I loved my 1997 M3. Full set of KW's and it handled amazingly. It pulled strong from 0-60mph, and the power match the chassis. I still think about that car on a regular basis.
We had the 3.2 litre motor in Australia. It was about 320 odd horsepower. My Dad had one, it was so much fun to drive. Sounded like a race car every morning he went off to work.
This is a prefacilft Euro spec m3, so its a s50b30 with 282hp(291hp for the GT). The later cars got the 3.2 double vanos with 321hp. Everyone had these 2 engine options(excluding USA and some other small markets), not just Australia.
@@hexagonosaurus5848 Fun fact... the Euro 3.0 was already making close to 296bhp (non-GTf variant) when tested by Supersprint dyno back in the days. I've owned both and currently own the 3.0, and I can say the 3.0 is racier and freer revving. It is also probably why they continued to use this engine in the DTM series.
I like a ‘revisited’ review. Being able to look back at these machines with the benefit of current biases and experiences really help the conversation and dialogue evolve. This car is sweet.
Great review Zack. Cars from 30 years ago seldom hold up when a Golf GTi or Fiesta ST are faster. There was a model sold in Australia with Group N components only in white that was even rarer. There is an Alpina enthusiast in the US who has imported wagons from Europe. He recently found a V8 manual Alpina in a wagon so quicker than a e39 540i Sport! The Euro cars performed better at 100mph but similar at lower speeds. I have always fancied a 96 to 98 M3 sedan. Fast in its day but slow enough to use the performance on the road today. Most are high mileage now.
*Love* the E36 M3. Spent a few years with a '95 Daytona Violet (1 year color) over Dove Gray vaders. Coupe, no wing, 5MT, sport interior, light options. OBD1 car like all the ones made that year. Had been owned by a US Airways pilot (Guy was neurotic about taking care of his cars). Had about 50K miles on it, was only sold because the owner was taking delivery of a new E46. And I sold it, because it was a bit pricey to keep running, and I'm dumb. Going to go jump out a window. Wonderful car to drive, you could actually run it through the gears on public roads. The last BWM manual box that didn't seem rubbery to me. They were special cars. At least I have the memories...
Great video. Glad to see the owners of this car put a lot of miles on it and enjoyed it. I always felt the E36 M3 had the best steering feel compared to the M3’s that came after it.
Love the video and have spoken with the owner (Jason) before! Definitely a collectible! I almost swapped my engine with the S50B32 Euro but since my E36 M3 has 60k original miles, I felt it was best to keep it original. I have driven both engines and will say you feel the response on the ITB's much better and car feels different. However if you have US spec with supersprint/euro headers with high flow cats and exhaust, I would say you are pretty close in feeling with euro spec. But this and the Imola individual are by far my favorite two cars of all time! I keep telling Jason to never sell his car!
The ultimate E36 M3 in my book was the last gen (3.2) which as Zach point out had 321hp. Same engine in the early Z3M’s. It too had white front/rear indicators.
@@TheSmokingTirePodcast also, the owners know you and Matt are highly skilled and won’t mess with the cars but I can only imagine what it would feel like for owners who get anxious over a bit of dirt on the rim 😂🤷🏼♂️
The US M3 was seriously cheaper than the European version. It started at $39k which was a great value for the money. The European, in the UK at least, was about £55k. Also, at one point, the E36 M3 was the best handling car in the US!
I remember always seeing one in the 90s at the mall! Driven by an older lady. Didn’t know the gt was so exclusive at the time. I loved the green color.
Would have been nice to know the age of the suspension and what tires, and their age, were on the wheels for the test. A modern coil-over, sway bar set, and PS4S shoes would be the way to go to bring the chassis to current times.
i mean damn back when i went to community college....kiddos were driving M3 GTS with mommy & daddys $$$....and dropping them to the ground by first oil change.....it doesnt get worse than that. "current times" modern standards dont mean much to these drivers with "purchasing power" backgrounds.
@@kiehna84 Except the GT isnt all about the motor. The one thats was all about the motor was the facelift e36 M3 Euro spec with the 3.2 double vanos S50 and 321hp. It also got a 6 speed and 210mm casing LSD. This car(GT) is more about the handling. A "plain" 3.2 M3 rapes this in a straight line.
@@gregs8685 The US M3 def doesn't suck. At the end of this video I talk about how the US cars are basically some cheap coilovers away from being on par with the M3 GT for speed. As Jason Cammisa pointed out, the Euro cars make slightly more power but aren't actually that much faster and the Euro engines are more complicated and fragile.
This engine sounds like it behaves similar to the ye olde Lotus LT5 with its V-TEC-style outburst of torque mid-way through the frictionless rev range. Love engines like that!
New bushings, different bushing in certain locations, updated suspension, ps4s tires and quicker rack. All easily done on the e36, boom you got an up to date handling vehicle. My 98 hellrot m345 has all these done and I prefer it over my e46m3 in the handling department.
I have an E36 M3/4/5 as well. Have refreshed the bushings and suspension with H&R sports and Koni yellows along with Michelin tires. From your experience, does the rack make that much of a difference that you would recommend? Thanks, in advance!
@@willjam465 yes! Quicker off center and easier to catch slides (on track 👀). Makes it feel more like a scalpel. Did a gold label from a e46 330 zhp. Planning on doing the same for the e46 m3 and a z3 rack for my e30 325 daily.
@@klinatoc I've been trying to decide what rack to look for while my engine's out 😅 I've heard about the Z3 rack, but I guess I should look into the e346 330i ZHP rack as well. Haven't had a lot of time to dig through forums for the details 😆
I can recommend swapping out the E46 M3 steering rack with the 330Ci purple tag rack, changing the rubber steering coupler with a solid aluminium one and giving the car more castor with after market bushes. Really does take all that slop out of the standard steering feel. Add Turner Motorsport sway/anti-roll bars for even extra sharpness. Not a big spend or alot of work to greatly improve the steering of a great car.
I appreciate this comment. I am looking to get a Euro e36 m3 evo (3.2L) sometime in the future now that they're legal to import to the US, and for now an e36 328i touring due to my love for wagons, but I was disappointed to hear Zach's comments on the still-vague feel of the hydraulic rack of this car. I understand the lazy or slow response and just-off-center dead feel due to the typical 90's slower rack and maybe other parts in the system between the steering wheel and the rack such as soft bushings, but I would've thought that these cars would have at least great feel and direct connection to what the front wheels are doing. And I was also disappointed to hear that he didn't think the steering in the e46 was a great improvement. That it still had that lazy feel. That puzzled me, as I always heard that an e46 rack was a requisite upgrade for the e36 and even e30. 1) Is there something about the e46 purple tag rack that's different from all other e46 racks? 2) Would you concur with him that the e46 rack is still slow? Why, then, does everyone recommend upgrading to the e46 rack? Is it that while still slow by today's standards, it's still a big improvement over the e36 rack? 3) Is it more the other parts like the coupler and bushings as well as the geometry adjustments like the castor really the key to improving the feel of the steering as well as the response rather than just the e46 rack upgrade by itself? Enlighten me on these questions if you can. Thanks.
Food for thought if considering importing this car is If you want the 'best' E36 era car in the US market you're going to be looking at a 01-02 M Coupe. You get the older school suspension/rawness, but the S54 is just the better engine compared to either the S50 or S52. You get more torque across the entire range (Compared to the S52), and more peak (Compared to both). Given how much this thing must have cost to just buy overseas, and then import, i'm willing to bet you could get a really good example 01-02 m coupe for less money. (And not have to deal with the import headache) Besides, an 01-02 M Coupe is going to be nearly as rare anyways. If you compare the specs of both the E36 M3 GT and a 01-02 M Coupe the numbers are very similar as well. And i'll be honest, given the pricing on this thing, if i'm looking at the asspain of importing 25+ year old saloon sports cars, i'd take the novelty of the Lotus Carlton and bring that to the US market.
The E36 318is was one of the most fun cars I've owned. With a supercharger, the 1.9lt was a amazing and with suspension and brake set-up I had was faster through the corners than an M3. Regardless, any E36 is a great car.
for around 15 years ago there where so many of these for sale in Norway.never knew they where so rare.back then they where around 25-30 thousand US dollars.E36 cupe is the best looking 3 series in my opinion.
Love the e36 and this example. I am a former 98 M3 owner and a current 98 328i owner myself and love the sounds of the euro engines. I think they sound way better than the S54 that replaced them, but they can sound good if in the right setup. Suspension upgrades are a must, but these are fun little track toys if you want them to be. I occasionally track mine and I am by no means fast (due to skill, my vehicle is faster than I will ever be able to drive it) and it is perfect for me right now. I have a Focus ST as my daily and love that car too. I wish e36s got some recaro seats like the Focus ST did, they are amazing. Thanks for the video!
The trunk latch breaking is not from the wing. They all do that with age, particularly if you live in a place where corrosion is an issue. As a 12-year E36 owner, I agree they are great platforms. Mechanically speaking, they are extremely robust and hold up very well to track days. They're super easy to service and maintain, and parts are not terribly expensive. The E46 is ultimately a better rounded platform, IMO, but my heart is with the E36. Question is, if you're talking about Euro M3s, is the later M3 with the larger/more powerful Euro S50B32 engine ultimately a better car than this more expensive M3 GT?
I remember driving a US-spec E36 M3 in the late 90’s and being really impressed. The E36 interior was pretty meh though so I ultimately ended getting an E46 330i a few years later. For a fairly expensive car at the time the E36 M3 sold incredibly well. You would see them everywhere.
I had a 95 avus blau slicktop that I spent years modding to my taste: euro airbox, 3.5” maf, bw elbow, 68mm tb, 24# injectors, supersprint knockoff headers, real supersprint resonated mid, corsa tail, trm 93 octane/3.5”maf/24#/7k redline chip, zhp faster ratio rack, solid steering guibo, e28 trans mounts, mech fan delete, mason strut bar, x brace, hotchkiss swaybar, trm coilovers, 3.73 lsd, 255/40-17 re-71s on 17x9s, and a bunch more. I always said I’d replace her with a euro model. . .
@@ikaros4203 I was going to buy land in Costa Rica, so I sold her to a young guy who then money-shifted her a month or so after. He and his buddy were going to go to an automotive school in Ohio, so hopefully it got fixed. I do regret selling her, but I’ll end up importing a 95 euro avus slicktop with the hurricane cloth and 125Kmi/200Kkm for $20K.
z3 (non m) rack + poly bush the arms with offset bushes = better steering ... just for anyone that wants "new car steering" + aggressive alignment and at least 3 degrees of cambrer works well for everyday driving and some good backroad attacks
Sadly just as with all E36s, the lousy steering feel and odd center weighting affects the E36 M3 in all it's guises. A while ago, the GT model was rare, but actually quite cheap in Europe, as they were quickly overshadowed by the Evo and all the improvements that came with that. The E46 M3 is the more complete car. I've driven most variants and for me it's actually the Euro 318is that was the most fun on back roads. A lighter nose, screaming hot hatch engine and the M Tech suspension was a great combination, steering aside.
You can upgrade any E36 with a Z3 steering rack, see that's the beauty of the E36, it's the perfect platform to modify, sure the E46 is a more complete product but it feels more special to resto-mod an E36 and it's complete when you think it's complete not when BMW thinks it's complete
Not really a sports car guy nor a bimmer guy but just listening to you explain the car's history, driving dynamics, how it fits into the market etc. are all tremendously instructive and entertaining. I enjoy the 'regular' Two Takes episodes you guys do but episodes like this with just one of you are just as fun. Thanks.
I owned an E36 M3 and sure it was great but I never understood the hype around it and why Americans talked so much about the "Euro Motor". I prefer my current E46 M3 in every way, it drives so much nicer and has the right amount of power for daily driving and track use.
@@bubblelex5051 You cant fit any tire onto an e36. No fenders. E46 is better in every way. Ive owed every gen of E chassis 3 series. E46 is the best , 3 times the charm..
@@carbonemtree lol idk what world your living in but there's plenty of videos of e36 cars with widebody fenders diffusers splitters... you name it! Like I said e46 is much heavier so I don't see the charm in that 🤷♂️. Plus the e36 isn't as feminine looking but that's my 2 cents
I'd love to have the e36 M3 lightweight we got in the states. I settled for a Volvo 850 turbo, the T5R 850 came out 2 yrs later. I was in highschool, so I wasn't affording that shit. But my 850 turbo walked alot of cars in the 90s.
I'd love if a manufacturer brought back a naturally aspirated inline six with a clutch based transmission that was under 3500Ibs. I bet you get better MPG with an inline six than something like a Ford or Kia sub 2.0 liter turbo. However, I doubt it would pass European hydrocarbon emissions without some stupidly complex particulate filter.
![[#2024MAMA] G-DRAGON - 무제(Untitled, 2014)+POWER+HOME SWEET HOME+뱅뱅뱅+FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ox29z5Nf1Uk/mqdefault.jpg)
I LOVE that the owner actually drives it. Nothing worse than a homologated museum piece.
It's my favorite car to drive!
@@curatorsgarage6906
This iteration of the m3 might just be my favorite bmw of all time… that color is the icing on the cake
@@curatorsgarage6906 good on you
@@CarsOverPeople thank you! BRG is amazing
Yep! That means it's well loved.
It look amizing. Classic BMW shape and that color Is amazing!!!!!😮
Love listening to zacks solo take, great review and nice change of pace in content!
I just don't like his voice. I wish I would know it was him in the title, I wouldn't have clicked on it.
@@nopenever8549 You’re closed minded. Zach is a great automotive reviewer.
Indeed, I've been tired of Farra and his same descriptions and words 😴 being over used. But yeah this guy's voice is annoying 🙄
I loved my 1997 M3. Full set of KW's and it handled amazingly. It pulled strong from 0-60mph, and the power match the chassis. I still think about that car on a regular basis.
Even though the price has almost doubled sinde i bought mine i still don't wanna sell it. And i know that the day i do I'll regret it
We had the 3.2 litre motor in Australia. It was about 320 odd horsepower. My Dad had one, it was so much fun to drive. Sounded like a race car every morning he went off to work.
This is a prefacilft Euro spec m3, so its a s50b30 with 282hp(291hp for the GT). The later cars got the 3.2 double vanos with 321hp.
Everyone had these 2 engine options(excluding USA and some other small markets), not just Australia.
@@hexagonosaurus5848 Fun fact... the Euro 3.0 was already making close to 296bhp (non-GTf variant) when tested by Supersprint dyno back in the days. I've owned both and currently own the 3.0, and I can say the 3.0 is racier and freer revving. It is also probably why they continued to use this engine in the DTM series.
@@kyrix1st Fun fact, the 3.2 car is faster.
@@hexagonosaurus5848 Of course. It's even faster than the E46 M3 in most situations due to its lighter weight.
@@kyrix1st and why mclaren doubled it up in the f1!
My favorite E36 ever and it's on the Smoking Tire? Whaaaaat? Made my day.
The single worst car that has ever been produced more like
@@zx208 show us on the doll where the green bmw hurt you? 😢
@@andeleputo89 in by anus deeppppppp down in the zone of no mercy
I like a ‘revisited’ review. Being able to look back at these machines with the benefit of current biases and experiences really help the conversation and dialogue evolve.
This car is sweet.
Great review Zack. Cars from 30 years ago seldom hold up when a Golf GTi or Fiesta ST are faster. There was a model sold in Australia with Group N components only in white that was even rarer. There is an Alpina enthusiast in the US who has imported wagons from Europe. He recently found a V8 manual Alpina in a wagon so quicker than a e39 540i Sport! The Euro cars performed better at 100mph but similar at lower speeds. I have always fancied a 96 to 98 M3 sedan. Fast in its day but slow enough to use the performance on the road today. Most are high mileage now.
*Love* the E36 M3. Spent a few years with a '95 Daytona Violet (1 year color) over Dove Gray vaders. Coupe, no wing, 5MT, sport interior, light options. OBD1 car like all the ones made that year. Had been owned by a US Airways pilot (Guy was neurotic about taking care of his cars). Had about 50K miles on it, was only sold because the owner was taking delivery of a new E46.
And I sold it, because it was a bit pricey to keep running, and I'm dumb. Going to go jump out a window.
Wonderful car to drive, you could actually run it through the gears on public roads. The last BWM manual box that didn't seem rubbery to me. They were special cars.
At least I have the memories...
Buy another one
Here I am completely happy with my lightly modded(intake,tune),manual swapped 328i. Got a few more plans,but it's been a bunch a fun so far
Great Review 👍 Proud to be the owner of No:179
E36 m3 has so many cool trims. Incl the Us spec. Great generations.
Just supercharge it and your faster than any euro version could be and more reliable. Your a incel if you can’t grasp that concept.
I miss 10 years ago when everyone hated E36s. I don’t know where all these new guys are coming from.
This car aged so well! Wish I got to see them in person more often
Great video. Glad to see the owners of this car put a lot of miles on it and enjoyed it. I always felt the E36 M3 had the best steering feel compared to the M3’s that came after it.
You ever think of starting a TH-cam channel ?
It looks amazing. Classic BMW shape and that color is amazing
Thanks for having me out!
Nice to see a good old giant yellow UK registration plate on the back, feels like home 🤣
I know its not the same, but I recently bought a "low mile" M4 GTS and I cannot wait to have 120k miles on it. Love to see special cars being enjoyed.
Love the video and have spoken with the owner (Jason) before! Definitely a collectible! I almost swapped my engine with the S50B32 Euro but since my E36 M3 has 60k original miles, I felt it was best to keep it original. I have driven both engines and will say you feel the response on the ITB's much better and car feels different. However if you have US spec with supersprint/euro headers with high flow cats and exhaust, I would say you are pretty close in feeling with euro spec. But this and the Imola individual are by far my favorite two cars of all time! I keep telling Jason to never sell his car!
What a beauty. Glad it has been driven well and had a long life!
The ultimate E36 M3 in my book was the last gen (3.2) which as Zach point out had 321hp. Same engine in the early Z3M’s.
It too had white front/rear indicators.
...as all facelift E36 had.
@@hexagonosaurus5848 yes. But in Europe an easy way to spot a 321hp M3.
Great review Zack, thanks to the owner who let you drive this thing and share with us what this car is truly about. It can never be taken for granted
It's a great opportunity indeed. ZK
@@TheSmokingTirePodcast also, the owners know you and Matt are highly skilled and won’t mess with the cars but I can only imagine what it would feel like for owners who get anxious over a bit of dirt on the rim 😂🤷🏼♂️
I know that the E30 M3 is the people's champion but for me, thats my all time favourite BMW ever!
E30 and e46 were ugly.
E36 M all day
Zach - this is gravy content! Love it!
I appreciated the John Stockton reference, especially how specific it was regarding his age. Nicely done.
The US M3 was seriously cheaper than the European version. It started at $39k which was a great value for the money.
The European, in the UK at least, was about £55k.
Also, at one point, the E36 M3 was the best handling car in the US!
good stuff! I love Zack's takes on things
I remember always seeing one in the 90s at the mall! Driven by an older lady. Didn’t know the gt was so exclusive at the time. I loved the green color.
Why older lady 😂
Oh man Zack, Teckademics?! Talk about a throwback. I still remember that Yellow turbo E36... Dado is still around on TH-cam these days
Would have been nice to know the age of the suspension and what tires, and their age, were on the wheels for the test.
A modern coil-over, sway bar set, and PS4S shoes would be the way to go to bring the chassis to current times.
The GT is all about the motor, homologation aero, and the cool color combination BMW chose.
You are right Zach the M3 LTW sucks, as do all US M3s. The values of the LTWs makes zero sense. Reminds me of the Porsche RS America.
i mean damn back when i went to community college....kiddos were driving M3 GTS with mommy & daddys $$$....and dropping them to the ground by first oil change.....it doesnt get worse than that. "current times" modern standards dont mean much to these drivers with "purchasing power" backgrounds.
@@kiehna84 Except the GT isnt all about the motor. The one thats was all about the motor was the facelift e36 M3 Euro spec with the 3.2 double vanos S50 and 321hp. It also got a 6 speed and 210mm casing LSD. This car(GT) is more about the handling. A "plain" 3.2 M3 rapes this in a straight line.
@@gregs8685 The US M3 def doesn't suck. At the end of this video I talk about how the US cars are basically some cheap coilovers away from being on par with the M3 GT for speed. As Jason Cammisa pointed out, the Euro cars make slightly more power but aren't actually that much faster and the Euro engines are more complicated and fragile.
I love Zack's deadpan sense of humor
GREAT review! Nailed it!
This engine sounds like it behaves similar to the ye olde Lotus LT5 with its V-TEC-style outburst of torque mid-way through the frictionless rev range. Love engines like that!
New bushings, different bushing in certain locations, updated suspension, ps4s tires and quicker rack. All easily done on the e36, boom you got an up to date handling vehicle. My 98 hellrot m345 has all these done and I prefer it over my e46m3 in the handling department.
I have an E36 M3/4/5 as well. Have refreshed the bushings and suspension with H&R sports and Koni yellows along with Michelin tires. From your experience, does the rack make that much of a difference that you would recommend? Thanks, in advance!
@@willjam465 yes! Quicker off center and easier to catch slides (on track 👀). Makes it feel more like a scalpel. Did a gold label from a e46 330 zhp. Planning on doing the same for the e46 m3 and a z3 rack for my e30 325 daily.
@@klinatoc appreciate the response and info. Good to know.
@@klinatoc I've been trying to decide what rack to look for while my engine's out 😅 I've heard about the Z3 rack, but I guess I should look into the e346 330i ZHP rack as well. Haven't had a lot of time to dig through forums for the details 😆
@@jsquared1013 I believe the z3 rack is the quickest ratio. But the 330 zhp is still a good upgrade. I wish the m3forums were still around 😭
I can recommend swapping out the E46 M3 steering rack with the 330Ci purple tag rack, changing the rubber steering coupler with a solid aluminium one and giving the car more castor with after market bushes. Really does take all that slop out of the standard steering feel. Add Turner Motorsport sway/anti-roll bars for even extra sharpness. Not a big spend or alot of work to greatly improve the steering of a great car.
I appreciate this comment. I am looking to get a Euro e36 m3 evo (3.2L) sometime in the future now that they're legal to import to the US, and for now an e36 328i touring due to my love for wagons, but I was disappointed to hear Zach's comments on the still-vague feel of the hydraulic rack of this car. I understand the lazy or slow response and just-off-center dead feel due to the typical 90's slower rack and maybe other parts in the system between the steering wheel and the rack such as soft bushings, but I would've thought that these cars would have at least great feel and direct connection to what the front wheels are doing. And I was also disappointed to hear that he didn't think the steering in the e46 was a great improvement. That it still had that lazy feel. That puzzled me, as I always heard that an e46 rack was a requisite upgrade for the e36 and even e30.
1) Is there something about the e46 purple tag rack that's different from all other e46 racks?
2) Would you concur with him that the e46 rack is still slow? Why, then, does everyone recommend upgrading to the e46 rack? Is it that while still slow by today's standards, it's still a big improvement over the e36 rack?
3) Is it more the other parts like the coupler and bushings as well as the geometry adjustments like the castor really the key to improving the feel of the steering as well as the response rather than just the e46 rack upgrade by itself?
Enlighten me on these questions if you can. Thanks.
Food for thought if considering importing this car is If you want the 'best' E36 era car in the US market you're going to be looking at a 01-02 M Coupe. You get the older school suspension/rawness, but the S54 is just the better engine compared to either the S50 or S52. You get more torque across the entire range (Compared to the S52), and more peak (Compared to both). Given how much this thing must have cost to just buy overseas, and then import, i'm willing to bet you could get a really good example 01-02 m coupe for less money. (And not have to deal with the import headache) Besides, an 01-02 M Coupe is going to be nearly as rare anyways. If you compare the specs of both the E36 M3 GT and a 01-02 M Coupe the numbers are very similar as well.
And i'll be honest, given the pricing on this thing, if i'm looking at the asspain of importing 25+ year old saloon sports cars, i'd take the novelty of the Lotus Carlton and bring that to the US market.
The E36 318is was one of the most fun cars I've owned. With a supercharger, the 1.9lt was a amazing and with suspension and brake set-up I had was faster through the corners than an M3.
Regardless, any E36 is a great car.
for around 15 years ago there where so many of these for sale in Norway.never knew they where so rare.back then they where around 25-30 thousand US dollars.E36 cupe is the best looking 3 series in my opinion.
It has the best proportions. E30 M3 ain't too far behind though.
Those weren't GT models, just regular E36's M3's.
@@Orcawhale1 nope
The M3 has come a long way..That British Racing Green is growing on me...🏁👍🏽
Awesome to see private/person car test again. Hope to see more... Miss the modified /OG reviews
6:00
ZK's dry humor is brilliant 😂
BMW FOREVER...I ALWAYS LOVED THE 4DOOR E36M3 THO
Hope you get to review the evo coupe one day. More power, 6 speed, a better steering rack. Great video nonetheless
Love the e36 and this example. I am a former 98 M3 owner and a current 98 328i owner myself and love the sounds of the euro engines. I think they sound way better than the S54 that replaced them, but they can sound good if in the right setup. Suspension upgrades are a must, but these are fun little track toys if you want them to be. I occasionally track mine and I am by no means fast (due to skill, my vehicle is faster than I will ever be able to drive it) and it is perfect for me right now. I have a Focus ST as my daily and love that car too. I wish e36s got some recaro seats like the Focus ST did, they are amazing. Thanks for the video!
Speaking of super rare BMWs - I am taking delivery of an M3 CRT in a couple of weeks. 1 of 67. You guys should come test drive it at some point!
I think the slingt lack of communication could be fixed with some high quality suspension (e.g. KW)
Been waiting so long for the E36 video 😍
The trunk latch breaking is not from the wing. They all do that with age, particularly if you live in a place where corrosion is an issue. As a 12-year E36 owner, I agree they are great platforms. Mechanically speaking, they are extremely robust and hold up very well to track days. They're super easy to service and maintain, and parts are not terribly expensive. The E46 is ultimately a better rounded platform, IMO, but my heart is with the E36. Question is, if you're talking about Euro M3s, is the later M3 with the larger/more powerful Euro S50B32 engine ultimately a better car than this more expensive M3 GT?
The M3 evolution is one hell of a car, I think on paper at least it's better than the GT
When I received the homologation from your mom I was so happy!
2:19 Zack's face when he said that is like..."If you say so, bruv."
Lol the teckademics name drop. Where is dado ?
I remember driving a US-spec E36 M3 in the late 90’s and being really impressed. The E36 interior was pretty meh though so I ultimately ended getting an E46 330i a few years later. For a fairly expensive car at the time the E36 M3 sold incredibly well. You would see them everywhere.
Not anymore :(
I’d love to see Zack’s drive/review of a 996, since he’s an E46 owner and great driver/journalist.
I know someone who has both! He prefers the 46!
@@carbonemtree I had both, they’re so different that I wish I could have kept both.
Great solo review Zach. Really enjoy your take. As an E46 M3 owner, do you prefer driving your car to this one?
I remember reading about all of the euro M3s in 90s magazines like BMW Car and Total BMW.
If I remember correctly, the GT got the same aluminum panels as the LTW as well.
Yes!
Like this but happy with my S50B32 engined Clown Shoe…. The GT looks awesome in the flesh, has real presence!
Yeah I’d take a clownshoe over this any day. And I love the E36.
I had a 95 avus blau slicktop that I spent years modding to my taste: euro airbox, 3.5” maf, bw elbow, 68mm tb, 24# injectors, supersprint knockoff headers, real supersprint resonated mid, corsa tail, trm 93 octane/3.5”maf/24#/7k redline chip, zhp faster ratio rack, solid steering guibo, e28 trans mounts, mech fan delete, mason strut bar, x brace, hotchkiss swaybar, trm coilovers, 3.73 lsd, 255/40-17 re-71s on 17x9s, and a bunch more. I always said I’d replace her with a euro model. . .
That’s a really nice modlist… good taste. what happened to her?
@@ikaros4203 I was going to buy land in Costa Rica, so I sold her to a young guy who then money-shifted her a month or so after. He and his buddy were going to go to an automotive school in Ohio, so hopefully it got fixed. I do regret selling her, but I’ll end up importing a 95 euro avus slicktop with the hurricane cloth and 125Kmi/200Kkm for $20K.
“That sounds like it’s about butts” 😂
Thanks Zack. Hope to see you in the canyons one day!
The BMW 3 Series and Skylines of that time are a chef's kiss.
With sky high inflation, a Kidney only gets you an IPad these days. I hear eyes may fetch you alot, but that brings upon other complications
Best comment.
2022 Ford Bronco used is
$100k. What da world comin too
Loving our Euro Japanese market 1994 E36 M3!!
The Teckademics callout brought back some memories
Ahhhh, this is amazing. This might be my favorite E36 M3 color. Absolutely awesome car!
You need a few degrees of camber in the front wheels to feel that phenomenal steering feel
Zac is the resident M3 aficionado of the Smoking Tire
I'd say that the Evolution model which came with a 3.2L making 325hp is a better model than the GT.
z3 (non m) rack + poly bush the arms with offset bushes = better steering ... just for anyone that wants "new car steering" + aggressive alignment and at least 3 degrees of cambrer works well for everyday driving and some good backroad attacks
I just drove my tastefully modded m3/4/5 and my distastefully modded turbo v8 e36 coupe back to back....i wonder how this would compare
Fit a purple rack and some KWv3s and have it corner-weighted and the geometry setup right, and you have Razer sharp road racer.
That 3.0 M3 is still one of the finest n/a engines.
S50b30 was the Last of the hand built engines
Love this great video Zack
The M3 LTW flag rave line was gold. LOL.
Brilliant review as always!!! 💯👌👌👌👌
zack is a fantastic reviewer
Sadly just as with all E36s, the lousy steering feel and odd center weighting affects the E36 M3 in all it's guises. A while ago, the GT model was rare, but actually quite cheap in Europe, as they were quickly overshadowed by the Evo and all the improvements that came with that. The E46 M3 is the more complete car. I've driven most variants and for me it's actually the Euro 318is that was the most fun on back roads. A lighter nose, screaming hot hatch engine and the M Tech suspension was a great combination, steering aside.
You can upgrade any E36 with a Z3 steering rack, see that's the beauty of the E36, it's the perfect platform to modify, sure the E46 is a more complete product but it feels more special to resto-mod an E36 and it's complete when you think it's complete not when BMW thinks it's complete
Great Job Zack!
The road he drives up in the second half - I feel like I’ve seen videos of people longboarding down that road.
Not really a sports car guy nor a bimmer guy but just listening to you explain the car's history, driving dynamics, how it fits into the market etc. are all tremendously instructive and entertaining. I enjoy the 'regular' Two Takes episodes you guys do but episodes like this with just one of you are just as fun. Thanks.
What type of cars do you like then?
Matt saw the Instagram sticker on the rear quarter windows and said, "FUCK THIS, Klapman this one is for you."
Great video, We're riding with ya.
Absolute dream car
There were so many clones of these I Greece when they were current.
I owned an E36 M3 and sure it was great but I never understood the hype around it and why Americans talked so much about the "Euro Motor". I prefer my current E46 M3 in every way, it drives so much nicer and has the right amount of power for daily driving and track use.
Idk about that lol. E36 is lighter and the e46 comes from the e36.
@@bubblelex5051 You cant fit any tire onto an e36. No fenders. E46 is better in every way. Ive owed every gen of E chassis 3 series. E46 is the best , 3 times the charm..
@@carbonemtree lol idk what world your living in but there's plenty of videos of e36 cars with widebody fenders diffusers splitters... you name it! Like I said e46 is much heavier so I don't see the charm in that 🤷♂️. Plus the e36 isn't as feminine looking but that's my 2 cents
The e36 is underrated, I don’t know where people get all this “hype” from, if anything the e46 is a bit overrated.
But e46 is ugly. Didn’t have the Vader’s and cool mirrors.
E36 was best manual version M of its time.
Did the 3.2 also come in a GT? That would be pretty awesome!
best bmw color ever besides urban green. 3rd best is dakar yellow 2.
Selling a kidney isn’t a big deal when you see how big the kidney grille is on the new one.
Is there anything smoother than that E36 5 speed? 😍
Never thought I would hear a John Stockton reference in an auto review in 2022.
"That sound's like it's about butts." Close...but not quite in UK slang *giggle*
A two door in green is sweeeeet
I'd love to have the e36 M3 lightweight we got in the states. I settled for a Volvo 850 turbo, the T5R 850 came out 2 yrs later. I was in highschool, so I wasn't affording that shit. But my 850 turbo walked alot of cars in the 90s.
I'd love if a manufacturer brought back a naturally aspirated inline six with a clutch based transmission that was under 3500Ibs. I bet you get better MPG with an inline six than something like a Ford or Kia sub 2.0 liter turbo. However, I doubt it would pass European hydrocarbon emissions without some stupidly complex particulate filter.
Jason Cammisa has an interesting take on why he prefers the downtuned but more torquey American version of this engine.
In the uk we got 326bhp 3.2 litre versions
of the GT version?
@@seth19890103 not “GT” it was the individual
Love that colour
Hey it’s the car from the Hoonigans video a couple days ago
E46 M3 makes a stronger case for the pinnacle of straight six M3.