Cars / Cars and Bikes

BMW Displays Rare Cars at LA’s Petersen Museum

German Automobile firm BMW will gather some of their best and rarest classic cars for display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California.

Sep 01, 2016 | By Shatricia Nair

Some of BMW’s biggest and brightest stars will gather to be on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California. In conjunction with the German automaker’s platinum jubilee celebrations, the “BMW: 100 Years of Performance” is an exhibition that is not only a retrospective of the firm’s legendary cars, but also highlights its commitment to on-track innovation.

Some notable cars amongst the all-star cast include a 1970 Alpina 2002ti race car, a year 2000 FW22 Formula 1 car once raced by Ralph Schumacher and the 1979 Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed M1, dubbed the original ‘M’ car. The curated collection will also be accompanied by rare road-going classic BMWs, such as a 507 Roadster that is rarely taken out of the company’s in-house collection unless for special race events.

“The Petersen is honored to be able to play host to these incredible cars,” said Adam Langsbard, chief marketing officer for the Petersen Automotive Museum. “We’re proud to be able to work with such a dedicated company and group of people.”

The 1970 Alpina 2002ti car was once graced by some of the best race car drivers, including Nick Craw and John Morton, and is credited for putting BMW back on the track as a race and road-car force to be reckoned with. The 1979 IMSA-specification 320i Turbo racer was also known to be a monster on the tracks with its Formula 2 M12 turbocharged unit that delivered 600hp. BMW later tweaked it for Formula 1, which resulted in an astounding output of 1000hp.

The unmistakably graphic Jeff Koons Art Car (pictured above) will also be hard to miss at the exhibition. The sporty 2010 M3 GT2 that raced at the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans might look unassuming with its sprightly exterior, but its 4.0-liter V8 engine is capable of powering the car to 65 mph in a mere 3.4 seconds.

“BMW has built its reputation for performance on the track and on the streets with cars like those we’ll be displaying at The Petersen,” said Trudy Hardy, Vice President of Marketing at BMW of North America. “This collection of iconic BMWs demonstrates not only where we’ve been, but what the BMW brand stands for — and will continue to stand for — as we move into the next 100 years.”


 
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