There's something to be said for a company that's so rich in automotive racing history, with such pride in their vehicles and their success, that they open their doors to the general public to experience the greatness of their accomplishments and designs. And come on, who wouldn't want to stand, mouth wide open, staring at a legendary BMW-powered McLaren F1 GTR?
As the Grand Prix descended on Montreal, BMW once again commanded attention just outside the Bell Centre where it set up a live showroom for BMW owners and enthusiasts alike to display and gawk at German masterpieces from all eras. Except for the five legendary race cars on display--which I'll get to in a moment--the parking lot was crowded with privately-owned BMW's whose owners registered through the BMW Concours to showcase their rides.
Within the first hour of website registration, the BMW Concours had more than 100 Bimmer owners sign up for the event to display their cars. It was also possible to register on site, and for those who didn't wish to display their cars, but still wanted to see the event, parking was free for fellow Bavarian rides.
From a classic BMW Z8 to a heavily-modified 3-series with gull-wing doors, BMWs commanded the parking lot and put on quite a show, without even changing gears. Models spanned from all generations, including a rare V12 8-series, not to mention the brand new M Coupe and M6 convertible models. Perhaps most impressive though, was BMW's tribute to its star-studded racing history.
Displayed in a way that allowed the general public to really get up close and personal with some of BMW's rarest racing cars; the BMW-powered McLaren F1 GTR, March GTP, M3 GTR, M1 Procar and 3.0 CSL.
Perhaps most impressive of the five was the McLaren F1 GTR. Most people would never get the chance to see a street version of the million-dollar ride in their lives, let alone the race-bred, 600 bhp, 6.0-liter V12 beast. And more than a few jaws dropped and knees buckled when the huge engine was revved to life, the sound of the quad-exhaust ricocheting off the nearby office buildings. Not only was the public given a chance to see greatness, they were able to truly experience it. Even though this exotic ride sports the McLaren name, BMW gave the savage car its soul with an impressive engine that earned the F1 GTR winning titles at the 24-hour LeMans, the 1000-kilometer race at Suzuka and the 4 Hours of Silverstone.
 |
As the Grand Prix descended on Montreal, BMW once again commanded attention just outside the Bell Centre where it set up a live showroom for BMW owners and enthusiasts alike to display and gawk at German masterpieces from all eras. Except for the five legendary race cars on display--which I'll get to in a moment--the parking lot was crowded with privately-owned BMW's whose owners registered through the BMW Concours to showcase their rides.
Within the first hour of website registration, the BMW Concours had more than 100 Bimmer owners sign up for the event to display their cars. It was also possible to register on site, and for those who didn't wish to display their cars, but still wanted to see the event, parking was free for fellow Bavarian rides.
From a classic BMW Z8 to a heavily-modified 3-series with gull-wing doors, BMWs commanded the parking lot and put on quite a show, without even changing gears. Models spanned from all generations, including a rare V12 8-series, not to mention the brand new M Coupe and M6 convertible models. Perhaps most impressive though, was BMW's tribute to its star-studded racing history.
Displayed in a way that allowed the general public to really get up close and personal with some of BMW's rarest racing cars; the BMW-powered McLaren F1 GTR, March GTP, M3 GTR, M1 Procar and 3.0 CSL.
Perhaps most impressive of the five was the McLaren F1 GTR. Most people would never get the chance to see a street version of the million-dollar ride in their lives, let alone the race-bred, 600 bhp, 6.0-liter V12 beast. And more than a few jaws dropped and knees buckled when the huge engine was revved to life, the sound of the quad-exhaust ricocheting off the nearby office buildings. Not only was the public given a chance to see greatness, they were able to truly experience it. Even though this exotic ride sports the McLaren name, BMW gave the savage car its soul with an impressive engine that earned the F1 GTR winning titles at the 24-hour LeMans, the 1000-kilometer race at Suzuka and the 4 Hours of Silverstone.
 |