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STORY

The BMW 3 Series is the core of the brand. It is the compact sports sedan that has been BMW's best-selling model for most of its life, and the car most people picture when they think of a BMW. It launched in 1975 as the E21, replacing the well-loved 02 Series. It combined BMW's formula of a light body, a smooth engine (increasingly the classic straight-six) and rear-wheel drive in an affordable package.

Generation after generation, the 3 Series set the benchmark in its segment. It was valued for balance, steering and driver response. It also gave rise to the M3, which made BMW M famous. From the E30 and E36 to today's electrified and all-wheel-drive versions, the 3 Series remains the model by which a mainstream "driver's car" is judged.