First appearing in the early 90s, it's the 3rd generation of the BMW 3 Series to come out of their factory in Munich.

The BMW E36 exists in 5 different body types : coupé, sedan, cabriolet, tourer and a new style at the time for BMW, the compact.

For the engines, like the E30, it has both 4 and 6 cylinder models (petrol or diesel), and an M3 version, with two engine types : 3.0L 286 hp with single vanos, and 3.2L 321 hp with double vanos, available for coupé, sedan and cabriolet bodies.

It's with this generation that BMW first introduced their version of variable valve timing, called VANOS, (VAriable NOckenwelle Steuerung). A real innovative period for BMW, as it's also with this generation that they released their first robotic gearbox, one of the first on the market, the SMG : Sequential Motorsport Gearbox.