We love the E36 BMW M3. It’s a classic, timeless design powered by a good six-cylinder engine and filled with technology that was groundbreaking for the 1990s. It’s nice to have all-original features, suspension, and wheels. However, if you want to win car shows, some extreme modifications are needed to take this iconic German car to the next level. These are the best widebody E36 conversions out there in no particular order.
The E36 has a lot of critics. Doug DeMuro ranked this as the worst generation of the BMW M3, for example. Part of the reason is that the US models got a different engine which wasn’t as powerful as the European one. This made the M3 cheaper, so it sold a boatload, making it less valuable. The upside is these things are cheap.
I think the least desirable is the M3 Convertible with an automatic, which is worth $15,000 right now. Even a nice manual coupe will only set you back about $27,000. But because people are sleeping on this car, it means you can make an interesting project for not that much money.
And so we start off the list with useless_e363, owned by a fellow named Marcus. At its core, this is a 1996 BMW 325i. The 2.5-liter inline-6 would normally be making 190 hp but now delivers 210 whp because it’s had an ITB (independent throttle body) conversion. The independent throttle bodies are absolutely amazing, and you can see them through vents cut into the hood.
What’s most impressive about Norwegian builder Marcus’ car is it’s all custom-made, which makes this different from every other E36 on the planet. It’s also quite a lot bolder with about a foot of extra bodywork coming off this wide kit at the back. So don’t be fooled by the bolt-on look, because this is not something you can buy. Besides the wing, the stance, and the kit, this project also stands out through the color, sand beige or tan, which is becoming quite popular with Mercedes G-Wagon owners.
LTO E36 Coupe
This list wouldn’t be complete without the E36 kit made by one particular company. LTO or Live To Offend turns the awesome renderings of Khyzyl Saleem into reality. We’ve already covered this kit when it came out at the end of 2021, so let’s showcase something else.
This red beauty came out right in time for SEMA 2022 and is one of those high-dollar builds with a 1000-horsepower engine and immaculate paintwork. It belongs to Nelson Alves (vaidosodecoura), who’s also got the best Jetta I’ve ever seen and a VW Brasilia. If you look at it in detail, the execution is far better than the sandy all-custom example.
The good news is you can order your own LTO kit for between $5,000 to $7,450. We suggest going all-out to get that amazing wing which reminds me of the E36 M3 3.0 Lightweight.
Who has the best Pandem E36?
Another popular E36 widebody kit comes from Pandem. Actually, it’s pretty much the only one people buy. But it’s hard to say who has the best Pandem E36 build… until you see this thing.
It belongs to Jean Pierre Kraemer, otherwise known as JP Performance. Expensive is one word that describes this car, and unique is another. Under the hood is an M50B28, which is normal, but it’s turbocharged and dumps out through the rear quarter panels in front of the wheels.
The Pandem kit and bodywork are done in black and white. If we were to guess, this is meant to help promote JP’s apparel line. The roll cage is another attention-grabber, but the most impressive factor is a modified KW coilover suspension by Gepfeffert, which means this is on static shocks, not air ride.
