Meet The Owner - James Ross Sinclair and his BMW 320/6

The 3-Series was probably the first BMW to gain mass popularity in the UK. Speeding Home Counties motorists in the 1970s might have encountered a Thames Valley police 3.0S and a successful barrister might have chosen 528 but even the cheapest of the 02s were never widely seen. James Ross Sinclair is the proud owner of a 1982 320/6 A in splendid condition. More importantly, “this car was a gift to myself after I got my all-clear diagnosis after being quite poorly this year”.

The E21 3-series debuted in 1975 as the successor to the 02 range; the entry-level 1502 lasted until 1977. When Car tested the 320i in the previous year opposite an Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV 2000 and a Lancia Beta 2000 Coupe they thought it: “A very smooth, pleasant car that just gets on with its job with a minimum of fuss. It is well-designed and beautifully built, but for almost £5,000, one cannot help feeling it is rather too ordinary”

BMW devotees preferred the description “low-key” and regarded the likes of the Ford Capri Ghia Mk. II with mild disdain. Autocar was more positive - “It should find as keen a public as its predecessor did” - while Motor Sport rhapsodised:

In general there is no mistaking the 320 for a BMW: that feel of tautness, the aura of quality, a train-like sensation of dependability, attention to detail such as the Jensen-like automatic delay on the interior courtesy light. Added to that, this new model is comfortable, relaxing and quite extraordinarily easy and enjoyable to drive.

Power for the 320 was originally from BMW’s M10 four-cylinder engine but in 1977 it gained the M20 straight-six unit. British sales began in the following year and at £5,549, it was more expensive than an Audi 100LS and a Volvo 244DL. In addition, the Triumph Dolomite Sprint cost over £600 less but BMW drivers would argue that quality was beyond price.

The E30 3-Series replaced the E21 in 1982, making James’s 320 one of the last of the line. He explains:

The car was originally in a BMW dealership since 2016 when two dealerships merged and it was sitting at the back of a workshop following a trade-in on a new 3 series. The dealer principal gave the go-ahead for it to be restored - this then happened over the intervening years in between other work. It was completed in 2022. It cost over £15k in parts and time, but bear in mind that was an internal invoice with no VAT. It was originally supplied by Sunbridge Park Motors, BMW dealers in Bromley.

We wish James every happiness in his magnificent Henna Red 320/6. After all, to quote an American advertisement “In a BMW, the driver is not asked to compensate for the shortcomings of the automobile”.

With Thanks To: James Ross Sinclair