features reflect its sporting and luxurious style.

Sales figures of the BMW 3 Series Coupé in the market clearly prove its convincing superiority, with more than 470,000 units delivered to customers in just 7 years – a share of almost 18 per cent in the entire model series.

1999: second generation of the BMW 3 Series Coupé.

The second generation of the BMW 3 Series Coupé makes its debut just one year before the end of the millennium. Larger and more spacious than its predecessor, the new Coupé offers largely the same technical substance as the new BMW 3 Series Saloon. And while, in its design, the car clearly displays its close connection to the Saloon, the truth that just three components on the outer skin are identical to those on the four-door model. In this way alone, BMW emphasises the unique character of the Coupé and presents the car proudly bearing the letter “C�' at the rear as a separate model line of its own.

Four versions of the BMW 3 Series Coupé are offered to the customer right from the start – one four-cylinder and three six-cylinders, with output ranging from 118–193 hp. The six-cylinders even come with dual-VANOS offering an optimum gas charge cycle and a combustion process geared perfectly to engine speed and load.

2003: BMW 6 Series Coupé for the most demanding individualist.

Passionate, elegant, and powerful – these are the features of the BMW 645Ci launched in 2003 and at the same time marking the top end in the large coupé segment. Through its sophisticated and sleek proportions, together with dynamic looks, the BMW 645Ci is a genuine exception on the road. Developing maximum output of 333 hp, the eight-cylinder interacting with the supreme chassis and suspension, innovative Active Steering and the most advanced and sophisticated driver assistance systems such as Dynamic Drive roll stability and DSC Dynamic Stability Control ensures a truly impressive, muscular but refined driving experience.

Despite all its sporting performance, this large Coupé excels also through outstanding driving comfort: Conceived and built as a fully-fledged 2 + 2-Coupé, the BMW 645Ci offers all four passengers optimum seating comfort, luxurious equipment, an elegant ambience and, thanks to the large panorama lifting glass roof, light impressions and visibility of a very special kind.

Two years later the BMW 645Ci is replaced by the new BMW 650i, a new 4.8-litre 367-hp eight-cylinder with maximum torque of 490 Newton-metres or 361 lb-ft giving BMW’s large Coupé even greater performance and supremacy.

2006: the BMW Z4 Coupé for sports motoring in purist style.

The BMW Z4 Coupé exuding an impressive feeling of agility and dynamism through its looks alone makes its world debut in spring 2006. The classic coupé silhouette, the “Hofmeister kick�' on the rear side windows so characteristic of the brand, and the flowing roofline present three attributes in particular: this car is low, powerful, and fast. Clearly, the engine and suspension translate this distinctive impression into superior performance on the road.

The BMW Z4 Coupé 3.0si is powered by a 3.0-litre straight-six which has already won the Engine of the Year Award several times. Maximum output is 265 hp, with torque peaking at 315 Nm or 232 lb-ft. The chassis and suspension are set up for supreme dynamism, offering everything required for BMW’s proverbial Sheer Driving Pleasure, together with the prize-winning engine.

Virtually perfect axle balance, the low centre of gravity, and rear-wheel drive ensure harmonious driving behaviour, optimum traction and performance, as well as extremely high speeds in bends in every situation. The interior, in turn, with its clear and straightforward design, is both sporting and purist in nature, but nevertheless comes with a wide range of features and equipment, high-class materials and an appropriate colour scheme reflecting the character of the c

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