Guide: BMW E36 M3 3.0 Lightweight — Supercar Nostalgia

Background

Because the E36 M3’s Type S50 B30 engine was unable to meet US emissions standards, BMW did not plan to offer their flagship 3-series in North America.

However, that decision was ultimately reversed and 15 months after the M3 Coupe had been launched (at the Paris Motor Show in October 1992), a watered down version for the US market made its debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show in January 1994.

At the heart of this latest variant was a special Type S50 B30 USA engine with a cylinder head that more closely resembled the less exotic M50 unit from the standard E36.

Peak output was 240bhp at 6000rpm compared to 286bhp at 7000rpm for the Euro version.

The torque rating was 225lb-ft at 4250rpm whereas the full fat motor produced 236lb-ft at 3600rpm.

As standard, these US cars came with air conditioning, leather trim, a ten-speaker stereo, driver and passenger airbags, a third brake light, metallic paint and an economy gauge instead of the regular M3’s oil temperature read out.

In 1993, BMW Motorsport successfully raced their wide-arched and heavily spoilered M3 GTR in the German ADAC GT Championship. Johnny Cecotto won six of the eight rounds on his way to that year’s title.

Aside from a one-off appearance in the Mil Milhas Brasilieras at the beginning of the year (where Cecotto, Nelson Piquet and Ingo Hoffman came fourth), the GTR did not race in 1994.

However, for 1995, BMW decided to wheel out the GTR for an attack on the IMSA GTS-2 class in North America. Tom Milner’s Prototype Technology Group based in Virginia were contracted to manage the campaign.