1997 BMW E36 M3

The BMW M3 was developed by the company's in-house motorsport division, BMW M GmbH and were designed as a high-performance version of the 3 Series. Introduced in 1986, the M3 models have remained in production through 2018.

The 1997 model year was part of the E36 generation which had been introduced in November of 1992 and remained in production through 1999. The coupe was the sole bodystyle until the convertible was added in 1994. A sedan version followed in December of 1994. Power was from the S50 straight-six engine which marked the first time the M3 was powered by a six-cylinder powerplant. Most countries received the 2990cc engine which offered nearly 290 horsepower at 7000 RPM and 320 NM at 3,600 RPM. The North American market (except for Canada) used a less powerful S50B30US engine.

In September of 1995, the M3 received modifications which brought an increase in displacement to 3.2 liters. The manual transmission was upgraded from a five- to six-speed, and different wheels and clear indicator lenses were added. The changes were added to the sedan in November of 1995 and the convertible in February of 1996. A 6-speed 'SMG' automated manual transmission became available, which was the first time an automatic transmission was available on an M3 outside the United States.

The U.S. M3 was given an engine upgrade in November of 1996 to the 3.2-liter BMW S52, which offered the same 240 horsepower and an increase in torque by 10 ft-lbs (now rated at 236 ft-lbs). The European versions received the upgrade to a six-speed gearbox, while the U.S. version continued to use a five-speed manual.

The sedan became available in 1997 with both the coupe and sedan having similar base prices of nearly $40,000. In comparison, the base 318ti hatchback sold for $21,400 and the 318i sedan had a baes price of $26,000.

Total U.S. sales reached 18,961 coupes, 6,211 convertibles, and 7,760 sedans.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2020