Sorting through
this list and filtering out all the concept cars and whatnot, it seems glaringly obvious to me that the numbers during the 'E' (Entwicklung) era were assigned based on the order the projects were finished and deemed ready for production. Skipped numbers were failed experiments; two of the more noticeable blocks were the E13 - E19 and E40 - E45 designations, none of which were used on a production car.
E3: 2500 - 3000 Si, introduced 1968
E6: x02 series touring, introduced 1971
but finalized in 1968 by Baur
E9: 2.5 CS - 3.0 CSL, introduced 1968
E12: 5-series, introduced 1972
E20: 2002 Turbo, introduced 1973
E21: 3-series, introduced 1975
E23: 7 series, introduced 1977
but finalized in April 1976
E24: 6-series, introduced 1976
E26: M1, introduced 1978
E28: Second generation 5-series, introduced 1981
E30: Second generation 3-series, introduced 1982
E31: 8-series, introduced 1989
but finalized in 1986
E32: Second generation 7-series, introduced 1986
E34: Third generation 5-series, introduced 1987
E36: Third generation 3-series, introduced 1990
E38: Third generation 7-series, introduced 1994
E39: Fourth generation 5-series, introduced 1995
E46: Fourth generation 3-series, introduced 1998
E50: Mini, introduced 2001
but finalized in 1998
E52: Z8, introduced 1999
E53: X5, introduced 1999
Click to expand...