[CSBM5]

Wow, amazing comparison. Thanks for the link! Thankfully here in 2020 the M2 is only 4" longer than the E21. Here in the States all E21s came with the huge bumpers, so they were actually almost 1" longer than the M2 (177" versus 176.2"), but that of course doesn't describe the actual body size just the diving board bumpers added onto the beautiful E21 body.

I too had an E21 many ages ago. In the mid-80s I had already had my Bavaria (1972 E3 3.0 sedan) for many years, my wife had an E28 535i, and I wanted something to replace the Bavaria for daily duties (it was a beast of a road/track car at the time and not to happy commuting). I bought a local friend's 1977 E21 320i with a nicely built Korman stage 2+ engine (Schrick cam, twin 45mm DCOEs, etc, 150+hp), Alpina/Suspension Techniques suspension, Recaros, Momo wheel, etc. With a 50% increase in power over stock and the nicely setup suspension, it was a joy to drive everyday (although a bit cantankerous trying to cold start the twin DCOEs on super cold days).