BMW Group Classic presents rare treasures and racing cars at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2016.

Munich / Amelia Island, USA. BMW Group Classic is
joining forces with BMW North America and the BMW Car Club of America
at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2016 with a diverse and
fascinating selection of vehicles. The event has been held in the
grounds of the Ritz Carlton Hotel and the adjacent Golf Club of Amelia
Island on the east coast of the US state of Florida every year since
1996. The event will be held from 11 to 13 March 2016, and once again
it is expecting to host more than 30 000 owners and fans of historic
vehicles. The display being staged by the BMW Group will showcase 100
years of the company’s existence. A large range of rare gems from the
automobile and motorcycle history of BMW will mark the milestones in
the journey from local engine manufacturer to a leading global
manufacturer of premium vehicles on two and four wheels.

BMW Group Classic is celebrating the anniversary with an exhibition
marquee styled on the theme of the birthday slogan “The Next 100
Years”, located on the north fairway of the golf course. The selection
of rare vehicles exhibited there starts with the BMW 319, which was
already empowering the company to enthuse drivers with ambitious
sporting objectives in the 1930s. The unusual models continue with a
rare convertible version of the BMW Isetta, an iconic legend
symbolising the economic miracle that defined Germany in the 1950s.
Another gem from more recent years is the BMW R 90 S, which was
launched in 1973 and had the distinction of being the first series
motorcycle from the brand to achieve a top speed in excess of 200 km/h.

50 years of the BMW 02 Series: sporty two-door car in numerous versions.

Another highlight for the visitors to the Amelia Island Concours
d’Elegance 2016 will be a further anniversary. Half a century ago, BMW
presented a new model in celebration of the company’s 50th birthday.
This was to become the epitome of the brand new slogan “The Ultimate
Driving Machine” that had just been introduced throughout the world.
The two-door BMW 1600 had been designed as a new entry-level model
with a particularly sporting character. This automobile provided the
ideal conditions for agile driving characteristics, with a streamlined
and compactly styled body that complemented the power-unit and chassis
technology from the successful four-door models in the “New Class”.
Over subsequent years, a complete series was created with a wide range
of different engines and bodies.

The model designations were now BMW 1602, BMW 1802 and BMW 2002.
Especially the last of these made a significant contribution to the
growing popularity of the brand in the USA. By 1977, more than 860 000
units of the two-door automobile, meanwhile known as the BMW 02
Series, had been sold across the world. Today, the BMW 02 Series
enjoys the status of a classic automobile suitable for everyday road
use. The model history also encompasses various versions which are
only very rarely seen gracing the cityscape. These encompass the BMW
2002 tii, the BMW Alpina 2002 ti and the two BMW 2002 convertibles,
which are also being shown at Amelia Island. A direct comparison can
be made between the version fitted with a roll bar and the entirely
open model of the BMW 2002. 2000 units were built of the former while
the latter only rolled off the assembly line 200 times.

BMW rare treasures at the Concours d’Elegance and at the
CarsCoffee Meeting.

The vehicles registered by private owners for the Concours d’Elegance
include a BMW 2002 turbo. In 1973, the flagship model generating 170
hp was the first series vehicle produced by a European manufacturer to
be powered by a turbo engine. The array of vehicles for the beauty
contest also encompasses a BMW R 42 from 1927 and a BMW 3/15
convertible DA2 dating from 1930. Each of these two vehicles
respectively represents the second model in the motorcycle and
automobile history of the company. Other models have also defined the
profile of the BMW story, and the Concours d’Elegance would not be
complete without them: they are the BMW 328, the BMW 507 and the BMW M1.

The weekend of classic cars being held on Amelia Island is not simply
a stage for outstanding historic vehicles, it also serves as a charity
event and a showcase for vehicle auctions. Moreover, the venue
provides a relaxing meeting place for automobile enthusiasts who are
dedicated to modern classic cars and exceptional models from more
recent model years. The CarsCoffee Meeting on the second day
offers an ideal opportunity to engage in informed debate about
vehicles and to admire all the exhibits. Almost 50 BMW drivers have
registered for this event, including numerous members of the BMW Car
Club of America. They will be presenting a variety of BMW models from
various eras. The selection spans a rare BMW 1600 GT from 1968,
through several BMW M3 automobiles from different model generations,
to the most recent member of the sports car range – the BMW i8.

The automobiles of Hans-Joachim Stuck: from the BMW 700 to the BMW M3 GTR.

The highlights of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2016 also
include a commemoration of the sporting achievements of German racing
driver Hans-Joachim Stuck during his illustrious career. A large
selection of racing cars is exhibited under the title of “The Cars of
Hans-Joachim Stuck”. These were the vehicles Hans Stuck – now 65 years
old – drove as a full-blooded racing driver when he achieved his
spectacular successes in different classes on the race track. The
exhibition also includes a BMW 700 which “Strietzel” Stuck associates
with some very special memories. When he was just nine years old, he
went with his father, Hans Stuck, to driver training sessions where he
was privileged to gather some early experiences at the wheel of a
twin-cylinder sports car driving on a cordoned-off stretch of track.
Stuck raced in his first competition at the age of 18. He was behind
the wheel of a BMW 2002 on the Nürburgring where just one year later
he already won the 24 Hour Race. Several models of the BMW 3.0 CSL are
also on show, which brought Hans-Joachim Stuck victory in the 12-hour
Sebring race and created a sensation at the American IMSA series in
1975 with Stuck at the wheel. A BMW M1 is also exhibited, which he
drove to victory in the BMW Procar Series in 1979.

Between 1974 and 1979, Hans-Joachim Stuck gained a total of 29 World
Championship points in 79 Formula 1 races, and he ranks among the few
drivers who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race twice in succession
between 1986 and 1987. In 1990, Stuck gained overall victory in the
German Touring Car Championship (DTM). In 1998, 28 years after his
first triumph, he again won the 24 Hour Race at the Nürburgring. This
time he drove to victory in a BMW 320d, the first time this endurance
race was won in an automobile powered by a diesel engine. Stuck gained
his third overall victory in this competition in 2004 driving a BMW M3
GTR. He had already lined up on the starting grid of the American Le
Mans Series in this car, and the same automobile is being shown at
Amelia Island.

A unique and spectacular vehicle will make a very rare appearance
here: the BMW X5 Le Mans. The design engineers had fitted a
twelve-cylinder engine generating 700 hp with the aim of putting to
the test the dynamic qualities of the concept inherent in the Sports
Activity Vehicle. The power unit originated from the victorious BMW
V12 Le Mans in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1999. Hans-Joachim
Stuck still has a vivid recollection of the test drives on the
Nürburgring in June 2001. He only took 7:49.92 minutes to drive round
the Nordschleife.