The E36 328i Sport Is The Junior M3 That Every BMW Fanboy Should Try At Least Once

After seeing an E36 BMW M3 rally car landing a ludicrously high jump today,, we’ve had old BMW 3ers on the brain. As much as we’d like to pluck a lovely E36 M3 out of the classifieds and extol its virtues, we thought we’d sing the praises of another E36 gem: the 328i sport.

It may not have the firepower of the M3’s S50 straight-six, but the 2.8-litre M52 six-banger is a fine unit that’s good for 193bhp. That’ll get you from 0-62mph in seven seconds. It’s capable of much more, too. Fitting the less restrictive inlet manifold from the preceding 2.5-litre M50 unit - a common modification - unlocks a good 10-20bhp more from the engine.

Sport models also received the M-tech bodykit (which looks the business), while earlier versions came packing a limited-slip differential.

The only issue is finding a decent one, especially if you want a manual. This 1996 example is the only manual version we could find for sale in the UK, and despite having a relatively hefty 130,000 miles on the clock, it’s up for £3250. That’s around the starting price for early E36 M3s. However, it’ll be a damn sight cheaper to run than the full-on M Division car, and given the rarity of these things, the value should stay strong. Fancy taking the plunge?