I recently sold my wifes SRT-4 Neon. That car was fun as hell, much more so than my MkIV GTi. But you still can't get away from its FWD econobox roots. On power, it was the equivalent of riding a bull., which made for some serious fun, in a hooligan sort of way. Not in the way of getting around a set a twisties with minimal haste.
For you I will change my blanket statement. FWD cars are closest to a sports car when driven in reverse
. More fun than an E36 M3? Wow! I took a ride years ago in a 4 door E36 M3 and the brakes alone are enough to tell me which car I would prefer at the track. I sincerely hope the other M3 that graced your garage wasn't an E30, which I had extensive wheel time in during my college years, or an E46. I don't have much time behind the wheel of an E46, but I've driven King Tut's and that car was heads/tails above my wifes SRT-4 in every aspect of performance (subjective and objective).
I can't think of one dedicated sports car that is driven by the front wheels. The only sporting cars that I know of that are driven by the front wheels are cars that are based on an econobox. On the contrary, RWD doesn't automatically mean a sports car either. I don't consider a Mustang, Charger, or Challenger a sports car.