Contemplating the history of BMW’s compact executive class (first the Neue Klasse, later the 3-series), one can’t help but feel that the E21 gets lost in the shuffle, sort of like the middle child in a family. The 2002 was and is revered, and rightly so- it is a legend, a giant. The mass-produced, mass-marketed E30, meanwhile, literally had something for everyone, from the runty 318i to the exclusive, star athlete M3.
Compared to modern cars they can be tricky to handle, due to their tendency towards rather sudden lift-off oversteer during hard cornering, and a complete absence of electronic driver aids. However once mastered, or in the hands of a skilled driver, these cars are still known to offer a very rewarding driving experience. The 205 GTI was certainly one of the first front wheel drive cars said by many motoring experts to be as rewarding to drive hard as an equivalent rear-wheel drive car…
Image: Rhodri Lewis
.. with hands at 3 and 9 o’clock on the steering wheel. This is very much where we’d like to be.
(Image: Russell Griner)
I love how this photograph is quintessentially British Isles- overcast sky, lake, two-lane road (left-hand driving, natch). This is what I imagine driving in rural Britain to be like.
Photo credit: wougha
– Gyro
Coldplay, circa 1998. Back when they played alternative music and weren’t tabloid fodder.
– Gyro
Motoring Con Brio 