Welcome to the Internet home for those European model BMW E21s that made it to North America! Find information on all the European E21 models - 315, 316, 318, 318i, 320/4, 320/6 and 323i. Much of this data can be useful to owners of US-spec 320i models, too.
In the 70's and 80's, there were many desirable European cars that weren't officially imported into the US and Canada due to the regulations that existed then. In the case of 1977-83 3 series BMWs (E21 chassis), it made better sense financially to certify just one all-purpose model, the US-only 320i. It differed from E21 cars sold in the rest of the world mainly in lighting, impact bumpers, and engine. It was equipped with (depending on the year) either a 1.8 or 2.0 liter fuel injected 4 cylinder engine. Elsewhere, E21s were offered in a variety of models, ranging from the 315 (carburated 1.6 liter 4 cyl) to the 323i (injected 2.3 liter 6 cyl w/rear disc brakes). Quite a few of these "unobtainable" models were imported privately. This page exists as a place for owners of these cars (which are not common in North America) to find and share info on them.
Where did the term "gray market" come from?
When referring to cars, "gray market" is a term that dates from the late '70s and early '80s. In those days the most desirable European models were generally not imported into the US by their manufacturers, due to the smog and safety regulations. Examples include the 323i (both E21 and E30) and 745i for BMW, and cars such as the original 911 Turbo and Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3/16 that were available only in Europe for several years before their respective manufacturers certified and imported them for sale here.
So people would buy the cars in Europe and then import them privately to the US, where they were supposed to be "federalized" (modified to meet federal emissions and safety standards). Some were federalized, some were not. Of those that were, some were done well, others were not.
The manufacturers of the cars involved held varying opinions of these privately imported cars. BMW was (and still is) rather ambivalent towards them. Mercedes took a harsher stance, privately imported cars were not acknowledged at all, dealers were not to service them, or supply parts for them. Porsche and Ferarri were very disturbed by them, because many people had discovered that even for normal models such as the 911 and 308GTB, it was often cheaper to import and federalize a European model that it was to buy the "official" US spec model. Legend has it that Porsche (or more likely, Ferarri) sued to keep these cars out of the states, referring to it as buying cars via an illegal black market. They lost the suit, and the automotive journalists following the suit coined the term "gray market" cars; it wasn't a black market, but it wasn't quite white either.
Some of the names, logos, and images on these pages may be registered trademarks and remain the property of their respective owners.
Thanks to the administrators of the E21 High Performance Web Page for the permission to use some of the graphics and info on these pages.
Some of the information on these pages came from the archives of the E21 Digest Mailing List. Thanks, Philip!
