BMW M3 (E36)

The BMW M3 (E36) was the M3 of the E36 3 Series, released in November 1992 as a coupe, with a convertible added in 1994 and a saloon in December 1994 to fill the gap left by the lack of an M5 saloon between the end of E34 M5 production in 1995 and the E39 M5 in 1998. It was the first M3 with a six-cylinder engine, the S50 straight-six, which made 210 kW from 2,990 cc and, from the facelift of late 1995, 236 kW from 3,201 cc, together with a six-speed manual gearbox in place of the five-speed and the option of a six-speed SMG automated manual gearbox. North American cars used a less powerful engine of 179 kW. Most were built at the Regensburg plant between September 1992 and August 1999: 46,525 coupes, 12,114 convertibles and 12,603 saloons. The kerb weight of the 1996 European coupe was 1,515 kg.