BMW series numbers....
Discussion
Im probably going to get a good flaming for this but....I consider myself to be a car nut and a definite PH'er but BMW's...They leave me so cold Im freezing!
The reason for the post is that I know my cars, I could tell you the difference between a VX220 NA and a VX220 Tubby, A standard 3 Door Sierra Cosworth and an RS500 and a Caterham R500 Superlight and a Caterham CSR. What I have never understood is all the E numbers (E30,E40,E60,E34,E46). I find it easier to understand Porsches weird way of naming their '911's' and they're bad enough!
Why cant Germans use names like everyone else? The BMW Bratwurst etc....
The reason for the post is that I know my cars, I could tell you the difference between a VX220 NA and a VX220 Tubby, A standard 3 Door Sierra Cosworth and an RS500 and a Caterham R500 Superlight and a Caterham CSR. What I have never understood is all the E numbers (E30,E40,E60,E34,E46). I find it easier to understand Porsches weird way of naming their '911's' and they're bad enough!
Why cant Germans use names like everyone else? The BMW Bratwurst etc....
doogz said:
Lordbenny said:
Im probably going to get a good flaming for this but....I consider myself to be a car nut and a definite PH'er but BMW's...They leave me so cold Im freezing!
The reason for the post is that I know my cars, I could tell you the difference between a VX220 NA and a VX220 Tubby, A standard 3 Door Sierra Cosworth and an RS500 and a Caterham R500 Superlight and a Caterham CSR. What I have never understood is all the E numbers (E30,E40,E60,E34,E46). I find it easier to understand Porsches weird way of naming their '911's' and they're bad enough!
Why cant Germans use names like everyone else? The BMW Bratwurst etc....
You know Caterham do an R300, R400, and R500?The reason for the post is that I know my cars, I could tell you the difference between a VX220 NA and a VX220 Tubby, A standard 3 Door Sierra Cosworth and an RS500 and a Caterham R500 Superlight and a Caterham CSR. What I have never understood is all the E numbers (E30,E40,E60,E34,E46). I find it easier to understand Porsches weird way of naming their '911's' and they're bad enough!
Why cant Germans use names like everyone else? The BMW Bratwurst etc....
And that Vauxhall refer to their models using letters? Corsa A, Corsa B, C, D, for exmaple.
330ci or m3
go on....
Lordbenny said:
Im probably going to get a good flaming for this but....I consider myself to be a car nut and a definite PH'er but BMW's...They leave me so cold Im freezing!
The reason for the post is that I know my cars, I could tell you the difference between a VX220 NA and a VX220 Tubby, A standard 3 Door Sierra Cosworth and an RS500 and a Caterham R500 Superlight and a Caterham CSR. What I have never understood is all the E numbers (E30,E40,E60,E34,E46). I find it easier to understand Porsches weird way of naming their '911's' and they're bad enough!
Why cant Germans use names like everyone else? The BMW Bratwurst etc....
Lots of manufacturers have a model designation similar to how BMW do it (think of the Civic for example) - the difference really is that BMW's are more well known than most others.The reason for the post is that I know my cars, I could tell you the difference between a VX220 NA and a VX220 Tubby, A standard 3 Door Sierra Cosworth and an RS500 and a Caterham R500 Superlight and a Caterham CSR. What I have never understood is all the E numbers (E30,E40,E60,E34,E46). I find it easier to understand Porsches weird way of naming their '911's' and they're bad enough!
Why cant Germans use names like everyone else? The BMW Bratwurst etc....
doogz said:
The OP is 'complaining' that BMW use numbers to refer to models, instead of names. And references a couple of manufacturers in his post, that pretty much do the exact same thing.
Yeah, but I know what they are.... I suppose the reason why I dont know what the E numbers refer to is because I have no interest in them. Maybe if they WERE called names I would take more of an interest?.....then again.... maybe not! 
doogz said:
crocodile tears said:
you mean like
330ci or m3
go on....
I'm sorry, i don't see your point. 330ci or m3
go on....
The OP is 'complaining' that BMW use numbers to refer to models, instead of names. And references a couple of manufacturers in his post, that pretty much do the exact same thing.
yes this is a reference to performance.. an 'R600' would be of higher performance than say an r300..
And that Vauxhall refer to their models using letters? Corsa A, Corsa B, C, D, for exmaple.
this is an alphabetical system where each generation becomes a new letter.. A B C D E F G H I J K L M..
bmw E numbers are not even a direct reference to age.. Just a random E number which is now becoming a random F
For instance the E32 came out before the E31
The old days were much better - Mk 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
OK, Jaguar took it to extremes with the Mk10 before changing to XJ but since then it seems they all got bogged down in keeping an identifiable name than showing a bit of innovation and changing it - Ford have always been more brave than most abandoning the evergreen Cortina name for Sierra and then abandoning that for Mondeo where they seem to have got stuck in a rut again and I find Mondeo the least interesting of the lot as a name tag.
I mean I get the preservation of the Transit name as it is partially so old, it is both iconic and definitive and yet so simply descriptive though it probabaly doesn't get shortened to "Tranny" like it used to back in the day.
Much prefer the American proper names regime like Challenger, Charger, Mustang, Corvette, Camaro etc and their "Gen 1, 2, 3 etc"
OK, Jaguar took it to extremes with the Mk10 before changing to XJ but since then it seems they all got bogged down in keeping an identifiable name than showing a bit of innovation and changing it - Ford have always been more brave than most abandoning the evergreen Cortina name for Sierra and then abandoning that for Mondeo where they seem to have got stuck in a rut again and I find Mondeo the least interesting of the lot as a name tag.
I mean I get the preservation of the Transit name as it is partially so old, it is both iconic and definitive and yet so simply descriptive though it probabaly doesn't get shortened to "Tranny" like it used to back in the day.
Much prefer the American proper names regime like Challenger, Charger, Mustang, Corvette, Camaro etc and their "Gen 1, 2, 3 etc"
HON2A said:
Get the T-shirt...
http://www.thecardisco.com/t-shirtgallery/single-g...
Proper car geek T shirt, love it http://www.thecardisco.com/t-shirtgallery/single-g...
Lordbenny said:
I find it easier to understand Porsches weird way of naming their '911's' and they're bad enough!
Wait 'til the day comes when you wake up and realise a Polo is the same size a Golf used to be, and a 1-series BMW convertible is almost identical to an older 3-series!Or go to the Audi shop and try to work out why they build the same car in six different sizes!
Or who dropped a heavy object on top of the Land Rover Discovery prototype just before it was revealed and had to work out what the hell to call it! It must have evoked an image of Mrs Beckham's shoes...
3 series has been E21, E30, E36, E46, E90 and now there's an F30.
5 series goes E12, E28, E34, E39, E60 and now F10.
7 series is E23, E32, E38, E65 and now F01.
6 series, the original was E24 and the newer ones are E63 and now F12.
X5 has been E53 and E70, X6 is E71
1-series has loads of E numbers because they give a different number for each bodyshell variant now e.g. 3-door, 5-door, cabrio etc.
5 series goes E12, E28, E34, E39, E60 and now F10.
7 series is E23, E32, E38, E65 and now F01.
6 series, the original was E24 and the newer ones are E63 and now F12.
X5 has been E53 and E70, X6 is E71
1-series has loads of E numbers because they give a different number for each bodyshell variant now e.g. 3-door, 5-door, cabrio etc.
The OP's point only exists if manufacturers use one name, once only. But they don't (and probably wouldn't want to), so every manufacturer uses it's type or project number to name their cars otherwise no-one would be able to differentiate them!
Here's some more to spin the OP's brain.
Range Rover P38
Alfa 916
Merc R107
Honda EK9
Nissan K10
etc.
Here's some more to spin the OP's brain.
Range Rover P38
Alfa 916
Merc R107
Honda EK9
Nissan K10
etc.
E30M3SE said:
The 'E' stands for Entwicklung, the German word for development, the following number relates to a model in 'development' which is easily recognised by all that need to recognise it.
Rather than go into triple numbers they havre moved onto 'F' followed by the model number..
Surely they wouldn't have needed to if they'd gone E30, E31, E32 instead of leaping in 10s.Rather than go into triple numbers they havre moved onto 'F' followed by the model number..
fizz47 said:
The BMW E63 ( 6 series coupe ) bothers me the most as Merc also do the E63 AMG so when seraching for parts or info on the net you get bomabarded with both..
Owning one, it bugs me too. BWM also make a bike that gets returned in results for "BMW 6 series" too. Very annoying.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff