E numbers?
Author
Discussion

Zirconium

Original Poster:

82 posts

120 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
I don't count myself as any great expert, but I know a bit about cars. However, whenever I read something about an E28 (or whatever) BMW I have not a clue what generation of the 3-series (?) it refers to. Am I the only one? Please comment if you are as much in the dark as me. However, everyone else on here seems completely familiar with the system and knows immediately which car is meant.

Perhaps there is a course somewhere I could take?

LordGrover

34,189 posts

243 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all

JakeT

6,002 posts

151 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
If someone says that they have a BMW 328 it could be a:

1930s old thing

late E36 (1995-1999) 2.8 model

early E46 (1998-2000) 2.8 model

early F30 (2012-2015) 2.0 turbo model.

It does sound nerdy, and better than yow, but it's an easy way to differentiate models easily.

Gad-Westy

16,636 posts

244 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
Zirconium said:
I don't count myself as any great expert, but I know a bit about cars. However, whenever I read something about an E28 (or whatever) BMW I have not a clue what generation of the 3-series (?) it refers to. Am I the only one? Please comment if you are as much in the dark as me. However, everyone else on here seems completely familiar with the system and knows immediately which car is meant.

Perhaps there is a course somewhere I could take?
e28? 3 series? Amateur hour!

Anyway OP, you have my sympathies, I used to know my E-numbers inside out but that was back in the day when BMW made 3 different cars with the occasional mad venture into a fourth. I can't keep up any more and have given up.


Edited by Gad-Westy on Wednesday 28th March 11:33

Triumph Man

9,635 posts

199 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
Gad-Westy said:
Zirconium said:
I don't count myself as any great expert, but I know a bit about cars. However, whenever I read something about an E28 (or whatever) BMW I have not a clue what generation of the 3-series (?) it refers to. Am I the only one? Please comment if you are as much in the dark as me. However, everyone else on here seems completely familiar with the system and knows immediately which car is meant.

Perhaps there is a course somewhere I could take?
e28? 3 series? Amateur hour!

Anyway OP, you have my sympathies, I used to know my E-numbers inside out but that was back in the day when BMW made 3 different cars with the occasional mad venture into a fourth. I can't keep up any more and have given up.


Edited by Gad-Westy on Wednesday 28th March 11:33
They're on G numbers now! I must admit even I am struggling. However I use the codes as it's an easy ready reckoner as to what somebody is talking about. Plus a "1995 5 series" (for example) could easily be either an E34 or an E39, two very different cars.


Edited by Triumph Man on Wednesday 28th March 11:40

Gad-Westy

16,636 posts

244 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
Triumph Man said:
Gad-Westy said:
Zirconium said:
I don't count myself as any great expert, but I know a bit about cars. However, whenever I read something about an E28 (or whatever) BMW I have not a clue what generation of the 3-series (?) it refers to. Am I the only one? Please comment if you are as much in the dark as me. However, everyone else on here seems completely familiar with the system and knows immediately which car is meant.

Perhaps there is a course somewhere I could take?
e28? 3 series? Amateur hour!

Anyway OP, you have my sympathies, I used to know my E-numbers inside out but that was back in the day when BMW made 3 different cars with the occasional mad venture into a fourth. I can't keep up any more and have given up.


Edited by Gad-Westy on Wednesday 28th March 11:33
They're on G numbers now! I must admit even I am struggling
Any idea what the numbering logic has been? It seemed strange to me the way the 5-series went E12, E28, E34, E39 and then leaps to E60 then F10 and now G whatever. 3 series similar pattern. What was wrong with all the numbers in between?

Shiv_P

3,051 posts

136 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
Gad-Westy said:
Triumph Man said:
Gad-Westy said:
Zirconium said:
I don't count myself as any great expert, but I know a bit about cars. However, whenever I read something about an E28 (or whatever) BMW I have not a clue what generation of the 3-series (?) it refers to. Am I the only one? Please comment if you are as much in the dark as me. However, everyone else on here seems completely familiar with the system and knows immediately which car is meant.

Perhaps there is a course somewhere I could take?
e28? 3 series? Amateur hour!

Anyway OP, you have my sympathies, I used to know my E-numbers inside out but that was back in the day when BMW made 3 different cars with the occasional mad venture into a fourth. I can't keep up any more and have given up.


Edited by Gad-Westy on Wednesday 28th March 11:33
They're on G numbers now! I must admit even I am struggling
Any idea what the numbering logic has been? It seemed strange to me the way the 5-series went E12, E28, E34, E39 and then leaps to E60 then F10 and now G whatever. 3 series similar pattern. What was wrong with all the numbers in between?
AHA!

The M5 is F90 not G30

I mean WTF?

Mike335i

6,074 posts

133 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
Simple really:
E stands for Entwicklung which is German for development. It is there internal model designation naming system. So E3 means Entwicklung 3, or development 3, which incidentally was the first 3 series.

Fast forward and there were more models, so they ran out of E numbers. E9x was 3 series, E8x was 1 series, X3 and Z4, E7x was x5, E6x was 5, 6 and 7 series, E5x was old X5 and Z8 and so on and so on.

So after E came F. Starting with the 7 series F01. However, with so many more models including lots of X range, 2 and 4 series, gt models etc they ran out of F series numbers quickly, so are now onto G. G10 for 7 series, G2x for 3 zeroes and G3x for 5 series etc.

toon10

7,152 posts

188 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
I know most of my E numbers. My last car was an E90. I don't know the F's. I have an M135i LCi. Is that an F21? I don't really know. No idea what the current 3 series numbers are.

Daaaveee

917 posts

254 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
LordGrover said:
There's even more to it than this too, for example my F11 is not listed, but can be found under F10 along with the F07 and F18

bmwmike

8,785 posts

139 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
They "ran out of numbers"? wtf hehe

What does F and G stand for, anyone know?



Gad-Westy

16,636 posts

244 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
Mike335i said:
Simple really:
E stands for Entwicklung which is German for development. It is there internal model designation naming system. So E3 means Entwicklung 3, or development 3, which incidentally was the first 3 series.

Fast forward and there were more models, so they ran out of E numbers. E9x was 3 series, E8x was 1 series, X3 and Z4, E7x was x5, E6x was 5, 6 and 7 series, E5x was old X5 and Z8 and so on and so on.

So after E came F. Starting with the 7 series F01. However, with so many more models including lots of X range, 2 and 4 series, gt models etc they ran out of F series numbers quickly, so are now onto G. G10 for 7 series, G2x for 3 zeroes and G3x for 5 series etc.
You say it's simple and then post something that invites more questions than it answers wink Why no E56 to use an example? E95? Why no F's between 52 and 82? Why did tourings, convertibles etc start getting their own numbers when they used to all just be covered by one? I need to know! smile

Mike335i

6,074 posts

133 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
bmwmike said:
They "ran out of numbers"? wtf hehe

What does F and G stand for, anyone know?
OK, they ran out of E-and-two-digit-combination so moved on to F and two digit. The combination of letter and two numbers was quite established by then, so instead of a new system they moved to another letter instead. Maybe it is more marketable as progress? A new letter for a new generation etc.

Triumph Man

9,635 posts

199 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
Mike335i said:
bmwmike said:
They "ran out of numbers"? wtf hehe

What does F and G stand for, anyone know?
OK, they ran out of E-and-two-digit-combination so moved on to F and two digit. The combination of letter and two numbers was quite established by then, so instead of a new system they moved to another letter instead. Maybe it is more marketable as progress? A new letter for a new generation etc.
One wonders what happens when they get to Z... In the world of drawing, if we get past revision Z, the next revision would be AA

Locknut

653 posts

168 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
Zirconium said:
Perhaps there is a course somewhere I could take?
I don't think there is a course you can take, but if you just want to know the model code of your car so that you can hold your place in "The Bluffers' Guide to BMW", it's easy. The model code is printed on the hydraulic struts that hold up the bonnet. (I don't know why). Sometimes if there are hydraulic on the boot-lid the number is printed on them.

Mr Tidy

31,794 posts

158 months

Wednesday 28th March 2018
quotequote all
Has anybody on here clicked on the link in LordGrover's post?

You'll find out all you need to know! laugh