The Bavaria was one of the earliest automobiles made in the United States famous as Bavaria Sports Cars. The E3 was introduced in Germany in 1968 and was later sold as the 530i in the United States. The E3 and the Bavaria were available at the same time. Several people speculated that the E12 was the replacement for the Bavaria. There is no concrete evidence that the E12 was a direct replacement for the Bavaria, however.
The Bavaria model was a limited-run model in the United States and was derived from the 2500/2800/3000/3300 series of European sedans. It was marketed as the E3 by BMW enthusiasts and shared the same underpinnings as the much more famous E9 Coupe. As such, the E3 is considered one of BMW's most beautiful designs. The BMW E3 was a great success and helped establish the German automaker as a leading manufacturer of high-performance sporting sedans.
