For our second entry in this week’s celebration of German open-air motoring, we will examine a true ‘80s icon. Launched in late 1982, the E30 was a seminal baby Bimmer, a worthy successor to the ’02s and the E21. It also heralded the return of the full-fledged drop-top within the BMW family, after a decade-and-a-half-long hiatus. A shrewd move – and very well-timed, too.
To begin with, BMW had tasked Baur to produce a “TC” model, just as they had done with the -02 and E21 – a two-door saloon with a soft top, essentially, and never exported to Japan. But the real thing, without a B-pillar and lacking window frames, was the star of the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show. To begin with, the cabriolet was only available with the 170hp 2.5 litre straight-6, as befits a top-of-the-range model.
Remember the days when BMW’s range made sense? It was a sort of Goldilocks time for the Bavarian firm. You had your smaller 3-Series, your mid-sized 5-Series and your large 7-Series, plus the odd even-numbered coupé. First digit was the series, then two numbers for the engine displacement (sort of). Not rocket science, but you knew where you stood.
In 1987, a 2-litre 6-cyl. was added to the mix, later followed by a 1.8 litre 4-cyl. variant. But it wasn’t all downmarket from the start: in 1988, the M3 cabrio (2.3 litre DOHC 4-cyl., 195-215hp) was put in the range. That super-spicy drop-top is the real rarity of the whole E30 kind, with only 786 units made. By contrast, our feature car is the most common type of the E30 cabriolets, with over 85,000 sold until MY 1993.
And it seems a not-insignificant fraction of that 85k production run was gobbled up by the Japanese market. It was the go-go ‘80s over here just as much (if not more) than everywhere else, and BMW really started selling a lot of cars here from that point on – especially the 3-Series. The Japanese economy went into overdrive right about when the E30 hit the market, so it became one of the cars that characterized this era, referred to by the Japanese themselves as the “Bubble economy.”
Bubbles tend to burst, and this one certainly did in 1991-92. Right when the E30 was being phased out. Coincidence? Well, yes. But it still turned this BMW, more than any other, into something of a symbol in these parts. The car had a cooler image than the Mercedes 190E and it became such a common sight that it got a nickname: they called it the “Roppongi Corolla.” Roppongi is a swanky area of Tokyo, actually quite close to where I caught this one.
I’ve seen a fair amount of E30s around Tokyo for sure – most of them 4-doors, but the other body types, bar the Baur, are also well represented. As far as I can recall, they were all automatics (except for M3s), and very few were under the 2-litre mark. Which makes sense when one realizes that the 316 was never imported here. This is one of the major differences between the Japanese and European E30s. That and nobody ever called them anything in particular other than “the small BMW,” as far as I know. Nicknames are harder to earn, over in old Europe.
The next generation E36 are present in this country, but in far smaller numbers than E30s. In fact, the other day I found myself looking at an E36/5 Compact – i.e. the stubby hatchback – and figured I hadn’t laid eyes on one in years, when they were ubiquitous back when I lived in Europe. Not that I miss them or any other E36 exactly. Being in a place where a healthy E30 population is still roaming the roads is fine by me. Fine-looking cars, for the time. For all time, even.
The BMW E30 was exactly what the affluent and younger Japanese DINKY-yuppie types wanted back in the late ‘80s. And thanks both to the car’s inherent virtues and to a local obsession with tidiness and vehicle maintenance, one can find virtually showroom-fresh examples still in their first owner’s possession, 35 years on. The Bubble may have burst, but this sweet cabriolet has kept its top on.
Related posts:
CC Capsule: A Pair Of BMW E30 Convertibles – Antisocial Bloomingtonians, by Perry Shoar
CC Capsule: 1968-70 Lancia Fulvia and 1990-93 BMW 325i – A Couple Of Rich, Full-Bodied Reds, by William Stopford
I spent almost twenty years daily-driving, autocrossing and roadracing E30 BMWs. They were a handsome, durable and capable partner throughout and I’d just about commit to another one despite the huge jumps in horsepower made by newer cars. They just made driving fun.
These were handsome, just right sized cars. My older brother bought a new 320i back in 1980. I got to drive it a few times, I admired it’s efficiency. Later models added more “luxury” features as the 320i was a bit Spartan. However, I liked that aspect of it’s personality.
I still see a few of these rag tops around town, the owners value them and keep them in good shape.
If you were a reader of Car and Driver back in the ’90’s, there was a company that offered rebuilt BMW heads and engines. It was a small ad in the back of the magazine. The ad stated that you shouldn’t abandon your baby because it needed a rebuilt engine.
i suppose that many that needed a “new” engine were junked because the economics of fixing them didn’t add up.
Weren’t they known as the Munich Cortina? Or was that the E21? And probably not outside the UK.
Never heard this. But it nails it …
Late 1980s to 1990s model years… The BMWs I would love to drive (in automatic form!)
Currently on about my 27th older bmw, just sold my 99 e39 528msport sedan I’ve had for about 5 years due to a friend offering me a 98 328 sedan he had built into an msport over the last five years… I’ve had probably 8 or 9 e36s with two m3s in that mix, a 97 5 sp coupe with 240k miles that ran like 30k miles and a 99 techno violet auto vert… Had my share of e30s also.. 2 coupes and 5 verts… Last was a 91 Mauritius blue convertible that I was considering it being a keeper. Coming home from a Who concert at Mohegan Sun ct at about 1:30am, while doing 65 mph we hit the ass end of a dear with the right front… Air bag popped and we were both shocked. Fan was touching the rad so it was flatbedded home. We finally arrived home about 4am… Pulled the rad support away the next morning and the rad was not even !eaking… Drove the car with no problems. Ac even still operated.. Love the older bimmers … Best ever built
After the deer strike…
Really nice looking and driving cars, but what made them so sporty was partly their very light structure. My son’s best friend was driving to out house in VT in his pride & joy E30 one April and at about 30 mph on a back windy road in Charlotte (rural area S of Burlington) encountered a snow squall unexpectedly and in the first 60 seconds of it went over a big back road whoop-do-do, lost it, and it rolled into a big pine that was lower and off the road. It crushed and pancaked the entire roof structure right down to the top of the doors, and it was a miracle he wasn’t killed, evidently he’d been sort of thrown down in front of the seat with just enough room remaining over his head. He was stunned but walked the 1/2 mile to our house, and we drove back and reported it. Totaled of course. Incredible that the E30 roof was so flimsy, not like SAABs and Volvos that they could drop on their roof using a crane and they could still open the doors!
Always admired these, and I have soft spot for the convertible (but not the Baur) and the Touring.
Something just right sized, still a decent sports saloon and not trying to catch a Merc 190 on luxury or status.