The BMW Board of Management pulled the sheet off its new 2-door sedans, the replacements for the wildly successful BMW 2002, at a ceremony in the Munich Olympic Stadium in July, 1975. The old "2002" badge was dropped in favor of a new moniker that would become synonymous with compact sedan performance: the 3 series. The new badge not only reflected a maturing of the model but also a growth in both its size and weight. The BMW 3 Series also marked the introduction of a new cockpit design that would take hold at BMW for the next two decades, characterized by an enveloping dash and a center console canted toward the driver.
To a range of four-cylinder engines, BMW soon added two six-cylinder engines. At the 1977 Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW unveiled the 320/6 and 323i, the latter displacing 2.3 liters and featuring Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and 143 horsepower. The top-of-the-range BMW 323i had a top speed of 118 mph, and disc brakes in all four wheels for improved stopping. By 1980, the 323i accounted for nearly 18 percent of BMW 3 Series production. Over 200,000 BMW 3 Series cars have been manufactured, with 137,107 cars being the 323i.
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