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Warning! This BMW E30 3 Series Documentary Will Make You Want One

Let’s face it, we’ve heard so many good things about BMW’s E30 3 Series that most of us are intrigued by it or curious about what makes these cars special. At first, you could list a couple of obvious reasons why these cars are still so highly regarded but none of them would catch the essence of the phenomenon like this documentary.
BMW E30 3 Series 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from Vimeo
Called ‘Respect your elders’ it’s the result of 5 months of work from a dedicated fan of the car, named Owen Craft. Shot across the Pacific Northwest it features plenty of BMW owners that talk both about their cars and the factor that keeps them all together. So, what’s the catch?

Perfectly balanced chassis

One of the things anyone can say about the E30 3 Series is that it has a perfectly balanced chassis. Sure, we can all say that but you really have to drive one back to back with a modern car to notice exactly what people are talking about.

That’s because due to the times it was built in, the focus was on the driving experience rather than on other amenities that almost no one notices.

These days we have a 16-speaker sound system, 20 airbags and all sorts of climate control, all of them contributing to making cars heavier and less enjoyable than they should. Without all these things, a 3er can be as light ‘as a feather’ and offer you the control that you wish for.

Great, reliable engines

Sure, compared to today’s ratings, the E30 range is nowhere close in terms of mpg but consider this: usually, these cars are nearly 30 years old. And they’re still running!

That’s a performance all in itself. Furthermore, the higher-spec versions had plenty of power coming from small naturally aspirated engines for those days.

Just look at the king of them all, the E30 M3. In its initial guise, the 2.3-liter inline 4-cylinder engine used to make 200 HP, that power going up to 215 HP for the late model and even 238 HP coming from a 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder for some special versions. Those kind of numbers were rare back then.

The spirit of the community is the key

However, all the technical bits, as impressive as they might sound, are nothing compared to the defining characteristic that makes the E30 the phenomenon it is today. That’s the community and the passion people usually put into owning and driving one.

This is an old car, one that will need some work to be enjoyed to the fullest but once you get it up and running, there’s nothing to hold you back anymore. The community will also chip in and help you out when you’re in need proving that it takes a certain kind of man/woman to use and love this kind of a car.

Sure, it’s easier to get a brand new car and leave all the worries behind, leaving it all on the warranty manufacturers are so ‘keen’ to offer these days but you’ll never be part of a big family like the one E30 drivers have today. And that’s the key to the success this car still has to this day!

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