The E36 isn’t as storied as many of the other 3 Series generations. It wasn’t the first, it didn’t revolutionize performance the way the E30 M3 did, and the later E46 quickly surpassed it in popularity. In retrospect, though, the E36 was critically important for BMW – as the 3 Series always has been. But how did BMW arrive at the car’s look, which was a fairly radical departure from what the brand was known for at the time?
E36’s Design – Daring, at the Time
We already talked a bit about the design story of the E30, and how BMW’s second generation 3er made incremental changes in how the brand was received and sold. But the E36, BMW’s third generation of the 3 Series, underwent more substantial changes. BMW had already redefined the 3 Series’ place in the market by bringing a four-door model to market, which was now the mainstream meat and potatoes of the brand. With an immediately recognizable face sporting new, single-piece headlights, a more horizontally oriented kidney grille, and slimmer tail lights that wrapped around the body, the E36 made a splash when it debuted.
The names behind the E36 might sound familiar – and they should. Claus Luthe, Pinky Lai, and Boyke Boyer were the driving forces, of which Luthe and Boyer worked on the E30. Lai, on the other hand, worked on Ford models like the Sierra, Fiesta, and Escort – all of which were notably more “stylized” than the E30 was.
While hardly something we might daring today – after all, the E36 stays very true to the ‘three-box design’ BMW and many other automakers leaned on heavily – the E36 was a giant step in a new direction for BMW. The finished product, some say, is heavily inspired by Lai, who experimented heavily with wedge-like models at Ford and later brought icons like the 997 and 987 Porsche models to life.
Not Daring Enough For Some
Luthe discusses the selling the car’s polarizing design: “We had to fight very hard for the E36 3 Series because many board members thought it too radical, too big a step forward.” In the same breath, he admits there was an even more radical design that he liked more but knew it wouldn’t be approved. Apparently, the car was even more aerodynamic, but the designs never saw the light of day.
Look, I’m a big fan of the notoriously underrated E36. Even still, parts of this article were gleaned from Steve Saxty’s book, BMW by Design. It’s worth a read if you’re serious about BMW history, design, and tidbits you won’t find really anywhere else.
