The E36 had some big boots to fill on its debut following on from the iconic E30 M3. Vic Lee Motorsports (VLM) had won the championship with Will Hoy in 1991 with the E30 meaning they came into 1992 with high hopes for the E36 under the new Super Touring 2ltr regulations (Class 2).
Carrying over the engine from the E30, the S14B20 was a proven powerful and reliable unit. Early in the development of a new car having an already proven engine would have been incredibly valuable. That is not to say the S14 was left un-fettled. Rather than the short stroke of the road going variant VLM opted to reduce the bore to improve drivability and torque through the rev range.
The 1992 season began poorly for the BMW teams, particularly VLM. With no significant pre-season testing, the new E36 was an unknown quantity. Unpredictable handling in high-speed corners made the BMW difficult to drive on or close to the limit.
After a considerable amount of testing at Zandvoort circuit the handling inconsistencies were traced back to a design flaw with the rear suspension; the rear trailing arm was flexing under heavy load.
After a rear suspension redesign BMW came back with a vengeance with driver Tim Harvey winning six of the fifteen rounds including five in a row from rounds ten to fourteen. This new-found pace allowed Harvey to clinch the drivers title in the final round at Silverstone, with BMW finishing second overall in the manufacturer championship.
1993 saw BMW continue on as they had finished the previous season. This time with the lead BMW’s run by Schnitzer Motorsport. VLM had been shut down due to legal troubles involving those trips to Zandvoort. The domination continued early season and strong performance late season saw title number two wrapped up with German ace Joachim Winkelhock.
The next two seasons in the BTCC BMW would slip further behind and eventually withdraw from the BTCC for the 1997 season. However, while enduring a decline in the BTCC BMW enjoyed back-to-back victories in the German Super Tourenwagen Cup among several other championship wins throughout the nineties.
For the 1994 season the E36 received a new engine, the S42 with a far more favourable bore and stroke ratio. The S42 was more in-line with the other engines of the super touring era, being its origins were found in the M42 road going engine found in the 318is. Aero updates would come in 1995 because of Alfa Romeo´s antics in 1994.
The E36 enjoyed a long racing life at a high level of competition. Racing and winning in a variety of series and truly earning the reputation it has today as a race car.
So, was the E36 as good as our rose-tinted glasses suggest? The answer in short is yes, yes it is as good. Facing off and beating a variety of competition from the wind cheating Alfa’s, the all-wheel drive Audi to the rulebook bending Volvos.
A testament to a good starting point and continued development, the E36 outlived it’s competition from its debut season and demonstrated a type of longevity not often seen in motorsport.
Even thirty years later the E36 is a popular choice for amateur racers and makes a great project car. A popularity largely based on its racing exploits in its prime.
For anyone looking to build a super touring project the E36 is a fabulous option. With a wide variety of aftermarket support to suit all budgets. Even the aero kits can be found. 4 and 6 cylinders are all decent engine’s but the chassis is the E36s ace in the hole. Watch out for rust!
For the love of Supertouring.
Danny IG: @that_405_guy Supertouring TV Writer (Images courtesy of @lesfilsdegruppen)
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