Was the E36 M3 unfair for American buyers?

There is clearly a big difference between the E36 BMW 3 Series sold in Europe versus those in America. In this CarThrottle video, learn the massive differences and decide: was the E36 M3 unfair for American buyers?

Let’s talk about the engine first. The European market E36 M3 was sold with a 3.0 liter I6 engine that had individual throttle bodies, a continuously-variable VANOS system and delivering 286 hp. The American one had a 3.0 liter I6 engine, but came with a traditional intake manifold, two-stage VANOS and delivering only 236 hp. That’s a number of ponies in difference!

BMW then upgraded the engine to a 3.2 liter I6 with 321 hp. However, American buyers didn’t get any improvement in horsepower, only extra torque. This is where most complaints of being unfair comes from.

As a result, the sales of the E30 M3 and E34 M5 in America was not good. In fact, they were not very popular. Initially, there was no intention of selling the E36 M3 in the American market because of this. However, BMW CCA (Car Club of America) begged BMW to bring the E36 M3 in the US shores so they did. Understandably, BMW had to cut costs to make profit so the version sold ended up to be less exciting.

The European variant also had headlight washers, bigger and better limited-slip diff, bigger and better brakes, plus six-speed manual (on 3.2 liter models). American buys didn’t get any of these.