Official Release: During the course of more than three and a half decades, the face of the BMW 3 Series has constantly evolved. Designers have always managed to incorporate dynamics, innovation and aesthetics into a harmonious, modern and future-oriented overall concept, whilst at the same time preserving traditional values. As a result, each BMW 3 Series has retained its unmistakable brand identity and can be identified as a BMW at very first glance. However, the roots of the BMW Series reach back as far as the 1960s….
As a manufacturer of sporty, elegant sedans, BMW had at that time already developed a characteristic profile. With a notchback body design, front-mounted engines and rear-wheel drive, a basic principle was established back then (BMW 1500/2000) that still prevails to this very day. With the arrival of the BMW 1600 in 1966, the 2-door 02 Series, which produced such famous models as the 1600ti or the 2002tii, was launched on to the automotive market and eventually replaced by the BMW 3 Series.
We don’t often regurgitate American car magazine news but this one is hard to not mention. Car and Drive has named the E9X 3 Series to its annual top 10 list. But that’s not why it’s noteworthy. It’s because this is the 21st straight year that has happened.
Official Release: The BMW 3 Series has been named to the Car and Driver 10Best Cars list for 2012, marking the 21st consecutive 10Best win for the BMW 3 Series. It is the only car to achieve such an unbroken string of wins.
With BMW preparing to release it’s latest 3 Series, now’s a great time to look back what the history of the most important model in BMW’s history. The story starts in 1975 with the E20…
With 2012 BMW is making a variety of changes across the line-up. Here’s a full rundown of every change on every model.
All Vehicles
BMW Apps is available as a stand-alone option on all models for $250. With this addition, the Smartphone Integration will be removed as a stand-alone option and now included in BMW Apps.
You can see the entire line-up in detail after the break.
With BMW readying both its new 3 Series (F30) and the M3 DTM car, folks at BMW PR have decided it’s a good time to take a look back at the racing history of the model.
Official Release: Over the 5 generations since its launch, the BMW 3 Series has enjoyed a most impressive career. This applies to its market success, but also especially to its career in motorsports. During the past 35 years, the 3 Series models with their characteristic compact dimensions, dynamic engines and sporty suspension have contributed considerably towards dynamic performance and the brand’s excellent reputation on the racetrack. With such attributes, BMW’s midrange model is ideally suited for successful use in motorsports in particular. With its return in 2012 to the DTM, a top motorsport category, BMW intends to replicate its earlier successes with the BMW M3 DTM now currently under development.
There is no mistaking that we here at BimmerFile are fans of the hatch and even more so the sport wagon, which in some markets is still called “touring”. We love them for their increased functionality all while not sacrificing the driving benefits of a sedan. We recently spent time behind the wheel of a 2011 330iT (RWD), equipped with the sport automatic slush box.
As a farewell to outgoing models many markets release “Editions”, these special run cars come with a set of special features and equipment that set the last year off from the rest of the production run- enticement to buy a last year model. The model we spent several days jaunting around Bavarian hop farms in was of the German persuasion and it was equipped almost how we’d build our own.
What began as a bet with myself turned into one heck of a day, one of the most memorable solo days in a car not on a track in a long time. The “bet” or shall we call it a race- was if I could beat high speed rail back home after picking up an unnamed press demonstrator in Munich. Mind you I was taking the Inter City Express, or ICE for short, Germany’s version of a bullet train. According to the DB schedule and the website’s estimates my trip would be just over 90 minutes including a transfer. ViaMichelin.com estimated my time in the car on the return trip to be 10 minutes longer- hog wash!
I happened to miss the afternoon rush hour escape from Munich thanks to careful planning. This plan centered around my hopes to get on the autobahn when it was after dinner and most Bavarians would be settling down for the night at home after eating a heavy dinner. I’d like to think of my plan as a smart one and smart people tend to think alike (or so people say), so to my surprise I saw some headlights I was not familiar with in my dazzle dipped rear view. These lights were insanely bright, looked very white and LED lit, as the car closed on me I saw squared off Angel Eyes. Could this be my first real life encounter with a moving F30 3 Series?
Earlier this month we gave you a sneak peak at the new Performance Edition 335i. Today we get the official release with a few new details. As previously mentioned the Performance Edition (option code ZMZ) will be available on all 335i models from now until the end of E90 production in November. Either the sport package or M Sport package is required but once you get past that hurdle PE is only an extra $550. It’s a surprising value for BMW but one that makes sense considering it’s a software only upgrade. Unlike the N54′s BMW Performance engine upgrade, the N55′s kit (which of course is the basis of this option) doesn’t need additional cooling and thus there is no extra hardware needed. In fact the only physical part of the kit are the black kidney grilles that come as part of the option.
One surprise in this release is that, not only will this kit be marketed to current 335i owners but also current 135i owners. We’re guessing this is meant just for N55 equipped cars with either the Sport or M Sport package.
Official Release: Performance breeds excitement and the BMW Performance Edition for the 2011 335i / xDrive Sedan ensures that new car buyers are in for that extra thrill beyond the outstanding performance that can already be realized with these exciting vehicles. Customers can now option their vehicles with a special BMW Performance Edition (option code ZMZ) that includes an all-new Power Kit, black kidney grilles and a “BMW Performance Edition” badge for only $550.
BimmerFile is dedicated to bringing you the most interesting news, links and reviews related to the BMW brand and it's vehicles.
We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
In short, we can't get enough of BMWs. This is BimmerFile.
Sections: E21 3 Series, E30 3 Series, E36 3 Series, E46 3 Series, E90 3 Series, F30 3 Series Jan 13th, 2012 2 Comments 
