This year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is special for us because BMW is celebrating its 100th anniversary and is the event’s featured marque. As part of the celebration, BMW has ramped up its normal impressive display with an extraordinary presentation of unique and historic BMWs. Combined with the many dozens of BMW vintage and classic race cars that were competing in the historic races, and the hundreds of enthusiasts' cars that were parked in the BMW CCA Corrals, I was overwhelmed trying to take in all of them.
While standing in the huge BMW pavilion, just a few yards away from where BMW racing legends Brian Redman, Bill Auberlen, and Boris Said were autographing posters for the masses of BMW fans, former BMW CCA Regional Vice President Mark Doran walked up to me and asked the simple question, “If you could take just one of these home, which car would you choose?”
Thanks a lot, Mark. If I was not at BMW overload before the question, I certainly was once I tried to decide which BMW—of all that were in the BMW exhibit—was my favorite.
Here were some of the choices in the BMW pavilion. These are not all of them; just the ones I took pictures of or remember seeing:
• The #71 BMW 328 Mille Miglia roadster.
• The very first BMW Art Car—the Calder BMW 3.0CSL.
• BMW 2002 Turbo.
• Three vintage BMW 328 roadsters.
• BMW 2002 Hommage concept car in “Turbomeister” livery.
• The “Stars and Stripes” E46 M3 GTR.
• The Jeff Koons BMW M3 GT2 Art Car.
• PTG E36 M3-2.
• Warsteiner E30 BMW DTM car.
• BMW M1 IMSA Group 4.
• BMW 3.0 CSL Batmobile #25 and #59.
• #42 BMW V12 LMR.
• BMW Z4 GTD.
• BMW E30 M3 Korman Firehawk Series.
• #39 McLaren F1 GTR.
• BMW 3.0 CSL IMSA Camel GT.
• BMW-Williams.F1 FW-23.
• Mclaren BMW 320i Turbo
• BMW Alpina 2002ti.
• BMW IMSA GTP.
Keep in mind I was just trying to determine a favorite among the cars in the official BMW display area. If all the BMWs parked in the Festorics Corral were included in the mix, and if the hundreds of gorgeous BMWs we saw yesterday at the Legends of the Autobahn concours were factored in, a BMW nut could go insane trying to pick just one favorite.
I suppose if it came down to a final choice of the cars in the BMW tent, it would be either the BMW 328 MM or the Calder 3.0 CSL, with the nod probably going to the Calder Art Car. Naturally, this was just a mental exercise. The only way a person would be able to acquire either of these cars would be to buy the company, because BMW will never let them go.
But, if you could take one home, which one would you pick?—Scott Blazey
