Production of the E36 M3 began in September 1992 and was discontinued in August 1999. The majority of cars were produced at the BMW Regensburg factory in Germany; however, a small number of low compression right hand drive cars were assembled at BMW's plant in Rosslyn, South Africa. In total, 46,525 coupés, 12,114 convertibles and 12,603 sedans were produced. The sedan ceased production in December 1997, the coupé ceased production in late 1998, and the convertible ceased production in December 1999. Despite being released in other countries in 1992, the E36 M3 was not sold in the United States until 1995. A key difference between the "European specification" M3 (sold in the rest of the world) and the U.S. M3 is the less powerful S50B30US engine used in the U.S. M3, which was rated at and . Other notable differences included an optional 5-speed ZF 5HP torque-converter automatic transmission, suspension changes, and single piece brake rotors (compared with floating rotors). The changes were made in order to reduce the price of the M3, as the U.S. dealers believed the European specification M3 would be too expensive to sell well. In November 1996, the engine was upgraded to the BMW S52, with the same power outputs of , but torque increased to . The manual gearbox remained a 5-speed, despite the European versions being upgraded to a 6-speed version. US sales figures include a total of 18,961 coupés, 7,760 sedans and 6,211 convertibles. The introduction of the E36 M3 coincided with BMW's withdrawal from the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM), resulting BMW focussing instead on the 318i and 320i models in the Super Tourenwagen Cup. Nonetheless, the E36 M3 competed in many motorsport events. In 1993, the E36 M3 GTR won the German ADAC GT Cup, driven by Johnny Cecotto. The M3 GT competed in the European FIA GT Championship. In the United States, the Prototype Technology Group (PTG) Racing in Virginia ran the E36 M3 in the IMSA GT Championship. In the 1996 IMSA GT Championship, the M3 won 4 races in the GTS-2 class and BMW won the manufacturers championship. In the 1997 IMSA GT Championship, the M3 won 8 races in the GTS-3 class, with BMW winning the manufacturers championship again and Bill Auberlen winning the drivers championship.