European M3 vs US M3

[lam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Ken Lam)]

In digest V9 #482 Jared wrote

<	Why is it that the US received a detuned version of the European
M3.......I
mean, the '96 European M3 had 321hp while our version still had the same 240hp
even though we both got the same new and better 3.2 inline 6? 321 vs 240 and
they're the same engine (except or the VANOS). What gives?>

Jared
The US M3 is not a detuned version of the Euro M3. It is a totally different
beast. The US M3
uses a regular production iron block inline 6 bored out to 3.0 liters (earlier
M3s) or 3.2 liters
(later M3s). The European M3 uses and aluminum block. The US engine uses a
single throttle
body versus the European 6 individual butterfly throttle bodies. Pictures that
I have seen of
the Euro engine shows that it has exhaust headers where the US engine does not.
The euro
engine has a dual pickup oil pump (only on the later 3.2 liter engines) where
the US motor has
a single one. I'm sure that there are many more differences that someone else
can point out
but the idea is that both engines are very different. Oh yeah the most
important difference is
that the Euro engine is built by hand and the US engine is built on a
production line.


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kenny_lam@domain.elided

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