Car enthusiasts attending this weekend’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance on Amelia Island, Florida are being treated to a rare display of historic BMWs, including the very first BMW Art Car. The BMW 3.0 CSL with a paint scheme designed by American artist Alexander Calder leads an impressive class of BMW 3.0 CSLs that also includes both the winners of the 1975 Twelve Hours of Sebring and the 1976 Daytona 24 Hour race.
For over 40 years, the BMW Art Car Collection has impressed art and design enthusiasts as well as car afficianados and BMW fans. The collection first started when French race car driver and art auctioneer Hervé Poulain asked his artist friend Alexander Calder to design the graphic scheme for a BMW 3.0 CSL that Poulain entered in the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The result was the now iconic first BMW Art Car.
BMW Group Classic, the company division responsible for restoration and vintage parts services, has brought a BMW 3 Series display that features a first-generation U.S. model 320i, as well as a rare example of the first BMW 3 Series Convertible, a 1987 BMW 325i M Technic. Also on display is a first-generation E30 M3, which was originally conceived for competition in the German Touring Car (DTM) series, and which dominated touring car racing in the late 1980s and early 1990s. BMW has also brought the BMW 320 Turbo race car, driven to multiple IMSA wins, poles, and track records in 1977 and 1978 by David Hobbs. This car was not only a successful race car, but also served as a test bed for the turbocharged engine that led to BMW’s Formula One World Championship in 1983.
BMW Group Classic is also showing the BMW M1, which was the company’s first exotic sports car and the first car completely conceived by BMW M GmbH.
The Concours features a class of McLaren cars that would not be complete without a BMW-powered McLaren F1. BMW has brought its beautiful 1996 McLaren F1 GTR race car, with its 6.1-liter V-12 engine conceived and built by BMW M GmbH. This car competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driven by racing legends Nelson Piquet, Danny Sullivan, and Johnny Cecotto and finishing 8th overall in the 1996 race.
BMW’s presence at Amelia Island is not just about the past; the future is also being presented to concours attendees. The new BMW M4 Coupe and the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car are on display all weekend.
Throughout its long history, BMW has been an innovation leader, so it is appropriate for the company to acknowledge innovation achievement. The BMW Technology Award will be given to the vehicle entered in the 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance that best represents cutting edge technology in its day.
—Scott Blazey
