AutoArt 1:18 BMW 323i (E21)

AutoArt has added the BMW 323i to their line of Millenium 1:18 replicas. This BMW, introduced in 1977, made life-long BMW fans of many “young urban professionals” in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s.

BMW first introduced the BMW 3-series, a replacement for the very successful 2002, at a ceremony in the Munich Olympic Stadium in July of 1975. The 3-series BMW was a car that would be built around the concepts of sportiness and compact design. In 1977, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW took this concept one step further by adding six-cylinder power to the heretofore four-cylinder powered line. The top-of-the-line six-cylinder car came with a 2.3 liter, 143 horsepower engine featuring Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection. The car also featured four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping.

AutoArt has replicated the two-door 323i coupe in a muted Alpine White finish with an interior done in navy blue. As with every AutoArt model made, the paint is flawless and the chrome badging is magnificent. Look at the BMW roundel on the nose of the hood with a magnifying glass…… the ring and quadrant emblem is beautifully executed with the tiny B, M & W crystal-clear and the whole emblem looking good enough to be blown-up to full-size and used on a real car. The polished metal (anodized aluminum?) and rubber trim on the sides of the car and on the bumpers looks absolutely realistic. The same type trim around the windows is just as flawless. Even little things like the louvered vents at the back of the hood go all the way through the metal just like they would on the real car. Generic tires with very believable treads ride on very nice copies of the stock cast aluminum wheels that came with the car.

The interior is quite nice although it doesn’t seem to meet the level of replication seen on the exterior. The floors are flocked to replicate carpeting. The seats look somewhat plastic’y (what would you think since the seats are plastic (vinyl)), but they have fabric inserts in the center of the cushions that look quite real. The headliner is painted on and the sun visors actually swing down. This is a big step forward from the days of the windows being one big piece of clear plastic held in-place by studs protruding from the ceiling.

The engine looks nice with the coolant, and injector hoses and the ignition wires nicely represented. The hood is held open with over-center braces that are nicely executed in thin, delicate stainless. The bottom of the car is nicely detailed and the view of the bottom of the car is just as you would expect it if you looked at the real thing.

So in summary, we have a really nice car model by a company that’s well-known for the beautiful cars they produce. You really can’t nit-pick this model, everything’s perfectly executed. The interior is probably its weakest attribute, but still it is done nicely, there just isn’t anything remarkable. As for the subject matter, the 323i was at the leading edge of BMW’s big push into the North American market and is memorable to many BMW fans. For those with a love of BMW’s, this is a must-have because of its role in converting many people to the Bavarian-made cars and the role it played in making BMW the dominant car maker it has become today.

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