US M3 Vs Euro M3

[mrhartge]

E36 TECH SPECSUS M3 vs. Euro M3 F.A.Q. or: What's the difference between US M3's and Euro Spec. M3's? Since this is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive by e-mail, I am posting a message which I usually send as a reply on this question: The differences between the US and Euro BMW M3 There is a quite significant difference between M3's in the USA/Canada and M3's elsewhere (Europe/Asia etc.). The "authentic" M3 (often referred to as the "Euro Spec." M3) has the real M-engine: S50 B30 in the 3.0 Liter Euro M3 (built from 1993 to 1995)S50 B32 in the 3.2 Liter Euro M3 (built from 1995 to present) The S50 B30 develops 286 hp at 7000 rpm, the S50 B32 develops 321 hp at 7400 rpm. The following are the engines of the US M3: S50us B30 in the 3.0 Liter US M3 (built from 1995 to 1996)S50us B32 in the 3.2 Liter US M3 (built from 1996 to present) The S50us B30 and S50us B32 both develop 240 hp at 6000 rpm. The US M3 engine is - from a constructors viewpoint - a tuned standard 3-series 6-cylinder motor: The S50us engine is a bored and stroked M50/M52 engine which was/is used in the 325i(s)/328i(s). The Euro Spec. M3 engine is a hand-built engine which has Double-VANOS, 6 single throttles (one individual throttle body per cylinder) and has the characteristics of a racing engine: High engine speed red line almost at 8000 rpm, High specific power output of over 100hp/liter. The single throttles are a typical feature of all M-engines from the late Seventies M1 to the allnew E39 M5 8-cylinder. They all had/have single throttles. If you compare a picture of the US M3 engine with the Euro M3 engine with the hood open, you can see the difference by looking at the engine bay, even from distance.

Beside this essential difference, the US M3 also has a softer suspension, other headlights, wheels of different materials and other more or less minor differences. Also the US M3 is available with an automatic transmission beside the 5-speed manual gear box. The Euro Spec. M3 is only available with a 6-speed manual or a sequential gearbox (called "SMG"), which either works like a manual gear box (but without a clutch) or automatically. In 1995 the 3.2 Liter Euro M3 also got the 1994 M5 3.8 high performance brakes with compound discs, which made it one of the best braking cars on the German market (even competitive to the Porsche 993 TT for example). Most likely reason for the "De-Tuning" is the fact that the Euro M3 might be too expensive for the US market (in BMW's opinion) and would never have reached the successful sales numbers of the US M3. And offering the Euro M3 as a special edition for those who can afford it was obviously not an option for the following reasons: 1. Adapting it to the US emission regulations and having it certificated for the US market would have been too expensive for BMW, related to the small number of cars that would have been sold with the financially much more attractive S50us-powered M3 aside and 2. the US M3 would have lost some great amount of prestige (Keep in mind, that many US M3 buyers find out about the Euro M3 actually AFTER they purchased what they thought was the "original" one...). So, although the US M3 unfortunately is not a 100 percent "genuine" M-car, it still remains being a hell of a machine © 1999 Benjamin Chams-El-Dine

 

[3er]

Thats for the E36. Yup, its known.

 

[DrGoh]

Euro-spec E36 M3s were actually brought into Canada, in very limited quantity. Don't ask me how they got it pass "Air Care" (emissions), but I did drive one while in Toronto. All these Euro M3s are special editions and sports a plaque engraved with number xx/150 or 200 (I forgot).

It really was funny when another, "domestic/detuned" M3 pulled next to us at a red light...

Cheers,
Gerald.

 

[fabianyee]

Originally posted by DrGoh@Mar 15 2005, 08:48 PM
it really was funny when another, "domestic/detuned" M3 pulled next to us at a red light...

haha I can imagine.... can u still see his headlight after 10 sec???

 

[wirelessjunkie]

I don't think the US spec M3 is much slower as they gave it a shorter final drive for better acceleration.

 

[Franklin]

well the US M3s arent that slow, but still slower than the euro ones.
the torque is quite similar, but the euro ones will pull till 8000rpms

the lucky canadians got the M3 GT - 286hp...think it was in 1994-95 and mostly came in green. (i could be wrong)

the reason why the euro M3s didnt come in is because of the STUPID US customs/EPA/DOT.
Same reason we didnt get the E30 M3 Sports evo, skylines, old mitsu evos etc.