BMW E36 M3 GT – a little-known sports car from the Munich brand
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BMW E36 M3 GT – a little-known sports car from the Munich brand

The third series of the famous German automobile brand BMW is a line of compact executive class models. It all began almost half a century ago, in May 1975. These designs became direct successors to No. 2 and their life on the factory conveyor was represented by seven generations at once.


The first consisted of 2-door sedans. Over time, the manufacturer was able to significantly expand the model range, including a XNUMX-door coupe/cabriolet and a XNUMX-door station wagon/liftback. The sedan also received a second row of doors and a new-fangled hatchback appeared.

BMW E36 M3 GT – a little-known sports car from the Munich brandSpectacular dark green sports car BMW E36 M3 GT. Photo: youtube.com

Such a wide range of products has made the BMW 3 Series the most popular factory line. It has reached the point where three out of ten sold cars brand belonged to it. This allowed the models of this series to win many awards at various prestigious international competitions. And the pinnacle of its development was the BMW M3, which debuted in 1986 with the E30 modification.

Further development of the third series


The latter was considered a high-performance version of the most popular series. Its development involved the internal motorsport division of BMW M GmbH. Such variants were later released for each new generation of the famous series from the Munich company:

✅ E36 – from 1994 to 1999
✅ E90 – from 2008 to 2012
✅ M4 – from 2014 to 2020.

At the same time, the M3 Touring was first released in a station wagon body (all previous ones were sedans). If we go back to the 36th model, it was presented in November 1992. At first, the car had a coupe body, but two years later, a convertible version appeared. At the end of 1994, the manufacturer decided to fill the gap in the form of the absence of a sedan in the M5 line. This is how the classic version of the M3 was born, which existed in the period 1995/98. The restyled version of the coupe (1995) had the following characteristics:

✅ engine displacement - 3,2 l
✅ Gearbox - 6-speed manual
✅ clear lenses of direction indicators
✅ curb weight – 1,515 tons

In 1996, the E36 M3 Compact prototype was hand-built as an M car specifically for younger customers. It featured various performance and exterior design options, including a 3,2-liter S50 engine. The M3 Compact was reviewed in detail in the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, but never went into production.

The E90 M3, produced in the 36s, was designed for a wider target group than its predecessor. At the same time, the excellent "racing DNA" of the car was fully preserved. From today's perspective, it can be said that the set goal was successfully achieved.

But the engineers at BMW M had another "trump card" up their sleeve. It turned out to be a more powerful and productive modification of the M1995 GT, created in 3 and released in a strictly limited edition.


The Munich manufacturer dreamed of a successful performance in FIA-GT racing and the IMSA-GT championship. This was the main reason for the homologation and creation of the little-known version of the BMW E36 M3 GT. This car had:

✅ in-line 6-cylinder engine
✅ 295 hp (217 kW)
✅ maximum torque of 323 Nm at 3900 rpm
✅ acceleration to 100 km/h in 5,9 seconds

Quite decent for the mid-90s, so it is worth taking a closer look at the power unit under the hood of this limited sports car. The car, valued at 91 thousand German marks, received an S50B30 series engine.

BMW E36 M3 GT, Built for Sport


Its technical innovations included six individual throttle valves and a newly developed camshaft control called VANOS. The use of fuel injection increased torque and made the engine one of the most efficient naturally aspirated engines of its time.

3-liter/295-horsepower S50B30 engine. Photo: youtube.com

Someone even called the power unit a design masterpiece. After all, it could develop the same power from idle as its predecessor at maximum speed! When moving, the engine produced the typical sound of a powerful and high-speed in-line engine for a BMW of that era.

After the company built the first six prototypes in December 1994, it qualified them for the FIA-GT Division II series. They were later also prepared for the North American IMSA-GT Championship and international endurance racing.

They left a slightly mixed impression. While some noted their amazing performance, others criticized the slightly soft and clumsy (compared to the E30 series) chassis. Which, in turn, affected the car's handling, especially in conditions of long, high-speed turns.

Layout features and differences from M3


External differences from the base M3 can be considered minimal. Some might even say that there were none at all. But a seasoned specialist knows what to pay attention to first. In fact, it is quite easy to identify the GT version by its external features.

Original plastic fenders under the bumper. Photo: youtube.com

For example, under the original bumper there were side plastic wings, where a relatively massive splitter was hidden. It turned out to be a strong structure folded in four from the same material, attached with four tubes to the front bumper strut. Six existing screws left the possibility of adjusting the amount of its extension, changing the overall length and aerodynamics of the sports car. There were other minor changes:

✅ clear front turn signals
✅ two-section spoiler, increasing downforce of the wheels
✅ protective strips on doors with built-in signs

They had the inscription: "BMW Motorsport International". And if you wanted to play with the reduction of lifting force even more, then it was worth attaching rubber strips to the above-mentioned spoiler. They helped to press the rear wheels to the asphalt a little more intensively. In its internal materials, BMW did not forget to mention that the extended front spoiler and additionally glued rubber strips slightly increased fuel consumption.

The only color available was a dark green called British Racing Green, and all cars were left-hand drive. There are still fifty right-hand drive variants, but they only have the GT optical package, without any other technical modifications to the powertrain.

The first row sports seats were heated. Photo: youtube.com

The M3 GT's chassis features 17-inch forged wheels that are 19 cm wide at the front and 21,6 cm wide at the rear. It also has aluminum doors and a suspension with stiffer springs and shock absorbers. Here's how the model's fuel consumption differed:

✅ average – 9,1 l/100 km
✅ at a speed of 90 km/h – 6,5 l
✅ at a speed of 120 km/h – 7,9 l
✅ in urban driving cycle – 13 l

The interior was also changed. This included more interesting upholstery and carbon panels on the dashboard, central tunnel or thresholds. Sports seats with manual transmission were trimmed in Mexico leather, the shade of which matched the overall British Racing Green color scheme. To this should be added the characteristic gray suede sidewalls and the Motorsport tricolor on the backs, crowning all this "unusualness".

Standard equipment included a three-spoke leather-trimmed sports steering wheel, heated front seats, an outside temperature gauge and a storage compartment in the rear of the central tunnel. In addition, there were two airbags and electric windows.

BMW E36 M3 GT dashboard. Photo: youtube.com

The company produced this spectacular new model for less than six months (from February to June 1995). Only 356 copies were assembled. The uniqueness of the car is confirmed by its current price of 45-80 thousand euros (depending on mileage and condition). Offers are still quite rare, so the price will continue to rise rapidly, and collectors will be even more eager to chase this unusual car.
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