When BMW ended production of the first M3 model, it was clear that such a successful car had to get a successor. and so when the angular E30 was replaced by the much more modern E36 , the M division was already preparing a new model for the top of the food chain in the middle class. It was introduced in 1992. Many fans were upset by the loss of the shark nose with quad round headlights, so they needed to be appeased with a better car. The fact that BMW succeeded is evidenced by the sum of 71,242, which indicates the number of cars produced.
In Munich , instead of a four-cylinder, they decided to put an atmospheric inline six-cylinder with a volume of three liters under the hood of the coupe version. It was tuned to 286 horsepower, thanks to which the car accelerated to 100 km/h in 6 seconds and continued up to an electronically limited maximum of 250 km/h. The car had a ground clearance 31 mm lower than the coupe. This was partly due to the prominent spoilers and door sill extensions, which served to improve aerodynamics. And for the first time we were also able to meet M3 mirrors, which you can find on every used Favorit today. Harder shock absorbers, new stabilizers and the entire rear axle were from the Z1 roadster could not be missing.
The coupe version was soon joined by a four-door sedan and a two-door convertible . The sedan was intended to fill the gap following the end of production of the E34 -generation M5 , before the new M5 based on the E39 hit the market. Along with them, a GT version with 296 horsepower appeared in 1994. All these cars were painted British Racing Green and 356 were built. They had different wheels and a top speed of 275 km/h.
However, the top was soon reached by a version with an engine with an increased volume to 3.2 liters and a power of 321 hp, which came from the M Roadster and M Coupé models derived from the Z3 type. Acceleration from rest to 100 km/h was half a second faster. At first glance, it was different from other wheels. In addition to the manual gearbox, the SMG sequential gearbox was later on, accounting for half of the sales. An automatic transmission was also available in America.
Due to the homologation of racing cars, the M3 LTW (or Lightweight ) was created – a kind of predecessor of the CSL models. The car was much lighter compared to the serial version. For example, it did not have a radio, only a preparation for it, it lacked air conditioning, leather seats or a sunroof. Even the carpets were made of lighter materials and some body parts were made of aluminum. Thanks to this, 91 kg were saved. LTWs were only offered in white with decals reminiscent of BMW Motorsport . A large wing adorned the trunk. Allegedly, 125 cars were created, 116 of them reached the public and Paul Walker even had one in his garage. 50 cars of the Evolution Imola series, otherwise also called GT2 , were created for the British market. They were characterized by richer equipment and special shades of paint. Towards the end of the sale, a BMW Individual modified Anniversary Edition was offered in Australia.
Car & Driver magazine ranked this M3 among the most drivable cars of the 1990s. The German magazine Auto Motor und Sport received a special gift for its fiftieth birthday in 1996 – it could test the only hand-built M3 Compact E36 . With its M3 E36 , BMW took a big risk by being so significantly different from the previous E30 . But the risky move paid off, and today this BMW is almost as popular and respected as its predecessor.
Photo: Autowp
