Not trying to start flame wars here but I know this has been debated for quite some time and if you ask the M3 guys they will tell you that the M3 will out run our C43's hands down. Well I found this thread from years ago where we actually have an M3 owner telling the truth

Note: you may recognize one of the guys on this forum...

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=147759

they are 2 different rides.
M3 is liter and has 2 doors less, it's faster than the c43 up to a certain speed, then maybe or maybe not c43 will kill that m3 bug?
automatic cars are slower than manuals it's a disadvantage for us.

You need to be a good rider to make a good start to kill that m3 bug from stand still

Not sure about Swizzyland but we have 4 door E36 M3's here as well as 4 door auto E36 M3's. You don't really need to be a good driver to beat the M3 off the line.... You need the M3 to have a BAD driver I can tell you this from experience, the stock C43 will beat the stock E36 M3 (US spec.) on the freeway EVERY time.

I have to agree with you man...The V8 on the freeway is flying .

Andy

of course there are 4 door limos of the m3, but that was the early 90's version IIRC?
Later m3's were coupe's 2 door cars.
daeem I've never seen an automatic m3 before!
I bet they were only sold in USA and maybe a few in Europe?
Yeah, MB drivers are better I guess

I was actually looking for an E36 M3 when I stumbled across my C43. I almost bought a 1998 E36 M3 that was a 4 door and that is a late model for sure as I believe they ended the E36 body style in 1999 or 2000.

Keep in mind the transmission of the W202 allows you to put the car into the proper gear before the race so that you are not waiting for the transmission to kick down. This eliminates a lot of the lag of the automatic since you can roll up to an M3 with your car already in 2nd or 3rd gear.

I've raced an E36 M3 (manual transmission, intake, exhaust) in my C36 from a 60 mph roll, I passed him around 90. I imagine that a race between a similar M3 and a C43 would end similarly.

The advantage the M3 experiences from a standing start is eroded once you are racing from highway speeds, but from a dig the M3 is going to be hard to beat given a reasonably competent driver.

Wish we had the aftermarket support M3 owners enjoy. Even keeping the M3 naturally aspirated it is still possible to build a respectably quick car that many of us would have a hard time keeping up with. Not to mention the forced induction options on the market for an E36.

Stock for Stock the C43 will probably win at higher speeds. Once modifications happen, it's all up in the air.

Only way to know for sure is to run what ya brung and see who wins.

My experience is mostly in a lighter s52 powered car (e30), but I'd venture a guess that a driver who knew how to race a manual box would easily pull on a C43 off the line. Even in sport mode, with good shift memory in my favor, the C43 was always a little hesitant immediately coming out of a stop. Contrasted with my M3, which literally scares me it jumps from a dead stop so quickly when I get a good launch.....

That all being said, from a roll, I'm positive the C43 would normally get the jump on an M, unless the M3 were really sitting at or above 3500 rpm. Once both cars are fully accelerating though, it would have to be a pretty close race. My money would still be on the M up to about 100 mph, but it would be by a small margin.

lol frank is on there!

The E36 M3 is a POS

The C43 isnt

I own both and they dont compare. The end.

A friend of mine owns the ultimate 'poseur' E36 M3 - automatic, yellow, convertible, North American spec. Hell, I guess it might as well be a 325 but painted yellow. Apparently, you could only get the yellow in an M3.

But this friend's a chick, so I guess that's okay...

Here's a cool build thread of a 4-door E46 M3, very lengthy though:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=578901

Executive summary here:

http://buildthreads.wordpress.com/20...m3-conversion/