BMW 323i E21 review: The epitome of true BMW DNA

Considering that, if you think about it, it's been on the move all night, the new morning dawns with a very sunny disposition over the hills of the Kraichgau. It will surely rise to a day of celebration. Yes, we already sense that as the morning lingers for a few more hours to the east.

So we set off for this car, which BMW, after four years of production, still hailed as an "anticipated piece of the future." Today, a 323i represents so much more than a retroactive piece of the past, as we celebrate it as an "Old Car in Test." A little bit for us too, because this is our 50th Old Car in Test. Ten years ago, we're standing in Lahr, Seufert, Rupp, and Renz, and we can hardly believe that Mercedes is bringing us a 300 SL Gullwing, unloading it from the truck, and saying: "Right, now, just do it" (which can only be imperfectly translated as "Now, gentlemen, take a good measure!").

Now we could claim that we knew from the start that everything would be perfect. But, friends, we know each other too well for that. Instead, we – Seufert, Rupp, and Renz – are standing together again, now in Hockenheim, and we can hardly believe two things. First, that we've had the pleasure of testing the old cars together for ten years. Second, that BMW is sending us this fabulous 323i.

What a magnificent car for this, its own, and any other occasion. Yes, if we were all, past and present, sitting around a large conference table and had to agree on a car that most embodies the spirit of auto-motor-und-sportlichkeit, it would be the Porsche 911. No, just kidding, it would be the BMW 3 Series—regardless of the generation, regardless of the engine: it has to be an inline six.

After two years of production, the E21 received its first model in the fall of 1977 – first the two-liter with a Solex 4A1 twin-register carburetor, followed shortly thereafter by the 2.3-liter with Bosch K-Jetronic manifold injection. Does this make the 320 the first six-cylinder three-cylinder? Oh, how nice of you to ask, so we can be clever: No, that was the 303 in 1932, for which Rudolf Schleicher and Karl Rech developed the 1200cc inline six-cylinder engine with 30 hp, derived from a motorcycle engine.

But back to the 1970s, when BMW was already looking for more prestige and more cylinders in its 3 Series. Since the existing inline engines with their 100 mm cylinder spacing didn't fit under the short hood, Alexander von Falkenhausen started developing the M20 engines, which were completed by Karlheinz Lange. Lange would later say that he would have started it differently, and von Falkenhausen perhaps would have finished it differently. The rivalry between the men probably benefited both the quality and the success of the engines, some 1.7 million of which were built up until 1992. According to the philosophy of Bayerische Motoren Werke, inline six-cylinder engines are much more than heat engines; they are an expression of sublime driving refinement. No, they aren't smaller. But why should they be?

Even now, as it warms up at idle in the pit lane, the 323i isn't filled with free energies and first- and second-order moments, but rather with temptations, promises, and promises: a velvety rumble, serene high-revving, and disciplined exuberance of power. Because at 1,116 kg, 143 hp is just 143 hp. Enough to create a rapid commotion, but so select in number that every single one counts.

Measuring devices installed, out on the track, first to measure that the speedometer shows more than the correct speed, but certainly never less than the perceived speed of the tempo - which the sound ambience knows how to support with intensive revs thanks to the short gear ratio of the four-speed gearbox.

Then it's positioned at the far corner of the hairpin. The hood – gently quivering under short bursts of gas, with which Otto gets the car going, as if it were revving himself up – points in the direction of the race. Otto squints and asks, "Ready?" "Otto, I'm always ready..." Yes, the clutch has already snapped, the rear wheels rasp for the blink of an eye, then the 323i surges forward as if trying to catch up with its own past. And it succeeds: eight for zero to 100 – a direct 0.9 seconds faster than when we tested it in late autumn 1977. All this wonderful, faster speed is brought to a halt quite forcefully by the four disc brakes.

Off to the slalom, after all, handling is part of the driving culture of a compact BMW. For this, the engineers developed a rear axle with semi-trailing arms, a stiffer anti-roll bar, and a tighter setup. They also tightened the springs and dampers on the front axle. The offset caster, thanks to offset struts, is intended to reduce steering forces and increase lateral stability. (Oh, aren't details like these the perfect way to cause a stir at your grumpy father-in-law's birthday and ask him the following question? "Raimund, I wouldn't care, but the neighbors are whispering that you were vehemently against the offset caster back in the 1970s. Is that really true?")

A run-up to the slalom, using the momentum—both the speed and the rear end, which lurches into oversteer, bold enough to elevate the handling, while the front wheels grip the line guided by the steering, which has a rough grip but is finely precise. Add to that the lightness, the overview, the real, not merely feigned, compactness of the 3 Series.

They set standards for the next six generations of the 3 Series, as well as for all the brilliance that defines a BMW. This includes—and this brings us to the dimensions of the interior—perfect ergonomics and well-organized operation without any prolixity. Such things are never to be expected from the space available, but there's always enough.

Time? It's about time for us, because now we're off on a fuel-efficiency test, which might lead to a high result. But even greater is the pleasure of driving the 323i, which has remained modern for over 50 years. The spring breeze roars through the side windows, carrying with it the chill of the approaching night. It's been on the road all day, darkening the sky as we park the 323i. As it cools down, its hot engine ticks down like a countdown to the final seconds of this 50th night.