30 years of the second-generation BMW 3 Series. BMW 3 Series Club to visit BMW Group on 16 June 2012 with more than 50 cars.

Munich. To mark the 30th anniversary of the second generation of the BMW 3 Series, the BMW 3 Series Club (E21/E30) e.V. is organising a special gathering from 14 to 19 June 2012. The highlight of the event will be a visit to the BMW Group on Saturday, 16 June 2012.

Wide-ranging programme for visitors and participants.

On that day the public are invited to view the gathered ranks of the participants’ 50-plus vehicles, which will be parked outside the BMW Museum on Petuelring between 13 and 17 hrs. During this time Club members will be on hand to talk to visitors and answer any questions. In addition to a tour of the BMW Museum, the 100 or so participants will also be able to visit the vehicle collection at BMW Group Classic (normally closed to the public), where the 3 Series models will be parked during the morning.

BMW 3 Series, second generation: a model family arrives on the scene.

1982 marked its inception: seven years after the successful market launch of the first-generation 3 Series and with sales having exceeded a million, the second generation of the BMW 3 Series was poised in the starting blocks. Unlike its predecessor, the new range lined up with an unprecedented array of model variants: the showrooms offered two-door and four-door models, full convertible and touring variants, as well as all-wheel-drive versions. Such a diverse portfolio back in the 1980s put BMW far ahead of its time. And success wasn’t long in coming: by 1983 – the first full production year – BMW had ramped up output by 50 per cent. Instead of turning out 800 BMW 3 Series models a day, the largely automated production process was dispatching 1,200 units from the assembly lines. BMW also had a brace of surprises lined up in the shape of a frugal BMW 3 Series diesel model and the BMW M3 sports variant. The “pinnacle of the 3 Series range” developed for the DTM by BMW Motorsport GmbH still ranks today as the world’s most successful touring car and the epitome of the ultimate sports sedan.