M3 E36

About the M3 E36

The second M3 swapped the racing brief for a six-cylinder and a wider audience. It launched as a coupe in 1992 with a 3.0-litre straight-six and VANOS making 286 PS, a world-record 97 PS per litre for a naturally aspirated production engine at the time. A convertible and a four-door sedan followed in 1994. For 1995 the engine grew to 3,201 cc with double VANOS and 321 PS, and a six-speed manual replaced the five-speed. In 1996 BMW made it the first series car offered with the SMG automated manual. American buyers got a different engine, a 3.0 with 240 hp, enlarged to 3.2 litres for 1996. Regensburg built 71,242 coupes, convertibles and sedans before production ended in 1999.