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Thread: e21 Production Numbers

  1. #1
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    e21 Production Numbers

    Passing this info along that I found while trying to see how rare (or not) the 323i actually was. This info is taken from the BMW production records that are part of the TIS. One of the e30 guys did all the leg-work, wanting to get production data on e30 verts, but decided to expand it to all the model ranges covered in the TIS. If you are interested in seeing the data for the other ranges, it is HERE in pdf format. The specific e21 info is below, with my notes on the side.

    By Market:
    Market -- Total_Production
    anon -- 12965 (not sure what this is)
    ECE -- 1153004 (translates to World Market Catalog, which is different than Europe and US)
    EUR -- 4236 (Europe)
    USA -- 186039 (US, duh)

    By Model:
    Model Total_Production
    315 -- 107839
    316 -- 337519
    318 -- 93209
    318i -- 192566
    320 -- 389101
    320e -- 98899
    323e -- 38262
    323i -- 98849

    By Motor:
    Motor Total_Production
    M10 -- 948431
    M20 -- 407813

    By Transmission type:
    Transmission_Type Total_Production
    AUT -- 128788
    MECH -- 1227456 (manual, for those that might not get the translation)




    So, the US cars should fall under the 320 or 318i categories for specific model, at least I would think. But I'm not sure really. HOWEVER, since they are all 'basically' the same and the BMW numbers see no difference between 320 and 320is, we do know the total number of cars produced for us and can work anything we need from that.

    We do know that 13.7% of e21's were built as US spec. We can't say for sure how many were manual vs auto though. There may be more info on that somewhere, as well as color breakdowns. I highly doubt many of the World Spec cars came here as legit imports through BMW of North America since they would not have had the required US equipment (bumpers, turn signals, headlights, etc).

    I found it pretty interesting that there was a 323e and 320e. Personally I had no clue about them before seeing this. It is possible that the 320/6 was classified as a 320e since there is no listing for that, but I'm not 100% sure. But that doesn't solve the 323e 'question'. Anyone else heard of these designators?
    Last edited by uberpanzer; 09-23-2010 at 11:55 PM. Reason: Fixing formatting of 'tables'
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    320/323e is news to me. Despite the production numbers, the only in-the-flesh 323i (or any euro spec e21) I've ever seen is parked in my garage.

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    I have a 323 parked in my garage too, and I've seen two 320/6 up here although they were down to parts car quality.

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    Not very many e21s where I am. I've seen 4 or 5 of them cruising around, all US-spec 320i (one iS).

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    That's all very confusing. ECE does in fact include Germany, as my M635 is an ECE car. The super low number in the EUR column suggests to me that it might be the UK or Sweeden, something very small.

    I have no idea what the "e" means. USA cars are probably included in the "320" column, as it is the biggest number, and there were a massive amount of cars sent here.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Layne View Post
    ECE does in fact include Germany, as my M635 is an ECE car. The super low number in the EUR column suggests to me that it might be the UK or Sweeden, something very small.
    It almost looks to me like the term ECE can vary from platform to platform. I would imagine that it includes the RHD cars, but don't really know for sure. I know some of the 8 Series cars that made it here were ECE, not US. It really did denote World Market I guess, but isn't very clear as to exactly what all that entails.

    Quote Originally Posted by Layne View Post
    USA cars are probably included in the "320" column, as it is the biggest number, and there were a massive amount of cars sent here.
    I wouldn't call 13% of the entire e21 production run a massive amount, but w/e. According to some of the BMW data I've found, our late model US cars would actually be considered 318i, since they were 1.8L injected models, no 2.0L carb'd models that "320" would indicate. Pretty confusing overall, and since I'm on a Mac, I can't access the TIS myself (and on vacation right now so don't feel like heading into work to fire up my Windows laptop to sort this now). The ETK does list 320i, although that looks to be because it sorts based off of regional model designator, not actual engine displacement/sorting codes. Hell, this could all be due to the person at BMW putting it together not looking at the variances in model codes by region due to the name differences. They may have lumped the Euro 2.0L carb'd versions together the US 1.8L injected ones. That was why I at least worked some other % figures off of the US spec number (since that was at least solid info).
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    Quote Originally Posted by uberpanzer View Post
    Passing this info along that I found while trying to see how rare (or not) the 323i actually was. This info is taken from the BMW production records that are part of the TIS. One of the e30 guys did all the leg-work, wanting to get production data on e30 verts, but decided to expand it to all the model ranges covered in the TIS. If you are interested in seeing the data for the other ranges, it is HERE in pdf format. The specific e21 info is below, with my notes on the side.

    By Market:
    Market -- Total_Production
    anon -- 12965 (not sure what this is)
    ECE -- 1153004 (translates to World Market Catalog, which is different than Europe and US)
    EUR -- 4236 (Europe)
    USA -- 186039 (US, duh)

    By Model:
    Model Total_Production
    315 -- 107839
    316 -- 337519
    318 -- 93209
    318i -- 192566
    320 -- 389101
    320e -- 98899
    323e -- 38262
    323i -- 98849

    By Motor:
    Motor Total_Production
    M10 -- 948431
    M20 -- 407813

    By Transmission type:
    Transmission_Type Total_Production
    AUT -- 128788
    MECH -- 1227456 (manual, for those that might not get the translation)




    So, the US cars should fall under the 320 or 318i categories for specific model, at least I would think. But I'm not sure really. HOWEVER, since they are all 'basically' the same and the BMW numbers see no difference between 320 and 320is, we do know the total number of cars produced for us and can work anything we need from that.

    We do know that 13.7% of e21's were built as US spec. We can't say for sure how many were manual vs auto though. There may be more info on that somewhere, as well as color breakdowns. I highly doubt many of the World Spec cars came here as legit imports through BMW of North America since they would not have had the required US equipment (bumpers, turn signals, headlights, etc).

    I found it pretty interesting that there was a 323e and 320e. Personally I had no clue about them before seeing this. It is possible that the 320/6 was classified as a 320e since there is no listing for that, but I'm not 100% sure. But that doesn't solve the 323e 'question'. Anyone else heard of these designators?

    Jeroen may be able to shed some light on this. I found this on his website, FWIW:
    http://www.bmwe21.net/
    Click on E21 Special Editions if it is not directly linked (text is below). There are some references to an "E" Edition, although I doubt that it is the same "e' in the production numbers site above.

    However, I am curious about the "M" Edition 1982 Brochure listed on the page. Is that Dutch? It certainly looks like an E21 with an "M" Badge, and I can see a reference to "MotorSport-kit". Any thoughts?

    Jeroen?




    Here I want to describe the limited edition models of the E21. Versions I’ve gathered data on sofar include:

    Edition ‘E’
    Edition ‘S’
    Edition ‘M’
    John Player Special
    US 320iS

    If you have any remarks or additions… let me know!

    Edition ‘E’ (Western Europe)
    This is where BMW started with limited editions to boost sales of models soon to be replaced…
    Available: 1982
    Mods: Opal green metallic paint, Wollvelours cloth ‘big’ comfort seats from the E12 5-series in Piniengrun, full interior in Piniergrun (green), three spoke leather sports steering wheel, rear headrests, 5.5x13” multispoke alloys in Opal green metallic, rear view mirrors in Opal green metallic
    Available as: 318i, 320/6, 323i

    Edition ‘S’ (Western Europe)
    Available: 1982
    Mods: Two tone Ascot grey and Graphite grey metallic paint, Recaro sports seats in Antrazit, interior Antrazit (grey), three spoke leather sports steering wheel, 5.5x13” cross spoke BBS alloys in silver, BBS deep front spoiler, black trunklid spoiler, sports suspension with gas pressure shocks (probably Sachs), rear view mirrors in vehicle body paint
    Available as: 323i

    Edition ‘M’ (Western Europe)
    Available: 1982 Brochure
    Mods: Motorsport kit consisting of deep front spoiler (painted), black rubber trunklid spoiler with ///M badge, black or grey striping all round, reflector plate in between the taillights and painted side mirrors. Advised to be combined with sports suspension and alloys. No mods to engine & suspension.
    Available as: 320/6, 323i

    JPS - John Player Special limited edition (United Kingdom & Australia)
    These cars were introduced using the successes of the JPS sponsored racecars.
    Available: 1981-1982
    Description: All cars were black with gold JPS striping, JPS decals on C-pillars, dash plaque with production number, JPS horn button
    Mods: Bilstein gas pressure shocks, Motorsport lowering springs (-25mm), black cloth Recaro sports seats, Motorsport deep front spoiler, suede three spoke sports steering wheel, sunroof, BBS/Mahle original Motorsport alloys in 7x13” with gold centres.
    Optional: A/C, dogleg gearbox
    Available as: 323i (no engine mods).

    320iS (U.S.A)
    Available: 1982-early 1983
    Description: this was the Edition version for the USA. Mods below are compared to the ‘regular’ 1981-1982 US 320i:
    Mods: dark grey cloth interior with Recaro sports seats (black leather optional), BBS front air dam and trunklid spoiler, 25% limited slip differential, leather three spoke sports steering wheel, leather shift knob, electric passenger side rear view mirror, halogen high beams, larger diameter front anti-roll bar, rear anti-roll bar, special cross-spoke (BBS-BMW Motorsport style) 5.5x13” alloy wheels, AM/FM stereo cassette radio, front fog lights, deluxe tool kit, model designation deleted.
    Not available with auto transmission.

    Avaliable colors: Schwarz (black), Alpine (white), Polaris-metallic (silver, optional)
    Tom
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    1978 320i (parts)
    1991 325ix 5 speed, 1989 325ix (winter),
    1989 325ic (summer)
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    1975 Mercedes W115 300D (The Departed)
    the late 1979 323i Euro (project, Now Departed)

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    Well, considering that the Europe and UK/Aust versions listed there state which specific engines they were available with (320/6, 323i, etc), I would say that is NOT the meaning of it. Nice thought though, I remember reading about those now on Tricord's site, just had forgotten about them when going through this info.

    That M Version sounds like the beginnings of the dealership-installed optional equipment trend in Europe that spawned 'factory' e30 ///M325e cars in Europe. Basically the dealership would install enough Motorsport-derived parts where THEY felt the car was deserving of the ///M badge, even if all that had been changed was the shocks or floor mats. I think this is part of where the ///M-snobbery comes from with the ///M crowd sticking to their guns about VINs starting with WBSA equaling "real Motorsport cars" and everything else being the unwashed masses. The e21 'kit' here is all appearance parts, with only the front and rear spoilers possibly doing anything. It doesn't even include suspension upgrades, although they 'recommend them'.
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    This thread may be relevant to the guy considering the purchase of the 315 Euro with an "M' designation.
    Tom
    SE Connecticut
    1982 323i Baur, 1977 320i (carbed),
    1978 320i (parts)
    1991 325ix 5 speed, 1989 325ix (winter),
    1989 325ic (summer)
    1973 2002 Malaga (with frosting)
    1975 Mercedes W115 300D (The Departed)
    the late 1979 323i Euro (project, Now Departed)

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    Doug,

    Very interesting thread. I can remember going past the port in the late 70s and just seeing a sea of e21s and now wonder where they all are now? My first BMW was an e21 and with some 90 BMWs since, my heart is still with the e21!

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    Has anyone found more detailed production numbers?
    My dad bought his first BMW in 1979, a 320. The guy at the dealer said there were only two made that year in the canary yellow(not sure of actual color name). He stated that one came to NJ and one went to Cali. I would like to see if there were any others from that year.
    Any help is appreciated!

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    Never came across the paint breakdowns, but honestly never dug for them either. I haven't been into research as much these days as I used to, and hell I didn't even do the initial leg work on this, just found the work someone else had done while trying to look for what I was investigating (323i production numbers). Maybe try Google? "e21 paint code production numbers", or something along those lines.
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    I'm not aware that paint breakdowns actually exist for the E21. Look under the hood on top of the passenger's side fender and there's a sticker with the paint name. "Golf" is the only bright yellow available in '79 and it is indeed pretty rare. I've only seen a few and '79 was the last year for it, so it is possible that only 2 were sent to the US that year.
    Last edited by Layne; 02-06-2013 at 09:01 AM.

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    ECE stands for Economic Commission for Europe, a UN body charged with, amongst other things, setting automotive safety standards. The ECE Regulations often mirro the European Union's (EU) Directives. Vehicles built to the ECE Regs where supplied to many countries, including those parts of the EU who had adopted them as alternatives to the EU Directives (which changed over the years, getting more numerous as time passes). The USA did not, and sadly still does not, harmonise with ECE. Countries such as Australia and South Africa do, again more so now than then.

    "e" stands for "eta". or efficiency. That is a 320e is a fuel efficient version, or at least more so than a 320i. Generally a lot less fun too.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sageadvice View Post

    "e" stands for "eta". or efficiency. That is a 320e is a fuel efficient version, or at least more so than a 320i. Generally a lot less fun too.
    That only applies to E30 and E28, no such E21 eta exists.

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    One of those euro-spec 323i models is sitting in my garage. Bought it 9 years ago with a blown head-gasket, got another motor a few years ago, put it in, didn't finish for a couple years, and now it's locked. I think I'll put an m20b25 in it. I don't remember where I heard it, but I was told some years ago that there were ~114 euro-spec 323i models on US soil.

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    Quote Originally Posted by capndangerous View Post
    I don't remember where I heard it, but I was told some years ago that there were ~114 euro-spec 323i models on US soil.
    No one could have possibly known that, and the actual number was surely in the thousands during the 80's. I've probably seen 114 of them myself over the last 15 years. Perhaps a single importer brought in 114 of them. That would be a believable number.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Layne View Post
    No one could have possibly known that, and the actual number was surely in the thousands during the 80's. I've probably seen 114 of them myself over the last 15 years. Perhaps a single importer brought in 114 of them. That would be a believable number.
    This was an estimate of how many were left, out in the wild, and not a number of actual units produced or imported. This was told to me around 2008, and I find the number somewhat believable, as I imagine quite a few of them ended up in the scrapheap due to their tail-happy nature. Exactly why I love mine. Very high smiles-per-gallon.

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    Reviving a stale thread: Interesting info, OP. Any way to break down the model list further, as in how many e21's in the 320is model were manufactured or any estimations on what's left?

    I'm trying to either a) find the exact black/black leather '82 320is my mom got brand new (stepdad ordered it in '81) & taught me to drive on, or b) one just like it. She traded it in the mid-90's with about 200k on it & it still looked damn near showroom new. Wondering what my odds are....

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    Anyone aware of any Edition 'S' 323i's in the US?

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