BMW 3 Series celebrates 40 years

It’s hard to believe that it's been 40 years since the BMW 3 Series was first introduced, with the Bimmer making its debut in 1975. The compact executive series – that has spawned sedans, station wagons, coupes and convertibles - has offered accessible and rewarding rear wheel drive experiences for six generations now, and has been the cornerstone of BMW’s success. Also from this series arose the legendary M3.

Seeing how the 3 Series has evolved (in the video below), we realise how remarkable the transformation has been. It has changed immensely since taking over the iconic 2002, to become bigger, rounder and incredibly powerful by comparison. You wouldn’t be able to tell by observation that today’s M3 is a descendent of the 1975 320i.

The different generations are identified by their body designations - E21, E30, E36, E46, E90, F30. Which one’s your favorite? Can we not choose and say we like them all?