e21 ITB 320i... What is best year

[Jiveslug]

Hey gang. I have a question. Ive been doing a bit of research on the 320i as a possibility for my new racer. Now, apparently there are 2 different motors depending on what year you get. The 1977-1979s have a 2 litre and the 1980-1983s have a 1.8. I am also having a hard time finding real specs on these cars. The questions I have relate to power to weight ratio. What is the difference in output for the 2.0 vs. the 1.8??? Also, is there a significant difference in the weight of the various years (race weight, that is). Thanks for your help!!

Jive

 

[CrunchyFrog]

While the newer cars have better Fuel Injection, the 2.0 Motor is a stronger unit, but the 1.8 is 80lb lighter...

79's are the ones I am more familiar with - I have a friend who used to race one.

Other_K

 

[rbreed]

I run an 83 in BMW club Racing. The hp in the earlier models is offset with the weight reduction in the later model. The 80-83 does have an advantage in that it comes with a 5 speed.