BMW 303

The BMW 303 was a small family saloon that BMW produced in 1933 and 1934. It was the first BMW motor car with a six-cylinder engine and the first to carry the kidney grille that later became a defining feature of the marque. Its M78 engine of 1,182 cc was developed from the four-cylinder unit of the 3/20, and the car sat on a wheelbase of 2,400 mm, 300 mm longer than the 3/20, on a ladder frame with independent front suspension from a transverse leaf spring. Two-door saloon and cabriolet bodies were built, first by Daimler-Benz's coachworks in Sindelfingen and later by Ambi-Budd in Berlin. It was the least expensive six-cylinder car in Germany but was judged underpowered, with a top speed of 90 km/h, and about 2,300 were built before the 315 replaced it. Its platform also underpinned the 309, 315, 319 and 329.