BMW 318i Cabrio (E36)
Car-ID: XT0974
Vehicle Description
The successor to the very popular E30 was presented in 1990 as the third generation of BMW’s 3 series. Internally called E36, the new sedan was considerably larger (and pricier) than its predecessor. It introduced completely new styling cues, such as the glass covers over the traditional double headlights, the forward-slanting kidney grille or the higher rear section. There were a variety of available body styles: The 2-door sedan had become an elegant coupé which shared very few parts with the 4-door variant. A shorter hatchback called Compact was added in 1994. In 1995, the Touring station wagon followed. A factory convertible as well as the (rare) Baur convertible, offered in the E36 series for the last time, and the Z3 roadster (E36/7), based on the E36 Compact platform, made the lineup complete.
The choice of engines was huge, with no petrol engine producing less than 73 kW (100 hp). Top of the range was the M3, which in 1992 offered 210 kW (286 hp) from a 3.0 litre engine, later being replaced by a 3.2 litre, 236 kW (321 hp) powerplant in 1997. 4- and 6-cylinder diesel engines were also available. The E36 was built totalling 2.5 million units at the BMW plants in Munich, Regensburg, Dingolfing as well as at the newly built Spartanburg factory in the US.
