BMW E36

The success of the E36 in addition to the "quality" and "fun to drive" aspects of the platform gave BMW a strong market identity and presence for many. In Canadian heraldry, a buckle is the brisure of an eighth daughter. Against other competititors, the E36 would repeatedly beat out the competition and won many awards from major car magazines. A buckle can refer to a seat belt or safety belt, as in the term, "buckle up.". Sales for 3 Series coupes, sedans, and convertibles were at all time highs in North America and Europe. Buckles are also commonly seen in modern gothic fashion. Among most BMW enthusiasts, the E36 platform was among the most popular of BMW design of the past 20 years. Buckles can also be seen on backpacks, watches and other wrist jewlery, or for ornamental purposes on other various objects.

A modified version of the E36 platform (sometimes called the E36/7) was used for the BMW Z3 roadster. Tanker boots employ the use of buckles because of the disadvantages of laces. Ostensibly due to slow US sales of the E36/5 Compact, the E46 Compact was not sold in the United States. Today, the buckle is most commonly used for belts, although it is still used in shoes and particularly boots. In the United States market the car was sold as the 318ti and was equipped with a 1.8 L, 139 bhp M44B19 engine and was priced at USD23,000. It was commonly used as a typical clasp for clothing until the zipper was invented. This platform is often referred to as the E36/5. Because of the simplicity and durability of the buckle, it became popular in harnesses and embroidery, especially in shoes and boots.

BMW made an entry level version of the E36 called the 3 Series Compact, a three-door hatchback. Buckles were first used commonly in the cheek strap of the Roman Galea, hence the word origin from the Latin bucca–cheek. Each model is followed by its particular engine.
Buckles were used in ancient Greece and Rome, particularly in millitary equiptment. . Before the invention of the zipper, buckles were commonly used to fasten boots and other shoes. E36 is considered the performance benchmark in its class. A buckle (from Latin buccula) is a clasp used for fastening two things together, such as the ends of a belt, or for retaining the end of a strap.

It laid strong foundation to the success BMW E46 experienced in subsequent years. E36 experienced enormous success in the market. The M3 was produced as an E36 from 1995-1999 in the US, and 1993-1999 in the European market. It is the sucessor of the BMW E30 in 1992 but was officially replaced by the BMW E46 in 1999.

The E36 automobile platform was the basis for the 1992 through 1999 BMW 3 Series models. M3 (1995-1998; convertible and sedan added to lineup 1997) M50B30. 328i, 328is, 328ic (1996-1998) M52B28. 325i, 325is, 325ic (1992-1995) M50B25.

323i, 323is, 323ic (1996-1998) M52B25. 318ti (1996-1998) M44B19. 318ti (1994-1996) M42B18. 318i, 318is, 318ic (1992-1995) M42B18.

325ti (1996-1998) M52B25. 318ti (1996-1998) M44B19. 318ti (1994-1996) M42B18. 318tds (1995-1998) M41D17.

316ti (1994-1998) M43B16. 328iT (1995-1998) M52B28. 325tds (1995-1998) M51S. 325iT (1996-1998) M52B25.

320iT (1995-1998) M52B20. 318tds (1995-1998) M41D17. 318iT (1995-1998) M43B18. 316iT (1998) M43B16.

M3 (1996-1998) S52B30. M3 (1994-1996) S50B30. 328ic (1995-1998) M52B28. 320ic (1994-1998) M52B20.

320ic (1993-1994) M50B20. 318ic (1994-1998) M43B18. M3 (1992-1995) S50. 328is (1995-1998) M52B28.

328i (1995-1998) M52B28. 325i (1992-1995) M50B25. 323i (1995-1998) M52B25. 320i (1992-1998) M52B20.

320i (1992) M50B20. 318is (1996-1998) M44B19. 318is (1992-1996) M42B18. 316i (1993-1998) M43B16.

M3 (1995-1998) S52B30. M3 (1994-1995) S50B30. 328i (1994-1998) M52B28. 325tds (1993-1998) M51S.

325td (1991-1998) M51D25. 325i (1996-1998) M52B25. 320i (1994-1998) M52B20. 320i (1991-1994) M50B20.

318tds (1994-1998) M41D17. 318iS (1996-1998) M44B19. 318iS (1992-1996) M42B18. 318i (1993-1998) M43B18.

318i (1990-1993) M40B18. 316i (1993-1998) M43B16. 316i (1990-1993) M40B16.