But not if it's under the hood of an E36 M3. This car is a supporting wall in the house that BMW built. A house that stands for rear-drive dynamics, autobahn-blasting, and unarguable automotive class.

the E30 is obviously the first BMW M3, but it's not the car I consider to be the true spiritual forefather to the M3. In my opinion, the E36 is the starting point for what the M3 has come to signify.

Thinking about buying an original 1980s M3? Too late. Hoping to tuck one of the last naturally-aspirated straight-six M-performance BMWs in your garage with a mint-condition early 2000s M3?

On the flip side, that makes the E36 one of the cheapest ways to get into M car ownership. Even for models priced under $10,000, you're getting a fantastic Nineties BMW M car driving experience.

BMW is currently hosting an army of journalists in Portugal, at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve, allowing them to test the new M3 and M4 cars ... we all need wallpapers for our devices ...

BMW put a lot of clever stuff into that powertrain, so we feel like the looks are what hold the E36 back. Even with a wrap and some nice wheels, it still doesn't feel like it's on par with the E30 ...