BMW E36

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BMW E36

The E36 automobile platform

Automobile platform

An automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques....
was the basis for the 1991-2000 BMW 3 Series

BMW 3 Series

The BMW 3 Series is an entry-level luxury car/compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. Successor to the BMW New Class, it has been produced in five different generations and in no less than five different car body styles....
entry-level luxury car / compact executive car

Compact executive car

Compact executive car is a mainly United Kingdom car classification term applied to premium cars smaller than executive cars. In American English, they are usually referred to as Entry-level luxury car....
. It was the successor to the BMW E30

BMW E30

The E30 automobile platform was the basis for the 1984 through 1991 BMW 3 Series entry-level luxury car / compact car. It was the successor of the BMW E21 in 1982 and was replaced by the BMW E36 in 1992....
and was eventually replaced by the BMW E46

BMW E46

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Encyclopedia

The E36 automobile platform

Automobile platform

BMW 3 Series

Compact executive car

BMW E30

BMW E46

The E46 automobile platform is the fourth generation of BMW's BMW 3 Series entry-level luxury car / compact executive car. The sedan was introduced in 1998 and replaced the BMW E36 sedan the same year....
in 1999. The 4 door models were discontinued for 1999. Replacing it was the all-new E46. The 2 door E36 was still made for the 1999 year. So in 1999 you could only choose between a 2 door E36 and a 4 door E46. In 2000, the E36 was officially discontinued. The E36 was introduced in late 1990 (1991 model) for Europe and as a 1992 model for US and Canada.

The E36 experienced enormous success in the market. It laid strong foundations for the success that the BMW E46

BMW E46

The E46 automobile platform is the fourth generation of BMW's BMW 3 Series entry-level luxury car / compact executive car. The sedan was introduced in 1998 and replaced the BMW E36 sedan the same year....
experienced in subsequent years.

Also known as the "Dolphin shape", the E36 was sold from 1991 through 1999. It employed the "Z-axle" multilink suspension in the rear which had been proven in the Z1. DOHC engines were used across the range, with VANOS

VANOS

VANOS is an automobile variable valve timing technology developed by BMW in close collaboration with Continental Teves. VANOS varies the timing of the poppet valve by moving the position of the camshafts in relation to the drive gear....
variable valve timing introduced in 1993.

The four-door E36 was sold from Autumn, 1991, in the United States but the E30 coupes were retained until well into 1992. The E36 convertible was delayed until 1994. The hatchback 318ti Compact was introduced in 1995, was very popular in Europe, but it was not very successful in North America. The BMW Compact was identical to the regular E36 sedan from front bumper to A-Pillar. Everything else was unique, namely its rear semi-trailing arm suspension, based on the old E30, instead of the Z-Axle Multilink employed in all other E36's. The Z3 and M Coupe have similar rear suspension setups as well. The "Touring" station wagon was sold in Europe from 1995, but was not offered in the United States.

The 2.5 L M50B25 used in the 325 models was replaced in 1996 with the 2.8 L M52B28, creating the 328 line. Another 2.5 L engine, the M52B25, was reintroduced for 1998 but the cars were sold as 323 rather than 325.

The 4-door 3 Series models were replaced after 1998 in the US, while the 2-door models lasted through 1999.

Non-US models

Each model is followed by its particular engine code.

Sedans

Name	Volume	Engine	Valvetrain	Fuel	Output	Engine code	0-100 km/h,s	Top speed	Years
316i		4cyl Straight-4 The straight-4 or inline-4 engine is a four cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinder mounted in a straight line along the crankcase....	SOHC 8V	Petrol		M40B16 BMW M40 The BMW M40 is an Straight-4 piston engine. Engine displacement ranges from 1600 cc to 1800 cc....	13.1		1990–1993
316i		4cyl	SOHC 8V	Petrol		M43B16 BMW M43 The BMW M43 is a straight-4 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 1600 cc to 2000 cc.The engine was built solely on Assembly Line 2 at Steyr, and was the successor to the M40....	12.7		1993–1998
318i		4cyl	SOHC 8V	Petrol		M40B18 BMW M40 The BMW M40 is an Straight-4 piston engine. Engine displacement ranges from 1600 cc to 1800 cc....	11.5		1990–1993
318i		4cyl	SOHC 8V	Petrol		M43B18 BMW M43 The BMW M43 is a straight-4 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 1600 cc to 2000 cc.The engine was built solely on Assembly Line 2 at Steyr, and was the successor to the M40....	11.3		1993–1998
318is		4cyl	DOHC 16V Multi-valve In automotive engineering, an engine is referred to as multi-valve when each cylinder has more than two poppet valve. Such designs have been around since at least 1912 and perhaps earlier....	Petrol		M42B18 BMW M42 The BMW M42 is a DOHC 16-valve Straight-4 piston engine first built for the BMW E30 BMW 3-Series 1989 year model. The engine block is based on the BMW M40, used on the 318i, but had distinctive features such as double overhead cams driven by a timing chain, hydraulic valve lifters, and an increased 10:1 compression ratio....	10.2		1992–1996
318is		4cyl	DOHC 16V	Petrol		M44B19 BMW M44 The BMW M44 is a DOHC 16-valve Straight-4 piston engine. It replaced BMW's previous multi-valve four-cylinder, the BMW M42 and was related to the lesser 8-valve BMW M43....	10.2		1996–1998
320i		6cyl Straight-6 The straight-6 or inline-6 engine is a six cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinder mounted in a straight line along the crankcase....	DOHC 24V	Petrol		M50B20 BMW M50 The BMW M50 is an Straight-6 piston engine. It was introduced in March 1989 to replace the BMW M20 and was replaced by the BMW M52 in 1994. Displacement ranges from 2.0 L to 3.2 L....	10.0		1991–1994
320i		6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol		M52B20 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	9.9		1994–1998
323i		6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol		M52B25 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	8.0		1995–1998
325i		6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol		M50B25 BMW M50 The BMW M50 is an Straight-6 piston engine. It was introduced in March 1989 to replace the BMW M20 and was replaced by the BMW M52 in 1994. Displacement ranges from 2.0 L to 3.2 L....	8.0		1991–1993
325i		6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol		M50B25 BMW M50 The BMW M50 is an Straight-6 piston engine. It was introduced in March 1989 to replace the BMW M20 and was replaced by the BMW M52 in 1994. Displacement ranges from 2.0 L to 3.2 L....	8.0		1993–1995
328i		6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol		M52B28 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	7.0		1994–1998
M3		6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol		S50B30	6.0		1992–1998
M3		6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol		S50B32	5.5		1995–1998
	318tds		4cyl	SOHC 8V	Diesel Diesel Diesel or diesel fuel in general is any fuel used in diesel engines. The most common is a specific fractional distillation of petroleum fuel oil, but alternatives that are not derived from petroleum, such as biodiesel, biomass to liquid or gas to liquid diesel, are increasingly being developed and adopted....		M41D17 BMW M41 The BMW M41 was a straight-4 Diesel engine produced from 1994 through 2000Applications:* 1994-2000 BMW E36 BMW 3-Series...	14.4		1994–1998
	325td		6cyl	SOHC 12V	Diesel		M51D25 BMW M51 The BMW M51 is a straight-6 Diesel engine produced from July 1991 through February 2000.The "td" stands for "turbodiesel" while "tds" refers to "Intercooler turbodiesel"....	12.0		1991–1996
	325td		6cyl	SOHC 12V	Diesel		M51D25 BMW M51 The BMW M51 is a straight-6 Diesel engine produced from July 1991 through February 2000.The "td" stands for "turbodiesel" while "tds" refers to "Intercooler turbodiesel"....	12.0		1996–1998
	325tds		6cyl	SOHC 12V	Diesel		M51D25 BMW M51 The BMW M51 is a straight-6 Diesel engine produced from July 1991 through February 2000.The "td" stands for "turbodiesel" while "tds" refers to "Intercooler turbodiesel"....	10.4		1993–1996
	325tds		6cyl	SOHC 12V	Diesel		M51D25 BMW M51 The BMW M51 is a straight-6 Diesel engine produced from July 1991 through February 2000.The "td" stands for "turbodiesel" while "tds" refers to "Intercooler turbodiesel"....	10.4		1996–1998

Coupes

Name	Engine	Valvetrain	Fuel	Engine code	0-100 km/h,s	Years
316i	4cyl Straight-4 The straight-4 or inline-4 engine is a four cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinder mounted in a straight line along the crankcase....	SOHC 8V	Petrol	M43B16 BMW M43 The BMW M43 is a straight-4 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 1600 cc to 2000 cc.The engine was built solely on Assembly Line 2 at Steyr, and was the successor to the M40....	11.3	1993–1998
318is	4cyl	DOHC 16V Multi-valve In automotive engineering, an engine is referred to as multi-valve when each cylinder has more than two poppet valve. Such designs have been around since at least 1912 and perhaps earlier....	Petrol	M42B18 BMW M42 The BMW M42 is a DOHC 16-valve Straight-4 piston engine first built for the BMW E30 BMW 3-Series 1989 year model. The engine block is based on the BMW M40, used on the 318i, but had distinctive features such as double overhead cams driven by a timing chain, hydraulic valve lifters, and an increased 10:1 compression ratio....	10.2	1992–1996
318is	4cyl	DOHC 16V	Petrol	M44B19 BMW M44 The BMW M44 is a DOHC 16-valve Straight-4 piston engine. It replaced BMW's previous multi-valve four-cylinder, the BMW M42 and was related to the lesser 8-valve BMW M43....	10.2	1996–1999
320i	6cyl Straight-6 The straight-6 or inline-6 engine is a six cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinder mounted in a straight line along the crankcase....	DOHC 24V	Petrol	M50B20 BMW M50 The BMW M50 is an Straight-6 piston engine. It was introduced in March 1989 to replace the BMW M20 and was replaced by the BMW M52 in 1994. Displacement ranges from 2.0 L to 3.2 L....	10.0	1992–1993
320i	6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol	M52B20 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	9.9	1993–1999
323i	6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol	M52B25 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	8.0	1995–1999
325is	6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol	M50B25 BMW M50 The BMW M50 is an Straight-6 piston engine. It was introduced in March 1989 to replace the BMW M20 and was replaced by the BMW M52 in 1994. Displacement ranges from 2.0 L to 3.2 L....	6.9	1992–1995
328is	6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol	M52B28 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	6.7	1995–1999
M3	6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol	S50B30	6.0	1993–1995
M3	6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol	S50B32	5.5	1995–1998

Convertibles (Cabriolets)

Name	Engine	Valvetrain	Fuel	Engine code	0-100 km/h,s	Years
318i	4cyl Straight-4 The straight-4 or inline-4 engine is a four cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinder mounted in a straight line along the crankcase....	SOHC 8V	Petrol	M43B18 BMW M43 The BMW M43 is a straight-4 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 1600 cc to 2000 cc.The engine was built solely on Assembly Line 2 at Steyr, and was the successor to the M40....	10.5	1994–1998
320i	6cyl Straight-6 The straight-6 or inline-6 engine is a six cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinder mounted in a straight line along the crankcase....	DOHC 24V Multi-valve In automotive engineering, an engine is referred to as multi-valve when each cylinder has more than two poppet valve. Such designs have been around since at least 1912 and perhaps earlier....	Petrol	M50B20 BMW M50 The BMW M50 is an Straight-6 piston engine. It was introduced in March 1989 to replace the BMW M20 and was replaced by the BMW M52 in 1994. Displacement ranges from 2.0 L to 3.2 L....	10.6	1993–1994
320i	6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol	M52B20 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	10.6	1994–1998
325is	6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol	M50B25 BMW M50 The BMW M50 is an Straight-6 piston engine. It was introduced in March 1989 to replace the BMW M20 and was replaced by the BMW M52 in 1994. Displacement ranges from 2.0 L to 3.2 L....	8.6	1993–1995
328is	6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol	M52B28 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	7.7	1995–1999
M3	6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol	S50B32	5.6	1996–1998

Touring (Wagons)

Name	Volume	Engine	Valvetrain	Fuel	Output	Engine code	0-100 km/h,s	Top speed	Years
316i		4cyl Straight-4 The straight-4 or inline-4 engine is a four cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinder mounted in a straight line along the crankcase....	SOHC 8V	Petrol		M43B16 BMW M43 The BMW M43 is a straight-4 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 1600 cc to 2000 cc.The engine was built solely on Assembly Line 2 at Steyr, and was the successor to the M40....	13.2		1997–1999
318i		4cyl	SOHC 8V	Petrol		M43B18 BMW M43 The BMW M43 is a straight-4 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 1600 cc to 2000 cc.The engine was built solely on Assembly Line 2 at Steyr, and was the successor to the M40....	11.7		1995–1999
320i		6cyl Straight-6 The straight-6 or inline-6 engine is a six cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinder mounted in a straight line along the crankcase....	DOHC 24V Multi-valve In automotive engineering, an engine is referred to as multi-valve when each cylinder has more than two poppet valve. Such designs have been around since at least 1912 and perhaps earlier....	Petrol		M52B20 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	10.2		1995–1999
323i		6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol		M52B25 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	8.3		1996–1999
328i		6cyl	DOHC 24V	Petrol		M52B28 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	7.4		1995–1999
	318tds		4cyl	SOHC 8V	Diesel		M41D17 BMW M41 The BMW M41 was a straight-4 Diesel engine produced from 1994 through 2000Applications:* 1994-2000 BMW E36 BMW 3-Series...	14.5		1995–1999
	325tds		6cyl	SOHC 12V	Diesel		M51D25 BMW M51 The BMW M51 is a straight-6 Diesel engine produced from July 1991 through February 2000.The "td" stands for "turbodiesel" while "tds" refers to "Intercooler turbodiesel"....	10.5		1995–1996
	325tds		6cyl	SOHC 12V	Diesel		M51D25 BMW M51 The BMW M51 is a straight-6 Diesel engine produced from July 1991 through February 2000.The "td" stands for "turbodiesel" while "tds" refers to "Intercooler turbodiesel"....	10.5		1996–1999

Compact

Name	Volume	Engine	Valvetrain	Fuel	Output	Engine code	0-100 km/h,s	Top speed	Years
316i		4cyl Straight-4 The straight-4 or inline-4 engine is a four cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinder mounted in a straight line along the crankcase....	SOHC 8V	Petrol		M43B16 BMW M43 The BMW M43 is a straight-4 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 1600 cc to 2000 cc.The engine was built solely on Assembly Line 2 at Steyr, and was the successor to the M40....	12.3		1994–1999
316i		4cyl	SOHC 8V	Petrol		M43B19 BMW M43 The BMW M43 is a straight-4 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 1600 cc to 2000 cc.The engine was built solely on Assembly Line 2 at Steyr, and was the successor to the M40....	11.9		1999–2000
318ti		4cyl	DOHC 16V Multi-valve In automotive engineering, an engine is referred to as multi-valve when each cylinder has more than two poppet valve. Such designs have been around since at least 1912 and perhaps earlier....	Petrol		M42B18 BMW M42 The BMW M42 is a DOHC 16-valve Straight-4 piston engine first built for the BMW E30 BMW 3-Series 1989 year model. The engine block is based on the BMW M40, used on the 318i, but had distinctive features such as double overhead cams driven by a timing chain, hydraulic valve lifters, and an increased 10:1 compression ratio....	9.9		1994–1995
318ti		4cyl	DOHC 16V	Petrol		M44B19 BMW M44 The BMW M44 is a DOHC 16-valve Straight-4 piston engine. It replaced BMW's previous multi-valve four-cylinder, the BMW M42 and was related to the lesser 8-valve BMW M43....	9.9		1995–1998
323ti		6cyl Straight-6 The straight-6 or inline-6 engine is a six cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinder mounted in a straight line along the crankcase....	DOHC 24V	Petrol		M52B25 BMW M52 The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....	7.8		1997–2000
	318tds		4cyl	SOHC 8V	Diesel Diesel Diesel or diesel fuel in general is any fuel used in diesel engines. The most common is a specific fractional distillation of petroleum fuel oil, but alternatives that are not derived from petroleum, such as biodiesel, biomass to liquid or gas to liquid diesel, are increasingly being developed and adopted....		M41D17 BMW M41 The BMW M41 was a straight-4 Diesel engine produced from 1994 through 2000Applications:* 1994-2000 BMW E36 BMW 3-Series...	13.9		1995–2000

US/Canada models

318i, 318is, 318ic (1992-1995) M42B18
BMW M42

The BMW M42 is a DOHC 16-valve Straight-4 piston engine first built for the BMW E30 BMW 3-Series 1989 year model. The engine block is based on the BMW M40, used on the 318i, but had distinctive features such as double overhead cams driven by a timing chain, hydraulic valve lifters, and an increased 10:1 compression ratio....
318ti (1994-1996) M42B18
BMW M42

The BMW M42 is a DOHC 16-valve Straight-4 piston engine first built for the BMW E30 BMW 3-Series 1989 year model. The engine block is based on the BMW M40, used on the 318i, but had distinctive features such as double overhead cams driven by a timing chain, hydraulic valve lifters, and an increased 10:1 compression ratio....
318i, 318ti (1996-1998) M44B19
BMW M44

The BMW M44 is a DOHC 16-valve Straight-4 piston engine. It replaced BMW's previous multi-valve four-cylinder, the BMW M42 and was related to the lesser 8-valve BMW M43....
320i (1994) M52B20
BMW M50

The BMW M50 is an Straight-6 piston engine. It was introduced in March 1989 to replace the BMW M20 and was replaced by the BMW M52 in 1994. Displacement ranges from 2.0 L to 3.2 L....
323i, 323is, 323ic (1996-1998) M52B25
BMW M52

The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....
325i, 325is, 325ic (1992) M50B25
BMW M50

The BMW M50 is an Straight-6 piston engine. It was introduced in March 1989 to replace the BMW M20 and was replaced by the BMW M52 in 1994. Displacement ranges from 2.0 L to 3.2 L....
325i, 325is, 325ic (1993-1995) M50TUB25
BMW M50

The BMW M50 is an Straight-6 piston engine. It was introduced in March 1989 to replace the BMW M20 and was replaced by the BMW M52 in 1994. Displacement ranges from 2.0 L to 3.2 L....
328i, 328is, 328ic (1996-1998) M52B28
BMW M52

The BMW M52 is a Straight 6 piston engine. Displacement ranges from 2000 cc to 3200 cc. It is a DOHC 24-valve engine, originally introduced with VANOS Variable Valve Timing....
M3 (1995-1999 coupe, 1997-1998 sedan, 1998-1999 convertible) S50B30US and S52
BMW M50

The BMW M50 is an Straight-6 piston engine. It was introduced in March 1989 to replace the BMW M20 and was replaced by the BMW M52 in 1994. Displacement ranges from 2.0 L to 3.2 L....
(1996-1999)

Other platform applications

BMW made an entry level version of the E36 called the BMW Compact

BMW Compact

The BMW Compact was a compact car / small family car, basically a truncated liftback version of the BMW 3 Series, produced by the Germany automaker BMW between 1993 and 2004....
, a three-door hatchback

Hatchback

Hatchback is a term designating an automobile design, containing a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind the vehicle by a single, top-hinged tailgate or large flip-up window....
. This platform is often referred to as the E36/5. In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
/Canada

Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
market the car was sold as the 318ti and was equipped with a 1.8 L, 139 bhp

Horsepower

Horsepower is the name of several non-International System of Units units of power . It was originally defined to allow the output of steam engines to be measured and compared with the power output of draft horses....
M44B19

BMW M44

The BMW M44 is a DOHC 16-valve Straight-4 piston engine. It replaced BMW's previous multi-valve four-cylinder, the BMW M42 and was related to the lesser 8-valve BMW M43....
engine and was priced at USD23,000 in 1995. In 1996 the 1.8 liter engine was replaced with 1.9L putting out and of torque. Ostensibly due to slow US sales of the E36/5 Compact, the E46

BMW E46

The E46 automobile platform is the fourth generation of BMW's BMW 3 Series entry-level luxury car / compact executive car. The sedan was introduced in 1998 and replaced the BMW E36 sedan the same year....
Compact was not sold in the United States.

A modified version of the E36 platform designated as E36/7 was used for the BMW Z3

BMW Z3

The BMW Z3 was the first modern mass-market roadster produced by BMW, as well as the first new BMW model assembled in the United States. The Z3 was introduced as a 1996 model year vehicle, shortly after being featured in the James Bond movie, GoldenEye....
roadster in 1996-2002. The modification for the BMW Z3

BMW Z3

The BMW Z3 was the first modern mass-market roadster produced by BMW, as well as the first new BMW model assembled in the United States. The Z3 was introduced as a 1996 model year vehicle, shortly after being featured in the James Bond movie, GoldenEye....
Coupe was designated as E36/8.

Even though the BMW factory was producing its own E36 convertibles, the Baur

Karosserie Baur

Baur is a Karosserie or coachbuilder in Stuttgart, Germany, which has been building BMW convertibles since the 30's. Currently, they are the body and assembly works for IVM Automotive, a member the Ed Group....
"Top Cabriolet" conversion was still available, possibly out of respect for the long association of the two firms.

Success

Among BMW enthusiasts, the E36 platform is considered one of the best BMW designs of the past 20 years. Sales figures for 3 Series coupes, sedans, and convertibles were at all time highs in North America and Europe. BMW achieved a strong market identity and presence due to the E36's high quality and "really fun to drive" character. The car is however criticised by some for departing from the previous E30 model, which was lighter, smaller, and considered to be more of a pure-bred sports car by enthusiasts.

BMW E36

Non-US models

Sedans

Coupes

Convertibles (Cabriolets)

Touring (Wagons)

Compact

US/Canada models

Other platform applications

Success

External links