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Chipping an E36 automatic

I have a 1995 325is automatic, and have been reading some digest mail
about the JimC chip for the E36, in particular a message from Jay Kenty
a couple of digests ago.

Is the chip suitable for an automatic, or is there really no point?  As
I'm sure everyone knows, the 325i's engine doesn't start to come alive
until at least 3000 rpm, due to the lack of low end torque, and the
automatic only exaggerates the problem.

Would the chip fix the deficit in the low-rpm range?  Are there any
tradeoffs; will the car not be as powerful or torquey in some other rpm
range; will it be less smooth or more noisy; does fuel consumption
skyrocket?  Is the engine more likely to fail? (are we doing something
analagous to overclocking a 120 MHz CPU at 133 MHz?)  If there are no
downsides, is there a reason why BMW didn't program the car's
electronics that way in the first place?

What are the torque/horsepower specs on the chipped car?  The stock 325
has specs of something like 189 hp @ 5900rpm, 181 ft-lb @ 4200 rpm.

I would dearly love to increase the low end torque of my car, but not
enough to trade in for a 328!