euro m3 vs north american m3

[bimmer_power]

what i have read is that the e36 euro model with the 3.2 litre comes with 321 hp but the american model comes with only 240hp. would it be cheaper to just import one from europe or buy a m3 here and mod it up to the 321hp???
another question is does anyone know how much you can get a bmw m3 (99) from europe for and the price of shippin it to canada(rough estimate)

thx in advance

[993TargaGuy]

pretty sure you can't import a euro M3 into the US, not sure about Canada. But you can buy a euro engine for about 7 and put it in an M3...

But you are probably better off modding a North American M3, since then techies would be able to work on it, and you don't have to stop anywhere near 321hp:evil2

[bimmer_power]

true. why can't you import it it's been done before. you just have to pass some tests to get it registered

[MGregski]

You CAN import it, but it costs $$$ just to make it legal here. For that extra money, just buy a SC or turbo kit and have way more than 321hp.

[jvit27]

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Learn it. Love it. Live it.

[JSN]

Originally posted by Vitolo
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Learn it. Love it. Live it.

or you can just sum it up once more. euro engines = emissions failure in US. costs at least 10k to make legal. just go F1

[Rory]

Originally posted by bimmer_power
what i have read is that the e36 euro model with the 3.2 litre comes with 321 hp but the american model comes with only 240hp. would it be cheaper to just import one from europe or buy a m3 here and mod it up to the 321hp???
another question is does anyone know how much you can get a bmw m3 (99) from europe for and the price of shippin it to canada(rough estimate)

thx in advance

I see your thinking, but do you realise it is not just a detuned version in the US, they are totally different engines?

[AvusMPower]

jsn117, I think an F1 car would be a lot more expensive than any euro M3. Maybe he should try a US M3 with FI.

[Rory]

Originally posted by AvusMPower
jsn117, I think an F1 car would be a lot more expensive than any euro M3. Maybe he should try a US M3 with FI. :biglaughb

Ah, but how could you resist a V10 with 900bhp@19,000rpm.....
Mind you, servicing could be a bit steep!

[Armo95]

You need a lot of work on an NA US M3 to get up to 321HP. I'm talking head work/motor work/cams etc.

[Daved]

Don't forget you get a 6spd or a SMG tranny with the euro 321bhp M3s :)

[jvit27]

Originally posted by jsn117
or you can just sum it up once more. euro engines = emissions failure in US. costs at least 10k to make legal. just go F1

There have been members here who passed emissions with Euro motors.

[FriedKalamari]

Originally posted by 993TargaGuy
pretty sure you can't import a euro M3 into the US, not sure about Canada. But you can buy a euro engine for about 7 and put it in an M3...

yeah but then wouldnt it still not pass emmissions.....therefore itd be stupid to do a engine swap when u could just import a real one. rite?

[vjlax18]

You can get almost as much out of a US 3.2L WITH OBD-II and stay legal. Alex at Eurospeed had ~320 at the crank. Head work, cams, M50 manifold, headers, exhaust, pullies, etc are still less then a Euro Swap... and are legal and will pass emissions.

[T&T]

Unless you have blown your US engine I doubt it's worth the hassle and cost of getting a euro motor. I wouldn't, considering there are so many turbo/sc kits for the US car... haven't seen any for the euros!

[like2short]

Just get an E46 M3....the performance you want with a warranty

[E30 Stu]

You can build a US 3.0 or 3.2 to 250whp on stock cams, if you have the right person building it.

Guys with cams and all the bolt-ons w/o engine work are getting 260-265whp out of their motors. Built race motors with cams, you could squeeze 275whp.

Those are all peak figures though.

[JoeZ]

Originally posted by like2short
Just get an E46 M3....the performance you want with a warranty

Or get an S52, call AA and spank the E46's :)

[mredwin25]

Get an E46 M3

[Mpowered02]

Since you're in canada, you should just look for a '94 Euro-spec M3. BMW imported a limited edition (I think there were only 45) of the full euro-spec engined M3's into Canada. I've seen a couple of them for sale over the years. That would definitely be legal for you in Canada with no additional stuff needed to convert, etc. Only problem is that one might be hard to find and rather expensive. Plus, it's only the 3.0L S50B30 which only had 286HP instead of the 321HP that the 3.2L S50B32 puts out.

As for the Euro-spec's here in the US, if you have a '95 then it's possible to do it and get away with it (depending on your state). From what I hear, the Euro-spec engines will pass the sniffer test, but won't pass the under hood inspection (depending on the knowledge of the inspector) that some states do. '96 and later cars are a bit harder because of the OBD2 regs that some states have that require a plug and scan of the OBD2 port (like here in MD!!! :mad: ).

Yeah, it's possible to mod the US engine to Euro-spec, but I dunno if i'd say that it is "legal". You'll get away with it, but I don't think that it's technically "legal". Heh. I personally would rather have a 321HP S50B32 in my car than a heavily modded US spec motor, but that's just me.:D Just imagine if you took that euro-spec engine and threw the same mods (cams, s/w, intake, etc) at it... :evil2
Just my .02 cents. sorry for the long post...

[Lance325is]

Lucky for me I have a 93

[Rasta Mon]

Even when you max-out the US motor to 270+ whp, the euro motor is still superior. Take a look at the torque curve of a 3.2 EVO dyno. FAT from start to finish. Double VANOS works wonders. The thing makes power/trq everywhere. The built US motor will lack the low-end and mid-range thrust of the bone stock EVO motor. The EVO swap is not THAT bad, either, by the time you sell your US motor and tranny, you're not looking at much more than a fully built US motor. You just have to be SURE the thing will pass inspection in your area before taking the plunge . . .

[T&T]

I haven't seen a dyno for the US engine, but the euro isn't that good either when it comes to torque... it needs 3k revs before it gets nice and flat, and has a nasty dip around 2-2.5k. Also, they never put out the full 321hp - figure 300-310 is more the norm.

[T&T]

p.s. the 321hp figure is definately for show and hard to attain IRL, cause that breaks the magic 100hp/litre barrier... think marketing!