Munich/Paris. Paris will become the city of love for
classic cars for five days. At the Rétromobile 2019 exhibition, fans
and potential purchasers of classic cars and motorcycles will find
everything their hearts desire from 6 to 10 February 2019. BMW Group
Classic has joined forces with BMW France and French BMW Clubs to
feature a number of exciting chapters in the brand history at
Rétromobile 2019. The recent history of BMW roadsters, the long
tradition of the brand in the luxury segment, and the history of motor
sport over the past four decades is presented through the prism of the
fascinating exhibition vehicles. Classics on two wheels are also being
presented, alongside services in the areas of parts sales, vehicle
dealership and archives. The exhibition in Paris also offers a window
onto the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2019.
Rétromobile is one of the biggest and most diverse exhibitions of
classic vehicles in Europe. Around 650 exhibitors from all over the
world will be represented in the 44th edition of the event at the
Porte de Versailles exhibition complex in Paris. More than 600
historic vehicles will be shown on an area of some 6 700 square metres
in exhibition halls 1, 2 and 3. Many of them will be for sale, along
with replacement parts, workshop equipment and lots of other products
to excite fans of classic vehicles. The rare treasures presented by
BMW will be shown in Hall 1 at an exhibition stand divided into
several sections each with a dedicated theme. Passepartout frames
mounted in the partition walls provide visitors with a view of other
sections of the exhibition stand from a variety of different perspectives.
BMW Group Classic celebrated its presentation at Rétromobile 2019 by
announcing that owners of classic vehicles in France would have access
to enhanced service packages in future. This is being achieved by
extending the international network of BMW Classic Partners to French
locations. The Certified BMW Classic Partners will be offering fans
and owners of historic automobiles comprehensive and professional
service packages in the areas of repair, restoration and parts supply,
as well as specialist advice about the purchase and sale of vehicles.
The network of BMW Classic Partners currently covers sites in Germany,
Austria, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Belgium and the USA.
Once pioneering, today a classic car: the BMW Z1.
The roadsters of the BMW brand have always epitomised open-top
driving pleasure for two people. Some 30 years ago, the first examples
of the BMW Z1 were delivered to expectant customers. Originally, the
two-seater was a development project run by BMW Technik GmbH, designed
to enrich knowledge about innovative vehicle structures and materials
in the course of the project. The plastic body mounted on a
self-supporting steel chassis, the retractable doors and the agile
driving performance generated enthusiasm right from the start. Today,
this passion is shared by fans of youngtimers and classic cars alike.
One of the 8 000 BMW Z1 automobiles delivered up until 1991 will be
presented at the Rétromobile 2019 and offered for sale. The vehicle
has been restored to its original condition and although it is only on
the threshold of classic-car status, it is nevertheless already one of
the coveted collectibles from the model history of the brand. A
comparison between the BMW Z1 and the new BMW Z4 – set to make waves
from March 2019 – shows that the universal attraction of an open-top
sports car retains its lustre to this day.
BMW 507: sportiness and luxury in the open air – and on the water.
Almost three and a half decades before sales of the BMW Z1 were
launched, another roadster that has meanwhile become a legend was
creating a sensation for the first time. The BMW 507 was presented at
the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in 1955. It embodies dynamic
performance, elegance and a generous portion of luxury. In 1957, BMW
commissioned Starnberg-based boatbuilder Werft A. Rambeck to construct
a speedboat on the basis of the numerous design attributes in the
styling of the road-going vehicle. The speedboat was powered by the
BMW 401 marine engine derived from the automobile powerplant, and at
150 hp it precisely matched the power of the eight-cylinder unit
mounted in the BMW 507. The unique special was long believed to have
been lost, but the boat was discovered a few years ago and restored by
Werft Rambeck. At Rétromobile 2019, BMW Group Classic is presenting
the roadster and the boat together with the new BMW 8 Series
convertible, which transfers the combination of sportiness, luxury and
open-top joy to the present day.
Racing car for the BMW Junior Team and the Procar Series.
Two outstanding competition vehicles recall the glory days of the
1970s in motor sport with two outstanding competition vehicles. A BMW
320 built in accordance with Group 5 regulations is presented in
homage to a successful era of the brand in touring-car sport. Front
spoilers, rear wings and flared wheel arches with flamboyant styling
characterise the competition vehicle developed on the basis of the
first generation of the BMW 3 Series. Under the bonnet, the car is
powered by a Formula 2 racing engine, which generates an output of 300
hp from a displacement of 2.0 litres. In 1977, BMW competed with the
new touring car in the German Racing Championship (DRM). At the same
time, this formed the launchpad for a new form of promotion for junior
drivers. Eddie Cheever, Marc Surer and Manfred Winkelhock competed in
the BMW Junior Team against established, world-class drivers. They
became the darlings of the public and collected a bumper harvest of points.
Two years later, drivers lined up at the start of the first races in
the Procar Series initiated by BMW. This was an ideal stage to put the
racing version of the BMW M1 through its paces. In the Procar Series,
Formula 1 pilots and touring-car drivers competed against each other
in identically engineered vehicles powered by 470 hp engines. The
races were held in 1979 and 1980 as part of the warm-up for the
Formula 1 World Championship races in Europe and they developed into a
massive success with a big public following. A Procar racer from the
collection of BMW Group Classic is being presented at Rétromobile 2019.
Pioneering collectibles with Boxer engines.
Connoisseurs and collectors of historic two-wheelers will be
delighted with the exhibits shown in the section of the exhibition
stand dedicated to classic two-wheelers from BMW Motorrad. The
vehicles offered for sale there include a BMW R51/3 from the 1950s and
a BMW R 60/5 from the touring motorcycle series presented in 1969. The
BMW R 51/3 was launched in the marketplace in 1951. Its completely
redesigned two-cylinder Boxer engine with a capacity of 500 cubic
centimetres was also a new development and impressed aficionados right
from the start with its smooth-running performance and high level of
reliability. BMW also explored new avenues with the /5 Series. The
models BMW R 50/5, BMW R 60/5 and BMW R 75/5 were designed as sporty
tourers styled in a modern design and they were fitted with a
completely new chassis incorporating a telescopic fork for the front
wheel and an adjustable rear-wheel suspension. Other innovations
included the electric starter and the fact that customers had a choice
of different colours for the first time. The launch of the /5 Series
also heralded the completion of relocating motorcycle production from
Munich to Berlin.
Snapshot of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2019.
Visitors to Rétromobile 2019 also have an opportunity to get in the
mood for an absolute highlight in the calendar of the worldwide fan
community for classic cars. BMW Group Classic is presenting the
programme for the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2019. The beauty
contest for historic automobiles and motorcycles is being held from
24th to 26th May 2019 in Cernobbio, Northern Italy. It is being
presented under the motto “The Symphony of Engines – 90 Years of the
Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este BMW Automobiles”. This recalls
the early beginnings of the vehicle show on the shores of Lake Como
and the origins of automobile production at BMW.