I bought my first BWM, an 87 325e 4 door last June and would
like to know more about it.
What does the "e" stand for?
How is this car different from the other 3 series of 87?
320i vs. 325e
325es vs. 325e
TIA
October 31, 2009
What is an 87 325e
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Doug Lucy wrote:
> I bought my first BWM, an 87 325e 4 door last June and would
> like to know more about it.
> What does the "e" stand for?
> How is this car different from the other 3 series of 87?
> 320i vs. 325e
> 325es vs. 325e
> TIA
"e" stands for eta engine. This was a low horsepower (approx. 121),
high torque (170) engine used in the US market to provide higher fuel
economy. The "i" version has more horsepower (165 or so) and about the
same torque. The "i" version is more coveted by BMW diehards.
Comment by admin — October 31, 2009 @ 5:29 pm
I have an ’87 325e also and found a great resource page at the E30 (design
name of our car) Car Club page. The URL is http://grimace.res.cmu.edu/
Enjoy!
Daryl Kern
BmwDave1 <cc004…@mindspring.com> wrote in article
<33625B9E.1…@mindspring.com>…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> Doug Lucy wrote:
> > I bought my first BWM, an 87 325e 4 door last June and would
> > like to know more about it.
Comment by admin — October 31, 2009 @ 5:29 pm
dl…@aclltd.com (Doug Lucy) wrote:
>I bought my first BWM, an 87 325e 4 door last June and would
>like to know more about it.
>What does the "e" stand for?
>How is this car different from the other 3 series of 87?
>320i vs. 325e
>325es vs. 325e
>TIA
Congrats, Doug. I had my 87 325es for 10 years and loved it in the 10th
year like I did when it was new!
In recent 3-digit bimmer model numbers, the 2nd and 3rd digit indicated
(approximately) the engine displacement in liters. They don’t really
follow the rule all the time, though. I’m not sure about 320, but I think
it was a 4-cylinder about 2 liters.
Through most of the 87 model year, all the 325s had the 6-cyl 2.7 liter eta
engine, which I understand BMW designed for fuel economy. Didn’t have
tremendous horsepower, but enough torque to be lots’o'fun. Toward the end
of the model year they switched to the "i" engine with a bit more oomph,
and changed the model names. Curiously, though, even the "e" had fuel
injection, which was what the "i" suffix was reported to stand for.
There were four variations in the 87 3-series lineup: "325" 2-door and
"325" 4-door were the base models; "325e" was the "luxury" 4-door with
standard leather; and "325es" was the "sporty" 2-door with sport seats,
limited slip diff, and a few other goodies.
Have a ball in your new car, and welcome to the club!
Mike Butler
mbut…@one.net
’97 528i
Comment by admin — October 31, 2009 @ 5:29 pm