BMW Deserves To Be A Star At Monterey Car Week

BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG) is 100 years old this year and is set to be the big star of events during Monterey Car Week and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Hundreds of cars and motorcycles wearing the iconic BMW logo are expected to show up on the Monterey peninsula this August to help celebrate the centennial of the much loved German marque.

This year in a special class, 100 Years of BMW, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will pay homage to this illustrious car maker.

The Rolex Motorsports Reunion (August 18 – 21, 2016) is expecting a record number of BMW entries to celebrate the brand’s racing history. The famous BMW Art Cars, Alexander Calder’s 3.0 CSL from 1975, and most recent, Jeff Koons’ M3 GT from 2009 will be on display in the Living Legends Garage.

The Legends Of The Autobahn (August 19, 2016) has 8 distinct BMW classes and should be packed with BMW enthusiasts.

There is good reason BMW is and has been The Ultimate Driving Machine®. Aside from the hundreds of modern BMW sedans and sport utility cars we may see on the road, BMW is much more than a mere daily driver. Did you know BMW was originally an aircraft engine company? It is a myth, however that the logo replicates a spinning propeller. 

The Blue and white came from the Bavarian national colors and if you watch the video, you’ll see the logo has nothing to do with airplanes. The Versailles Armistice Treaty called a halt to their aircraft engine business in 1918, though they continued to build motorcycle engines, their first successful production motorcycle, BMW R 32, rolled off the line in 1923 which is when their motorcycle production began. Automobile production followed in 1928 and later,prior to WWII, they were back to building aircraft engines. While encountering some mid-century set-backs and takeover attempts, BMW rebounded and is now the world’s top premium brand car maker.

BMW has enjoyed a long history of success in motorsports with Sports, Touring, Rally and Formula One cars:

• In 1939 Frazer Nash BMW 328 won RAC Rally
• 1st in class and 5th overall at Le Mans 1939
• BMW 328 won the Mille-Miglia in 1940 and even competed in F1 races
• Model E30 M3 is world’s most successful road racing car
• The first art car, BMW 3.0 CSL by Alexander Calder, starts at Le Mans
• The turbocharged M12/13 engine achieved success at 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, also the first F1 engine able to turn 1,000 hp.
• Nelson Piquet is Formula 1 World Champion in 1983, the first in a turbo powered engine
• Roberto Ravaglia becomes the first Touring Car World Champion driving a BMW M3 in 1987
• 1999 won 24 Hours of Le Mans in partnership with Williams Grand Prix Engineering
• 2013 World Record for world’s longest drift, 51.3 miles on a skidpad in a BMW F10 M5

Today BMW owns three distinctive marques for all levels of automotive customer, all share the characteristics of great design and dependable quality: BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

As you can tell, BMW has a lot to celebrate in 2016. Often winning awards for design and consumer satisfaction, BMW is a consistent consumer favorite around the globe. It seems every model iteration has diehard aficionados. If you are a BMW fan, this is your year at Pebble Beach, Monterey Car Week promises to be a BMW extravaganza. See you there!