The original 3 Series was anything but rare considering BMW made precisely 1,364,039 from 1975 until 1983. However, only a handful of the versions available during the E21 generation came with a six-cylinder engine. Aside from the 320i and 323i models with fuel injection, there was this – the 320 with a carbureted engine. It originally had a four-pot as well but switched to an inline-six in 1977 when it started to be referred to as the 320/6 to distinguish it from the earlier four-pot model.
The six-cylinder 320 was never sold in the United States but many moons later, a mint-condition example is up for grabs in America. It’s a 1979 car with only 61,956 miles (99,710 kilometers) on the clock and in remarkable condition given its venerable age. It still has the original Chamonix White paint and it even still has the factory labels on the underside of the hood. At the rear, the trunk lid still contains the tool kit while the blue interior is a veritable time capsule.
While this isn’t the most special version of the E21 breed since it’s no Baur TopCabriolet, the sports sedan is a reminder of simpler times. It’s obvious this car has had some work done to look this great some 44 years after rolling off the assembly line. Its simplicity is refreshing in this day and era when cars are becoming rolling computers.
At the heart of the BMW 320 was a carbureted M20 with a 2.0-liter displacement and a respectable output of 109 horsepower and 157 Newton-meters (116 pound-feet) of torque sent to the rear axle via a five-speed manual gearbox. It was fitted with independent suspension front and rear as well as disc brakes at both axles.
Based in Rockville in Maryland, Flemings Ultimate Garage has this car up for grabs and it’s asking $19,990. It’s impossible to know how many of these have survived over the decades but this has to be one of the nicest that has withstood the test of time.
