BMW M’s 50th anniversary celebration tour continued in Monterey. While BMW was present at events like the Legends of the Autobahn and Pebble Beach, it was at Laguna Seca, for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, where BMW had its biggest presence.
There was a great mixture of perfectly stock old classics, brand-new sports cars, and tuned cars in the M lineup at Laguna. The centerpiece of course was the BMW M4 CSL, which is the car the Bavarians are pushing on everyone at the moment. And for good reason; it’s the newest, more hardcore M car on the market. It’s also the most extreme BMW M3/M4 ever made, with 543 horsepower from its twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six and extensive weight savings.
Also on hand were some interesting, potentially modern classics, such as the M4 GTS, the E92 M3 GTS, and the BMW M2. Those cars aren’t old enough to be classics just yet but they’re special cars that fans will likely desire more and more for years to come.
Of course, there were the classics, too. Cars like the legendary E30 M3, and a 3.0 CSL were all there. It also wouldn’t be a BMW M event without an E39 M5 and E46 M3. Although, the latter was tuned a bit. A stunning E39 M5 in Iola Red shined under the sun, while the Z3 M Coupe stole everyone’s hearts.
However, my favorite car there was the Techno Violet E36 M3 sedan for a few reasons. First of which is my irrational love for E36s, since that was my first car. My car (328) was also a sedan, so seeing four doors on this M3 did make me smile. But also the M3 sedan was the rarer car, which makes it cooler to see than the coupe. Especially when it’s painted in such a good color. As you may know, Techno Violet is one of my favorite BMW colors.
Looking into the future, the BMW M’s electric aspirations were featured as well. The BMW i4 M50, M’s first tuned electric car was presented with its stunning Frozen Portimao Blue. And of course, it wouldn’t be a…
