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. Italics denote a tie game.
* - Denotes BCS Championship Games. Against other competititors, the E36 would repeatedly beat out the competition and won many awards from major car magazines. In 1998, the Fiesta Bowl featured the first BCS National Championship Game, which Tennessee won over Florida State, 23 to 16. Sales for 3 Series coupes, sedans, and convertibles were at all time highs in North America and Europe. Finally, with the addition of the Big Ten and Pac 10 conferences to the rechristened Bowl Championship Series, the Fiesta Bowl became a permanent fixture in the four year BCS National Championship Game rotation. Among most BMW enthusiasts, the E36 platform was among the most popular of BMW design of the past 20 years. When this series incorporated a title game with a preset rotating site beginning in 1996, the Fiesta Bowl was the first to host the game, featuring undefeated #1 Nebraska playing undefeated#2 Florida for the National Championship.

A modified version of the E36 platform (sometimes called the E36/7) was used for the BMW Z3 roadster. In 1992, the Fiesta Bowl was invited to participate in the Bowl Coalition, a predecessor to the Bowl Championship Series, assuring the game would feature major conference champions or prestigious runners up, and the possibility of hosting further national title games. Ostensibly due to slow US sales of the E36/5 Compact, the E46 Compact was not sold in the United States. For the 1991 game, several major universities declined invitations due to the State of Arizona's decision at that time not to adopt the Martin Luther King Holiday. 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. By this time, the Fiesta Bowl's ability to stage games with national championship implications propelled it to major-bowl status in the minds of college football fans, replacing the Cotton Bowl as a member of the postseason's "top four.". This platform is often referred to as the E36/5. Two years later, #1 Notre Dame played undefeated#3 West Virginia for the National Championship at the Fiesta Bowl.

BMW made an entry level version of the E36 called the 3 Series Compact, a three-door hatchback. The 1987 game, won by Penn State 14-10, was the most watched college football game, in terms of television viewership, until the 2006 Rose Bowl Game. Each model is followed by its particular engine. Both universities were independents at that time, all of the so-called major bowls had tie-ins with conferences, and of the other bowls only the Fiesta Bowl had the resources to pull off a matchup of this magnitude. . A major breakthrough occurred in 1987 when the top two teams in the country, Miami and Penn State, agreed to play for the National Championship in the Fiesta Bowl. E36 is considered the performance benchmark in its class. The game continued to attract high quality matchups, however, and beginning with the 1981 game shifted to New Year's Day with the other major bowl games.

It laid strong foundation to the success BMW E46 experienced in subsequent years. In 1978, Arizona and Arizona State each joined the Pac 10 Conference, and the Fiesta Bowl's tie-in with the Western Athletic Conference ended. E36 experienced enormous success in the market. In 1977, the game was again able to attract a top five opponent in Penn State. The M3 was produced as an E36 from 1995-1999 in the US, and 1993-1999 in the European market. By 1975, the game was able to attract Big Eight co-champion Nebraska to play undefeated Arizona State in a matchup of top five teams. It is the sucessor of the BMW E30 in 1992 but was officially replaced by the BMW E46 in 1999. The 1971 inaugural game featured another top ten Arizona State squad against top twenty opponent Florida State.

The E36 automobile platform was the basis for the 1992 through 1999 BMW 3 Series models. The Fiesta Bowl therefore initially provided an automatic bowl tie-in for the Western Athletic Conference champion. M3 (1995-1998; convertible and sedan added to lineup 1997) M50B30. In 1968 and 1969, respectively, champions Wyoming and Arizona State failed to obtain any invitation, while in 1970, undefeated Arizona State was bypassed by the major bowls and had to settle for a less prestigious Peach Bowl appearance. 328i, 328is, 328ic (1996-1998) M52B28. The creation of Fiesta Bowl grew out of the frustration of the Western Athletic Conference in trying to obtain suitable bowl invitiations for its champions. 325i, 325is, 325ic (1992-1995) M50B25. .

323i, 323is, 323ic (1996-1998) M52B25. In January 2007, the game will be played at Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, along with the new stand-alone BCS National Championship Game. 318ti (1996-1998) M44B19. In 1999 the Fiesta Bowl became part of the Bowl Championship Series, and every four years (most recently in 2003) is the designee for the national championship game. 318ti (1994-1996) M42B18. The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Tostitos tortilla chips (a Frito-Lay product), is a United States college football game played annually since 1971 in Tempe, Arizona, hosted by Arizona State University's Sun Devil Stadium. 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.