BMW’s ‘The M Anniversary Celebration’ to kick off in South Carolina this week

BMW will kick off “The M Anniversary Celebration event” in South Carolina later this week.

The BMW Car Club of America (CCA) Foundation, home of The Ultimate Driving Museum, will host the first day of the event. Here, ticket holders will receive admission to the museum’s “The Power of M: Celebrating 50 Years” exhibit. Over 25 vehicles spanning the history of BMW M will be showcased in the institution, including the 1972 3.0 CSL Batmobile, the mythical 2012 M3 CRT, and the 2018 M8 GTE race car. While there, visitors can purchase Jackie Jouret’s soft-cover exhibit book and have it signed by the author during the day.

A registration badge, to be collected by the guests, will grant them access to an evening event featuring cocktails and appetizers at the nearby BMW Zentrum. The event will honor Jochen Neerpasch, BMW’s first Director of Motorsport and the creator of BMW M who, sadly, is unable to attend. Head of BMW Product Communications Tom Plucinsky will moderate a discussion with Eddie Cheever, star of Neerpasch’s first BMW Junior Team driver development program, and International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) legend Bill Auberlen. Prizes include a set of tires from Continental, driving experiences at the BMW Performance Center, and memorabilia signed by Eddie Cheever and Bill Auberlen.

The following day, The M Anniversary Celebration moves to The BMW Performance Center — just 1.12 kilometers (km) away from the Ultimate Driving Museum. Guests attending the Saturday event can get the chance to sit behind the wheel of BMW M’s latest products for some track time with instruction by the Performance Center’s pro drivers.

Rare and distinctive street and race cars spanning five decades of BMW Motorsport will be on display throughout the day, and visitors can even purchase a spot in the passenger’s seat of a classic BMW M race car for the ride of a lifetime, with the proceeds benefitting the BMW CCA Foundation.

The all-new 2023 BMW M2 and the first-ever BMW XM will break cover at the BMW Performance Center during the day, allowing fans in the United States to see and hear the two newest vehicles from BMW M in the light of day.

Finally, "The M Anniversary Celebration" heads back to the BMW CCA headquarters with a Cars and Coffee car show hosted by the local BMW M Chapter.

The show is expected to attract dozens of new and classic M vehicles, plus a few very special vehicles from the BMW USA Classic Collection. Also, for those who missed them on Saturday, the all-new 2023 BMW M2 and the first-ever BMW XM will also be on display in the BMW CCA headquarters garage.

"The M Anniversary Celebration" is a three-day event dedicated to celebrating the 50th anniversary of BMW’s high-performance division (BMW M). Per the German automotive brand, the three-day affair of exhibits, displays, driving experiences, and charity rides is scheduled from October 14-16, 2022.

Photos from BMW

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