The E36 328i Sport Is The Junior M3 That Every BMW Fanboy Should Try At Least Once

Today's spectacular M3 rally jump inspired us to take a look at the M car's less powerful - but still tempting - brother
The E36 328i Sport Is The Junior M3 That Every BMW Fanboy Should Try At Least Once

After seeing an E36 BMW M3 rally car landing a ludicrously high jump today,, we’ve had old BMW 3ers on the brain. As much as we’d like to pluck a lovely E36 M3 out of the classifieds and extol its virtues, we thought we’d sing the praises of another E36 gem: the 328i sport.

The E36 328i Sport Is The Junior M3 That Every BMW Fanboy Should Try At Least Once

It may not have the firepower of the M3’s S50 straight-six, but the 2.8-litre M52 six-banger is a fine unit that’s good for 193bhp. That’ll get you from 0-62mph in seven seconds. It’s capable of much more, too. Fitting the less restrictive inlet manifold from the preceding 2.5-litre M50 unit - a common modification - unlocks a good 10-20bhp more from the engine.

Sport models also received the M-tech bodykit (which looks the business), while earlier versions came packing a limited-slip differential.

The E36 328i Sport Is The Junior M3 That Every BMW Fanboy Should Try At Least Once

The only issue is finding a decent one, especially if you want a manual. This 1996 example is the only manual version we could find for sale in the UK, and despite having a relatively hefty 130,000 miles on the clock, it’s up for £3250. That’s around the starting price for early E36 M3s. However, it’ll be a damn sight cheaper to run than the full-on M Division car, and given the rarity of these things, the value should stay strong. Fancy taking the plunge?

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