There was a long wait before the first convertibles were produced in the BMW 3 Series (E46) when all the other standard bodies were already on the road. Finally, the BMW 323Ci Convertible was launched on the market at the end of 1999/beginning of 2000 as the first model. It adopted the six-cylinder inline engine (M52TÜ) from the BMW 3 Series (E36), which generated an output of 170 hp from a displacement of 2.5 litres. However, the career of the BMW 323Ci Convertible was destined to be short. After just nine months of production, the successor (BMW 325Ci Convertible) powered by a new generation of engines arrived at dealers' showrooms in the autumn of 2000. However, the production statistics were eminently respectable: a total of approximately 15,000 units were produced in the course of the short production run.