BMW
The 1990-2000 3 Series that modernized the formula and became the affordable entry point into rear-drive BMW ownership.
The BMW E36 is the chassis code for the third-generation 3 Series, built from 1990 to 2000. It replaced the boxy E30 with something rounder, longer, and more aerodynamic, and it moved the 3 Series decisively upmarket. The E36 traded some of the E30 upright charm for a smoother, more modern shape, and it introduced a multi-link rear suspension that made it a far better car to drive quickly. The M3 arrived with the straight-six S50, which replaced the E30 four-cylinder and set the template every M3 since has followed: a high-revving naturally aspirated six in a compact rear-drive body. European cars received the S50B30 and later the S50B32 Evo, while North America got a different, more modestly tuned six. Because E36s stayed cheap for a long time, they became the default first rear-drive project car for a generation, which is why so many have been drifted, tracked, and modified. On WhipJury a clean, unmolested E36 now stands out precisely because most of them were not treated gently.
The E36 softened the E30 edges and lowered the drag coefficient, and its longer, sleeker profile aged better than people expected. The coupe in particular has a clean, uncluttered surface treatment that looks far more contemporary than its age suggests.
The E36 M3 switched to a straight-six, the S50, and established the modern M3 recipe. European versions were notably more powerful than the North American cars, a difference that still fuels arguments among owners.
For most of the 2000s and 2010s the E36 was the cheapest way into a balanced rear-drive chassis. It became a staple of drift events and track days, and its ubiquity in that world is exactly why tidy original cars are now harder to find than the numbers suggest.