Oldies But Goldies: BMW E36 M3 Goes Up to 270 km/h on the Autobahn

Something people usually don’t know about the E36 M3 is that it uses the same rear axle as its predecessor, the much-acclaimed BMW E30 M3, the original and probably the most sought after model ever made.

The E36 iteration of the performance car is also the first one that was available in both Coupe and Sedan guises. Later on, BMW decided to drop the sedan version for the E46 version, surprisingly too, since the sales weren’t all that bad to begin with.

Under the bonnet of this version of the M3 two different powertrains were used. Initially, the car came out with a 3-liter inline 6-cylinder engine codenamed S50. It used to develop 286 HP and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) of torque in its original, European guise.

The US version, on the other hand, was a bit different. Due to different legislations, the engines sold across the ocean had a lower compression, didn’t have individual throttle plates for each cylinder and, understandably, made less power. They were rated at 240 HP and 225 lb-ft (305 Nm) of torque.

The one in the video below is a 3.2-liter version that was launched as a facelift back in 1995. The S50B32 engine was an upgraded version of the original unit and used to make 321 HP and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque. The figures look impressive but a lot of people don’t know that they were achieved thanks to BMW’s experience gained while working on the McLaren F1 supercar.

Once again, the North American versions were different, showing the same displacement but the same power output. Only the torque figure went up a little from 225 to 236 lb-ft (320 Nm).

So, the E36 M3 had the same rear axle as the legendary E30 M3 and McLaren F1 technology for its engine and it still wasn’t enough to make it more popular. Either way, we love it and the video below is just a reminder of what an M3 means even 20 years after going out of production!