8 Ways American E36 M3 Buyers Got Completely Screwed Over

1. The US M3 engine was pathetic

Picture the scene: you’ve bought yourself a US-spec E36 M3. You lift the bonnet to admire your magnificent S50 B30 engine, but the only thing that stares back at you is regret.

You see, while the original displacements of both the US and European-spec S50 B30 engines were the same at 3.0 litres, the European versions featured individual throttle bodies and a continuously variable VANOS valve timing system. The American car, by contrast, was fitted with the more basic two-stage Vanos system found on the M50 engine, and didn’t get individual throttle bodies. The American engine’s compression ratio was also lower, all of which resulted in 240hp and 225lb ft compared to the European engine’s 286hp and 236lb ft.

Power figures in Europe were later raised to a mega 321hp with the introduction of the 3.2-litre S50 B32 engine, while the poor guys in America got screwed a second time, getting the same 240hp output as before despite getting a 3.2-litre version of the S52 engine. Torque was increased by 11lb ft, though, which is something at least…

2. Top speed was limited to 137mph

Any decent car with 240hp and a kerb weight of roughly 1440kg should be able to exceed 150mph. But not the US-spec E36 M3, because that was electronically limited to 137mph. Us Europeans got an M3 whose limiter kicked in at 155mph, and even ‘our’ 328i would do 147mph.

In terms of outright pace, the US car hit 60mph in 6.1 seconds throughout its life span, while the European version managed a best time of 5.5 seconds

3. US M3s didn’t get headlight washers

Next to the wonderful engine and intoxicating performance, one of the coolest things about the European E36 M3 was the option of its headlight washers that gloriously punched their way into the atmosphere to spray high pressure cleaning fluid onto the lights.

Unfortunately, US-spec cars never got this luxury to ensure that manufacturing costs were kept low. And hey, with a top speed of only 137mph, bugs would be able to dust themselves off after impact and continue on with their day anyway.

4. US M3s didn’t feature an oil temp gauge

While the European E36 M3 got an oil temperature gauge in the speedometer cluster, BMW in America decided to replace this with…a crappy fuel economy gauge. Because apparently American buyers of E36 M3s don’t give a damn about monitoring their car’s operating temperatures…yeah right, BMW!

And while we’re on the subject of instrument clusters, the European E36 M3 speedo boasted a top figure of 280kph, which translates to 174mph, while the speedo in the US car stopped dead at 260kph, or 162mph. Boo!

5. US buyers never got the six-speed manual

When the E36 M3 first came out, both the European and US-spec cars featured a five-speed manual gearbox. However, in 1996, when both E36 versions were upgraded to 3.2 litres, the European M3 received a six-speed manual gearbox too, while the American cars were left in the dark ages with the same five speeder as before. Interestingly, though, and to suit the American driver, a five speed automatic gearbox was later offered on the US car, further cementing the fact this was no proper M3.

6. Floating rotors were never an option

When it came to the car’s brakes, US-spec M3s featured solid rotors, which did the job well enough, but when compared to the two-piece floating rotors on the European cars, the difference was noticeable.

For starters, the hub was made out of aluminium, which meant that unsprung weight on each corner was reduced. Then there are the benefits that come with floating rotors, including better cooling, less fade, less chance of warping and the fact that they help keep heat away from wheel bearings.

7. The rear diff wasn’t as strong

Higher mileage E36 M3s in the US are more likely to suffer from failed differentials due to the fact that they were smaller than those found in European cars. This meant that their bearings were more likely to shatter and flanges would break more easily when the diff got hot. Nice one, BMW.

8. The headlight lenses were crappy plastic

Further cost-cutting measures for the US-market E36 M3 meant that the car’s headlight lenses were made out of plastic which were easily pitted by stone chips. They also featured a more simple reflector construction than the glass ellipsoid headlights fitted to European M3s. For that reason, it’s fairly common for owners of US cars to swap out the headlights with the European units.

Bearing all of this in mind, it’s clear to see that US buyers got screwed over. Nevertheless, the E36 M3 is a a retro timepiece (no matter what engine you got) that’s going up in value.

So to all of you owners out there, look after the old girl, get those spots of rust sorted, glue back the interior plastics and fix the sagging glove compartment door. Because these cars are getting increasingly rare, so it’s on us to make sure they never go extinct!