It's hard to believe but BMW's 3 Series first hit the market way back in 1975. As the successor to the beloved and now highly collectible 2002, the 3 Series has proven time and again how luxury, performance and high quality don't necessarily have to come in the form of a large sedan. The 3 Series basically established the midsize sport sedan and coupe segment and it continues to set the benchmark today. Time and again, automakers have tried but haven't quite been able to build something better.

In this newly released video from BMW, the German automaker goes back in time almost 40 years to look at the 3 Series humble beginnings. Complete with archive footage and plenty of disco happy background music, this is how the 3 Series got its start.