BMW is one of those car brands for which a large group of enthusiasts can be found. However, the BMW that is showing its tricks on the shelves of In the Wild today is one of a model series that you rarely see anymore. We present: a BMW 2800 (E3) that is now 46 years old.
BMW is preparing for the launch of an all-new 7-series, of which an all-electric variant will appear in the form of the i7. It is already the seventh generation of the Siebener, but also before BMW came up with the first generation 7-series (E23) in 1977, the brand had a top sedan in the range. The BMW 2800 you see in these photos is one of them.
None other than Wilhelm Hofmeister – the master draftsman after which the BMW signature kink in the rear window pillar is named – was at the helm of the design team that drew the BMW E3. With the E3 presented in 1968, BMW returned to the top segment that it had turned its back on years earlier. As far as design is concerned, a typical BMW, you would think. Nothing is less true. At least, not in the years when E3 was still fresh. The predecessor of the 7-series was the first BMW with the double round viewers that would determine the face of the brand for the following decades – of course together with the kidney grille.
BMW only supplied the E3 with six cylinders, but had various sizes of those six cylinders on the menu during the nine-year career of the model. The entry-level was a 2.5, the largest six-cylinder had a capacity of 3.3 liters. The blue BMW E3 in these photos is from 1975 and is a 2800. That means – you guessed it – that a 2.8 is hidden in the slightly lowering snout of the model. When this E3 just rolled out of the factory, the power source was good for 170 hp.
The 2800 in these photos looks more than neat for a more than 45-year-old classic, but unfortunately the rust ghost has really hit the tailgate. Furthermore, the blue sedan seems to defend itself bravely against corrosion. According to RDW data, this E3 has only been with its second owner, which may explain why it looks so relatively fresh. It’s great that he’s still there. Hopefully the corrosion monster’s hunger after his tailgate dish has been sated and that’s it.
Although the first-generation 7-series with a length of 4.86 meters was already considerably longer than this 4.7-meter-long E3, both models are insignificant in size compared to the current generation 7-series. It significantly surpasses its ancestors with a height of 5.1 meters. The 4.8 meter long extended version of the E3 can’t compete with that either.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl