2012 BMW 3-Series with a New PHOTO GALLERY

BMW's turn to more conservative shapes and styles after the departure of design head honcho Chris Bangle in early 2009, hasn't satisfied all bimmer fans. In fact, some BMW aficionados believe the company should further simplify the designs of its cars.

And even though the design of the new 3-Series saloon is more or less an evolution of the previous model, Carscoop reader Steph S. thinks that BMW's bread-and-butter saloon could do with a bit of a redo up front, which truth to be said, is the only new styling element that stands out in the car.

Here's what Steph told Carscoop:

"My name is Steph, and I represent that percent of conservative people who believe new 3er could have had different headlights. It's clear that BMW's intention was to realise a connection between future design line and actual models and I won't tell you that I dislike the result, but I think some simple detached headlights would have looked better.

As a support of this idea, I added those pics. I'm curious which version would people like better? What do you think?"

You can compare the retouched photos sent by Steph with the original pictures below.

Kudos to Steph for the images!

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BMW 325i Convertible E30 8-Series PHOTO GALLERY

While there's only a single digit gap between the E30 and E31 codenames, in reality, these two BMW models couldn't be more different from each other.

The E30, a.k.a. the 1983-1991 3-Series, represented the firm's entry-level family car in the 1980s, while the E31, more widely known as the 8-Series, was the brand's flagship GT coupe in the 1990s.

But one German owner had the bright idea of taking a 1989 325i Convertible (albeit with pre-1987 tail lamps) and fusing the front end of an 850i Coupe on its nose. Of course, there was a slight problem with the width of the 8-Series fascia that was solved by…removing one of the BMW kidney grilles.

Aside from the bespoke front end, it also gets puffed up wheel arches to fit the wider tires, a different rear bumper and a Momo steering wheel.

The modded 325i Convertible comes equipped with the standard 2.5-liter inline-six producing 170-horses and is said to have clocked just 99,750km (62k miles).

Even if do you find the...825i's looks alluring, the €6,990 (US$9,900) price tag on Autohaus Bryjak is less than tempting as it is a bit too close for comfort to the lower-end prices (~€10k) for a real, early 1990s 8-Series model in Germany.

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BMW 2012 3-Series Sedan PHOTO GALLERY

With the official presentation out of the way, the BMW Group began series production of its new premium sedan, the 2012 3-Series, at is Munich plant in Germany as it prepares for its worldwide market launch in February next year.

“The BMW 3 Series is the most important volume-produced model from the BMW Group as well as the biggest-selling model in the entire premium segment," said Frank-Peter Arndt, Member of the BMW AG Board of Management responsible for production.

"To ensure that the sixth generation of the BMW 3 Series likewise leaves the factory in flawless quality, we have invested around 500 million euros in our Munich home plant. And that means safeguarding 9,000 workplaces,” Arndt added.

BMW said that in three months' time from now, production of the 3 Series Sedan at the Munich plant will peak at 680 units a day, while total daily output will exceed 900 vehicles.

Aside from the 3-Series range, the Munich factory also produces BMW's mainstream gasoline engines, and high-performance powerplants for BMW M as well as Rolls-Royce models.

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