To celebrate BMW’s Centennial Anniversary, America’s Car Museum (ACM) is opening a new exhibit on May 7, “BMW: Propelling a Century of Innovation,” highlighting some of the brand’s most gripping vehicles and motorcycles. BMW has amassed a strong sub-culture by redefining performance luxury vehicles, such as the 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL, 1988 BMW E30 M3 and the forward-looking 2016 BMW i8, which are all included in the display.
While BMW began manufacturing airplane engines in 1916, it wasn’t until 1923 that the Munich-based company put together its first successful motorcycle, the R32. The R32 featured the now-iconic “boxer” engine configuration, a hallmark design of BMW motorcycles ever since.
To pay respect to such a storied brand, ACM enlisted the help of several of its long-time backers – including ACM Board Member Manfred Scharmach, renowned BMW collector Peter Gleeson and Brooks Motor Works owner Kevin Brooks – to ensure that “BMW: Propelling a Century of Innovation” would have an unmatched assortment of vintage and modern BMWs for guests of all ages.
Cars featured in “BMW: Propelling a Century of Innovation” include:
1938 Frazer-Nash BMW 328 Roadster
1939 BMW 327/28
1957 BMW Isetta 300
1959 BMW 507
1972 BMW 2002tii
1973 BMW 3.0 CSL
1974 BMW 3.0 CSL Batmobile
1978 BMW M1 Art Car
1980 BMW M1
1988 BMW E30 M3
1988 BMW M6
2000 BMW M5
2003 BMW Z8 Alpina
2006 BMW Z4M Racer
2011 BMW 1M
2016 BMW i8
2016 BMW i3
2016 BMW X6
Motorcycles featured in “BMW: Propelling a Century of Innovation” include:
1954 BMW R68/1400
1955 BMW 500cc Bonneville S/C Racer with sidecar
1968 BMW R60/2 café
1975 BMW R90S
1975 BMW R90S
“BMW’s centennial celebration is a huge milestone, which we wanted to honor in a big way,” said ACM CEO David Madeira. “The support we received from the BMW community resulted in more vehicle submissions than any other display in ACM’s four-year history. It allowed us to secure a robust assortment vehicles and led to one of our best exhibits to date.”
For more information on the “BMW: Propelling a Century of Innovation” and other exhibits currently on view at ACM, visit americascarmuseum.org.
