Boot up your memories. This isn’t a throwback… it’s a time warp. We’re taking you straight back to the garage menu of Gran Turismo 2, the car-select screen of Need for Speed II, and the golden age of true driver’s cars. All your sports magazines have Michael Jordan on the cover, and yes, the Dallas Cowboys were still America’s team. 

This year’s Classic Raffle grand prize is pure analog magic: a refreshed 1998 BMW E36 M3 Sedan, Alpine White over Dove Gray, 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive with no touchscreen in sight.

M3 Perfection. 4 Doors. 1 Winner. 

For a lot of our members, this is a sweet spot in the M3 lineage. Balanced. Responsive. Mechanical. The kind of car you feel before you even fire it up. And buttons – yes, there are there actual, physical buttons you can press. No touchscreens here. 

Whether you’re chasing apexes or chasing nostalgia, this refreshed E36 M3 delivers the kind of raw, rewarding drive that earned it a permanent spot in video games, tuner culture, and the hearts of BMW fans everywhere. 

And now? It could be yours.

BimmerWorld Refresh

This M3/4/5 was purchased earlier this year from longtime BMW CCA member and BimmerWorld team racer James Walker Jr., who kept the car in excellent condition with a detailed stack of service records. After a road trip from Texas to Virginia with James Clay and CCA President Jeff Caldwell, the car is now at the BimmerWorld Shop for a full refresh before heading off to its next lucky owner. In this first installment, James Clay teams up with our resident E36 expert Patrick Grace to inspect the car, review its history, and outline the plan to make this M3 the ultimate raffle prize.

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THIS CLASSIC BMW E36 M3!

TICKETS ARE $25 EACH! 

Raffle ticket sales for the 2025 Classic Raffle officially launch on Wednesday, October 1st and will remain open until Friday, December 12th. Tickets are just $25 and can be purchased online at bmwcca.org/classic-raffle. 

There’s no limit to how many tickets you can buy. The more you enter, the better your odds of driving away in this analog dream machine. 

SPECIAL DRAWING PRIZES! 

There are even more ways to win! Purchase a Classic Raffle ticket during a special drawing period and you’ll also be entered to win the associated prize. 

The National Office will contact drawing winners directly via email and/or phone. Make sure your contact information is up-to-date! 

The post Ends This Week!! Win a 1998 BMW E36 M3 Refreshed by BimmerWorld! Reveal Video!! appeared first on BimmerLife.

This year marked the 43rd year of the Lime Rock Historic Festival, a Labor Day weekend vintage car gathering that runs the gamut from pre-war to modern era formula cars and GTs. Walking through the paddock is a US road racing history lesson, and there is no shortage of BMWs. This year saw five 2002s, seven M3s, including two E30’s along with E36 and E46 models–yes, those are considered vintage now–with the faster cars lapping in under sixty seconds.

But the secret jewel of the weekend is Sunday’s concours and car show. With more than 1,000 cars and motorcycles participating, it draws a bigger crowd than the race days.

The most significant BMW race car at the festival wasn’t there to race. Kevin and Carolyn Ladd’s works-prepared E9 3.5 CSL is a huge piece of BMW’s US racing history . Chassis #2275986 won the 1976 24 Hours of Daytona with the Peter Gregg Racing team and drivers Peter Gregg and Brian Redman. It also had a lot of success in 1975, with wins at Laguna Seca, Riverside, the Paul Revere 250 at Daytona and Talladega. The car is in beautiful condition today after a restoration by the legendary Jack Deren. It’s been a jewel of the Ladds’ collection since 2004, and surely will be for years to come.

Photo: David Haueter

There were also quite a few elegant E9 road cars making an impression. One great example was Michael Balaban’s 1973 3.0 CS coupe. “This was a California car, restored by Peter Sliskovich,” says Balaban. “It was restored for a wealthy dentist in Chicago, who owned the car for two weeks and was unhappy with it because the windows didn’t go up and down quickly enough, which is a common thing on this car. I bought it and have been restoring it back to original. The paint was a shade off the original color (Agave Green) and the interior was wrong. I personally think this car was the pinnacle of BMW design and I’ve never had the desire to own any vintage car other than an E9 coupe. It’s timeless and I drive it all the time.”

Photo: David Haueter

If Daytona-winning CSL wasn’t there, then Neal Heffron’s Henna Red 1980 M1 would’ve stolen the show. It previously appeared at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este where it was signed by its designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro. It also had a famous previous owner. “This was singer Christopher Cross’ car,” says Heffron. “I saw that he had owned it, but the funny thing is that I got a call from another guy that had an M1 for sale and wanted to know if I was interested in it and said his car was once owned by Christopher Cross. I said no, I have Christopher Cross’ car. We got his number and called him up. His girlfriend answered the phone and we told her to ask Chris if he had an M1. We heard her yell up to him to ask and he yelled back that he had two! He had one for the weekends, which was my car, and another one that he drove every day.”

Photo: Shawn Pierce

Heffron’s E36 M3 Lightweight was also there, on display in a group commemorating 50 Years of the 3 Series. The stripped down M3 Lightweight was made for use in street stock club racing series, and many ended up in BMW CCA Club Racing. Only 126 were made in the 1995 model year, and it’s rare to find one that hasn’t been raced or modified. A previous owner modified, Heffron’s car, but he’s restored it to (almost) stock form. Legendary racer and former Lime Rock Park owner Skip Barber liked this M3 so much that he chose it for the Skip Barber Concours Award. He presented the trophy along with Erik Wensberg, the Motorsport Manager at BMW of North America when this car was conceived.

Photo: David Haueter

Andrew and Cindy Wilson drove their 1968 1600 Cabriolet 223 miles from Maine to the show, but New England is a long way from where this car started out. “This car was in Japan until an expat bought it, and he imported it in 2003 when he came back to the States,” says Andrew Wilson. “We bought it in 2019 and the car was in bad shape. Mice had moved in, so all the soft materials had to be replaced. We enjoyed the car for five years but then last September it failed inspection. I took it to VSR (Mario Langsten’s Vintage Sports & Recreation) and it turned out half of the car was 80% rust. The A-pillar and all the rockers were gone, and they had to square up the frame.” The quality of VSR’s work is evident when you see the car today.

Photo: David Haueter

Another Sixties BMW present that caught my eye was the 1967 BMW 1600 GT owned by Axel Coelln. “When you go to a BMW meet with this car, a lot of people have never seen it before,” says Coelln. “Glas was another Bavarian car manufacturer and when BMW bought Glas in 1967 (which they did primarily to gain production capacity) they continued the body style of the Glas GT and put the BMW M10 engine in it. They only did it for a year. The Glas Club has over 1,000 members and we all help each other out with parts and knowledge.” Most of the cars from the Seventies on display were certainly not daily drivers, which is what makes Kurt Hansen’s 1978 316 unique. It’s also carbureted rather than fuel injected, which is rarely seen here in the US in a 3 Series car, since the only E21 3 Series model sold here was the fuel injected 320i. “I bought this car from Germany a year ago in non-running condition,” says Hansen. “Nobody imports them because they cost more to bring them over than what they’re worth. I’ve been reliving my misspent youth driving this car, and they’re simple to work on. I have a Z4 coupe too but I wanted another car as a daily driver, and this car has been bulletproof since I got everything sorted out on it.”

If you want to spend one day at the Historics, the Sunday car show is probably the best day to go, but it’s worth it to get the full experience and see some of the races as well. It brings the competitive history of BMW and some of their most iconic road cars to life, and you couldn’t pick a more bucolic place to bring these cars together than Lime Rock Park on Labor Day Weekend.

The post Lime Rock Park’s Historic Concours Is a BMW Goldmine appeared first on BimmerLife.

Many of the 420 registered cars were BMWs.

Last month, the historic Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, CA hosted its third of the eight RADwood LA events. We’ll call it an event because it’s much more than a car show. It was fitting that this year’s event was held a week before Halloween, but pumpkins or not, costumes are always de rigeur at RADwood. For the younger set, that requires some “ChatGPT, show me some Eighties and Nineties clothing,” followed by scouring thrift shops. For others, it simply requires reaching into their closets and wishing those neon parachute pants still fit.

The 3-series is the most popular model/nameplate at RADwood.

This year, the RADwood team capped entrants at 420 cars. I might have been biased, but to my eye it sure looked like 97 percent of those were BMWs. BMWs were ubiquitous for Eighties prep; it’s not surprising it was the most represented marque, with the 3-Series being the most predominant nameplate. And with two decades of automotive representation, that covers a lot of BMW chassis from the E21 to all the way up to the E46 and even the E39.

The entry queue for the RADwood Royalty section provided constant oohs and ahhs.

For the uninitiated, if you’re a spectator, you simply park your car in the designated lot and pay your $20 entry ($25 at the gate if you dawdled getting them ahead of time). If you’re arriving in one of the 420 cars for display in either the RADwood Royalty or general entry, the queue was long. The morning juxtaposition of arriving cars likely gave multiple onlookers whiplash. It was a stream of awesome. A Pontiac Fiero followed by a Lincoln Mark VII ahead of a Toyota HiLux import a car length ahead of an E36 sedan. That was overshadowed by a lifted 1985 Dodge Ram truck lit up by the pop-up lights on a 928 trailed by a 500SL and then a laminate-wood paneled Country Squire wagon showing its brake lights to a Testarossa.

The RADwood team did a great job arranging cars inside the Royalty section.

The Royalty section was inside an old warehouse while the general entries parked outside. The retired SS Lane Victory cargo ship loomed behind some of those rows and many vendors, making for a picturesque and historic backdrop. That ship saw time in World War II, the Korean War (including bringing thousands of evacuated Korean civilians and U.S. troops out of Korea), and the Vietnam War, its wartime activities turning to museum ship in 1990—which also makes its arrival Radwood-era appropriate.

The SS Lane Victory towers above a portion of the event.

Food trucks, a fantastic DJ (we hear you, DJ dpfonix!), rows and rows of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, fantastic period attire, and active vendors and sponsors provided plenty of activities and eye candy for the whole family. In fact, one such vendor, XPEL, spent the day transforming the M Coupe of Jeff Siojo into a tribute to the Calder art car. Crowds gathered throughout the entire day to to see the process using their Color PPF.

Jeff Siojo’s M Coupe started the day in its solid red only. After four hours with the XPEL and PFS team and some Color PPF, it became a Calder Art Car tribute.

There were many other amazing sponsors and vendors but special mention should go to the Petersen Museum. The Petersen hosted an early RADwood LA and is currently featuring the Totally Awesome exhibit, replete with an actual BMW art car. So it was fitting that as one entered the warehouse, the first thing to see was the Petersen booth with four mic-drop cars from the museum: a Porsche 959, a Bugatti EB110, a Honda NSX-R, and the aforementioned Batmobile. Each car was responsible for many jaws dropping and many camera shutters clicking.

The Petersen Museum brought out some RAD royalty fer sure

There were countless RADwood veterans who made their annual pilgrimage the LA-edition of the show. Matt Rose and his girlfriend, Joelle Nottke, are repeat attendees. “We had an absolute blast!” exclaims Rose.  “That was our second time at the San Pedro location for the show and I don’t think we’ll ever miss one in the future.  Joelle and I love the 80s and 90s time period, from the cars to the music and the fashion from that era. RADwood is the perfect event for those to blend together.  We can’t wait for next year!”

Underneath the hood of Matt Rose’s E36 lurks an S52.

They arrived in their own example from that era, too. “We brought my 1995 325i convertible E36 with an S52 swap,” Rose continues. “I’ve had it for eleven years; it’s my first car! The highlight of the event was getting to see so many of our friends from all around SoCal. The Radwood community is second to none!”

Denis Lavrov and Jeff Siojo apply the XPEL Color PPF to Siojo’s M Coupe.

There were probably just as many first-timers, too. Jeff Siojo had his car at the XPEL booth for the Calder art car treatment and spent a good amount of time helping with the installation, but still managed to get out and enjoy the show a bit. “There were certainly a lot of cars there that I had not seen before,” he says. “The event was definitely colorful, vibrant with both colors and energy. For me it was great because I got to talk to a lot of people who came up to the XPEL booth probably to watch what was going on with the car. It felt special to be part of something that big.  It’s one thing to have a booth car, but to be featured and active like that is pretty crazy.

“I’d have to say the new Calder art car livery is definitely rad and the colors, even though the actual car was from the seventies, fits the colorful vibe of the event,” Siojo adds. “I’ll keep it on for a few months at least. I already want to add a few things that we just didn’t get to in that relatively short time.  It’s a 1999 and I’ve owned it since 2017.  I like changing my wheels and other touches, but I know a lot of my friends did not expect this much a departure for me, but also for how quickly the car went from rad to…well, I think radder!”

The Batmobile, provided by the Petersen Museum, saw a lot of (foot) traffic all day.

Not taking anything away from Siojo’s “new” art car, the Batmobile ranked as a top part of the day for many attendees, new and returning, young and old.  One of those counting that as a highlight was RADwood co-founder Art Cervantes. “Having the ‘real’ Batmobile at the core of the show was amazing,” Cervantes says. “Big thanks to the Petersen for bringing that out and supporting the Rad-era! Overall, it seemed that there was even more variety and an even higher quality of cars than in some years past. We’ve done 57 RADwood events and now eight Los Angeles shows. This one was genuinely my favorite so far. We had a lot of great entrants, but we were also able to curate the show well.”

Somehow, Art Cervantes found time to clean his beautiful E30 all while running the event!

Cervantes is not just a rad-era fan; he’s a BMW fan, too, and brought his 1987 325iS. “I bought it stock in May of 2020 from a friend who had it at Radwood back in 2017,” he explains. “Since then, I’ve completely resto-modded the car mechanically and added some aesthetic touches. Some of those highlights include an engine swap to a Honda K24 that currently puts down 235whp at 7750rpm.”

This little Honda K24 is probably not stock in Art Cervantes’ 325iS.

“RADwood continues to grow, from an awareness standpoint, especially with ‘automotive-adjacent’ RADwood Era enthusiasts,” he continues. “These are folks who are into the lifestyle element and may be somewhat interested in cars, but not as hardcore as dedicated car people. This draws more people in and in some cases, leads to vehicle purchases, too! The key, though, is that RADwood caters to a broader audience drawn to the retro theme of the period versus just the cars. And nostalgia, in the words of the late Rick James, is a hell of a drug! And we have some epic things coming in 2026, including expanding ‘vehicles in motion’ at our shows!”

The early set-up at the XPEL booth before the M Coupe’s transformation began.

That energy is definitely growing. Last year, XPEL’s Senior Marketing Manager, Jacques Joubert, attended to get a feel for the event. This year, XPEL had quite the presence.  “XPEL is the official protection partner for Hagerty, so collaborating for RADwood made perfect sense,” Joubert says. “RADwood stood out as a key opportunity for us to connect with passionate automotive enthusiasts in a uniquely nostalgic and engaging setting. The event allows our brand to blend technical innovation with a genuine sense of fun and community.”

There was constant activity around the M Coupe all day.

Joubert was born in the middle of the Rad-era and is still drawn to many aspect of it. “I grew up surrounded by Eighties and Nineties sports cars,” he adds. “My father is a passionate car enthusiast. Some of my earliest memories are of his turbocharged 700 horsepower Honda CRX which he raced in quarter-mile and half-mile events. To me, that era produced some of the most iconic driver’s cars ever made. Seeing so many of them together at one event is a reminder of why so many enthusiasts, myself included, remain inspired by that period.”

The festival environment of RADwood provides a fantastic experience for attendees but also vendors and supporters. The attendees actively engage with them. “Most XPEL events focus on engaging with new vehicle owners who want immediate protection for their investment,” Joubert continues. “RADwood, however, offers a different kind of value.  It’s about passion and preservation. It gives us an opportunity to educate long-time enthusiasts on how our protection solutions can help maintain the look and integrity of iconic vehicles, not just new vehicle models. We’re very excited to participate in the next RADwood event at COTA in Austin, Texas, later this month. We’ll have another exciting live demonstration and are looking forward to connecting with local enthusiasts. It’s especially meaningful since XPEL’s headquarters are right nearby in San Antonio, so it will feel like a homecoming for the team.”

RADwood is more than just cars; its the celebration of the era.

For some, RADwood is an excuse to find that next car. There were a number of people (I may or may not have been one of those…) who leave the previous show wondering what attire—or even car—we need to acquire before the next one. It’s a unique experience that levels the playing field and allows a very used Eagle Vision to get as much applause as a Porsche 911, regardless of which cassette tapes are scattered on the passenger seat.

The post Like, Totally, RADwood Is Tubular! appeared first on BimmerLife.

The BMW Car Club of America X Chapter enjoyed exclusive access to the dramatic conclusion of the 10th-edition of the Rebelle Rally, including the finish-line spectacle and the celebratory “Rebellation” gala. The privilege offered a front-row seat to one of the most distinctive and empowering motorsport events in North America.

Friday, Oct 17 saw the finish-line arrival of the competitors after eight grueling days of navigation-based off-road challenge. On Saturday, Oct 18, the formal “Rebellation” gala capped the weekend: awards, cocktails, camaraderie, and the electric energy of women who not only competed—but conquered.

For the BMW community, it was a moment to celebrate not only female-driven performance—but also the brand’s involvement and the momentum of women behind the wheel of capable BMW SAVs far away from their usual terrain.

Founded in 2016, the Rebelle Rally is the longest off-road rally in the United States. It also happens to be the first all-women’s off-road navigation rally raid: eight days, remote terrain, no GPS (only map, compass, road-book), and a pure test of strategy, navigation and teamwork. Its mission has always been about skill, not speed.

The 2025 edition marked the 10th anniversary of the event—an occasion celebrated by organizers and competitors alike. This year the field comprised 67 teams, 134 competitors from 32 states/provinces and four countries, ages ranging from 23 to 78. Covering more than 2500 kilometers of rugged terrain across Nevada and California deserts, the rally again reinforced its philosophy: it’s not about who’s fastest, but who navigates best and stays steady.

Representing BMW in the event was Team #205, #R2D2: driver Rebecca Donaghe and navigator Rebecca Dalski, piloting the 2024 BMW X5 40i xDrive Silver Anniversary Edition (sponsored by BMW USA) in the X-Cross class. Team #205 achieved:

• 2nd place overall in the X-Cross class.
• The Bone Stock Award for competing without any modifications, with the exception of updated Rotiform wheels. A late rule update even required competing with factory tires. Minor, non mechanical, updates were made such as the addition of Morimoto lights but otherwise the X5 remained 100 percent stock.
• On Days 7 and 8 the team posted the highest scores in their class—an impressive late-rally surge.

For the BMW community this is a standout: not only did a BMW X5 take a podium, but the performance affirmed BMW’s capability in a rally environment.

For the X Chapter, the team’s results provide reinforcement to what we already know: BMW X vehicles are not just commuter machines, but also capable of off-road and other adventures —when in the hands of skilled drivers.

Results Summary

X-Cross Class (Crossover / Light SAV)

1. Team #200 – Carey Lando & Andrea Shaffer in a 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid Touring.
2. Team #205 – Rebecca Donaghe / Rebecca Dalski in a 2024 BMW X5 40i xDrive.
3. Team #210 – Emme Hall & Kendra Miller in a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek.

The X-Cross class is designed for crossover and SAV-type vehicles, with emphasis on navigation and map/compass skills rather than outright speed. The BMW X5’s podium finish highlights its crossover performance credentials in an extreme setting.

4×4 Class (Traditional 4-Wheel Drive Off-Road Vehicles)

1. Team #129 – Nena Barlow & Teralin Petereit in a 2025 Jeep Gladiator.
2. Team #131 – Karisa Haydon & Trista Smith in a 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor.
3. Team #128 – Susan Pieper & Elise Young in a 2025 INEOS Grenadier.

The 4×4 class remains the “bread-and-butter” category of the Rebelle Rally—heavily modified off-road rigs, long days, demanding terrain and checkpoint navigation. Team #129’s win reflects both experience and consistency: they took four stage wins and held the top spot throughout.

Being on-site for the finish line on Friday and the gala on Saturday gave X Chapter attendees a chance to witness the final moments—teams arriving, embracing, and celebrating after eight days of navigation combat. It also reinforced what an amazing community founder Emily Miller has built and inspired in the 10 years of Rebelle.

The 10th edition of the Rebelle Rally may have been marketed as a milestone celebration—but for BMW CCA’s X Chapter, it was a moment to witness real-world relevance: BMW SAVs not just built for city or highway—but built for adventure, navigation, capability. With Team #205 on the podium, and the club’s presence at the finish and gala, it sets a powerful tone for what the BMW X family and its driver community can aspire to.

Invitation: “After the Dust Settles” Virtual Event

Want to learn more? We’re pleased to announce an Xclusive virtual event for BMW CCA members and friends: After the Dust Settles: BMW’s X5 at the 2025 Rebelle Rally on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

Join us for an inside-look at the 2025 Rebelle Rally experience through the eyes of Team #205 in their BMW X5. You’ll hear from the entire passionate BMW USA team who brought this podium win to life, dive into rally navigation tactics, and see how BMW’s “X” family stands up to extreme adventure.

Register here: After the Dust Settles – BMW’s X5 at the 2025 Rebelle Rally

Whether you’re a BMW enthusiast, rally fan, or simply curious about how navigation-rally works, this event is for you. Don’t miss it!

Until then—keep your compass aligned, your tires aired, and your spirit adventurous.

The following partners helped make this year’s Rebelle Rally win possible:

• BMW Credit Cards
• BMW Protection Products
• BMW Women in Motion
• BMW Performance Center
• BMW Car Club of America and BMW CCA X Chapter
• XPEL
• Falken
• Rotiform
• Morimoto
• Thule

The post Join the X Chapter for an Inside Look at the Rebelle Rally appeared first on BimmerLife.

The car-control clinic teaches the limits of your car, of yourself, and of physics, Street Survival for the grown-up crowd.

Eighteen drivers registered for the O’Fast 2025 event. Chaired by Bill Wade and Jaynee and Tim Beechuk—plus volunteer instructors—the event featured three different sections: an actual classroom, with video and an instructor; a skid pad; and a handling-and-braking course, set up similar to an autocross course with cones and asphalt.

First came the classroom, with videos and instruction on vehicle dynamics and what affects them: tires, suspension, road surface, weather—and driver attitude. Then came the fun part. With the class divided into two halves for efficiency, one group experienced the skid pad while the other took to the handling-and-braking course.

The skid pad is a circle described by cones, with a concentric outer circle perhaps twenty feet farther from the center than the inner one. The object is to drive the circle at increasing speeds, staying within that twenty-foot lane. Oh, and did I mention a spray truck that keeps the circle nice and wet? And if your car has traction control, it must be turned off.

Students quickly learned about traction limits—and how to recover from the resulting skid before it turned into a spin when those limits were reached. Speeds increased as did confidence—and grins.

While one group was going in circles, the other was experiencing what amounts to a short low-speed autocross. With some tight turns and a multi-gate slalom, it was much like downhill skiing, but for cars. The object is to learn how your car reacts to sudden and repetitive sharp maneuvers; the lesson is designed to improve your ability to perform. For example, a quick right-to-left-back-to-right maneuver in order to avoid a car that’s suddenly backed out a driveway in front of you.

Hard braking is also a part of this session. In this exercise a student would accelerate to a typical street speed—35 to 40 mph—and on the instructor’s command drivers were to come to a quick stop as close as possible to—but before hitting—a stationary cone. Some students experienced the potentially unnerving rat-a-tat-tat of their cars’ ABS systems for the first time; they also unlearned what Driver’s Ed taught before the invention of ABS.

I had a chance to talk with two car-control-clinic participants, both from the Windy City Chapter. Wes Diggs normally drives a 7 Series, on the larger end of the BMW vehicle scale, and wanted a little more expertise in keeping it pointing straight ahead, especially during Chicago winters. He was driving a friend’s smaller BMW (a 3 Series, if I recall). “The clinic really helps me to define the handling boundaries of my car,” he told me, “in a nice, safe environment—not on Chicago streets.”

Not only was this Theresa Buck’s first car control clinic but her first O’Fest-style event—and her first BMW. She comes by Bimmerhood honestly; her grandparents had BMWs, and when, in her words, she “got her first Big Girl car,” it had to be a BMW. She’d been driving her new-to-her BMW since February, but she said that she hadn’t really driven it. “The Clinic was a chance to dip my toes into performance driving, since I’m driving a performance car,” she said. “I learned correct hand positioning on the steering wheel for maximum control, and how to make all changes—turns, braking, accelerating—smoothly. On the skid pad, I quickly learned the difference between oversteer and understeer, and what to do when visited by either. My day was well spent, and I’m a better driver for it.”

Buck added that she was looking forward to trying an autocross, and then perhaps a driving school. I think she’s hooked!

The post O’Fast 2025 | The Car Control Clinic Is Street Survival for Adults appeared first on BimmerLife.

Photo: Jon vanWoerden

There were 36 entrants in the O’Fast autocross, most driving Munich products but also a couple of Stuttgart escapees—along with a big honkin’ Mustang. Sadly for me, there was not a single BMW 2002. If I didn’t leave mine at home, I would’ve been out there.

The course took advantage of Road America’s motorcycle/go-kart track. Since the pavement width catered to motorcycles or karts, this tight road course eliminated the need for the occasionally overwhelming traditional autocross venue: an empty expanse of asphalt peppered with seemingly random cones. That changed the normal autocross learning curve and worked to level the playing field, since there wasn’t a 400 cone course to learn in a football stadium parking lot. That let everyone get up to speed quickly and safely. As a result, there was not a single off-course incident during more than 350 autocross runs.

Steve Stephanian of the Los Angeles Chapter chaired the event. Stephanian and his crew laid out the course, while the Fox River Sports Car Club provided all the autocross essentials: cones, timing equipment, and volunteers. The finished design featured one sharp curve after another, with the only straight less than 200 yards long, ending at the finish line. This discouraged straightaway heroics to make up for lost time in the twisties.

Let’s take a run through all those curves. A rolling start—to preserve tire tread—led directly to an immediate sharp left, followed by a tight S curve, and then yet another S, this one shaped more like a horseshoe. A very short straight—measured in feet—ended with an unequal-length switchback and a second horseshoe. Midway through that second horseshoe, with the suspension partially unloaded, drivers reached the crest of the course’s ascending portion, and that unloaded suspension was now lightened even further in the transition to the downhill second half of the course.

Next up was a left-to-right two-cone slalom; a cunningly placed cone might have lured a driver into thinking it was the horseshoe’s apex, but it wasn’t. After a panicked braking on the first (or even second) run to make it through those slalom gates without collecting cones (and penalties), the learning curve kicked in for most drivers, and they chose an earlier apex. Unfortunately—but of course deliberately designed—that right-hand exit was exactly the wrong way to approach the final wiggle: a sharp right-then-left. Now, at last, came a straight—with gravity providing more speed than really necessary, while a nice wide—but slightly offset gate—tempted the hot-shoes.

Drivers concentrating on the road twenty feet in front of the hood were then oblivious to the sharp right-hand finish gate; much rubber was sacrificed near this gate in a (usually) successful effort to avoid those ever-lurking cones.

All of this maneuvering took less than a minute. A good time was in the mid-50-second range.

Eric Kersten of the Badger Bimmers chapter on top of the Class B podium, also holding the FTD trophy

With efficient staging and running, each of the 36 drivers had eleven opportunities to make that perfect run. After the (rubber) dust had settled, Eric Kersten not only won his Class B in his 2024 M2, he had the fastest time of day (FTD) with a best run of 51.638 seconds, leading second-place finisher Rafael Garces—also in Class B—in a year-newer M2 by less than a second.

Kersten in his frozen blue M2 Photo: Richard Daugherty

Perennial hot-shoe Michael Washington led Class A, and was third overall driving his ’95 M3. Class A’s second-place finisher, Scott Smid, also drove a ’95 M3. Dimitar Stavrakov had the best time in Class C in his 2003 M3, followed by Matthew Scott, driving the same year and model BMW. The fastest driver in Class D was Chris Riester, who drove his 2003 330i Sport, followed by another perennial O’fest autocrosser, Mel Dillon, in his 2014 235i.

A 2014 328i was Dimitre Dimitrov’s weapon of choice, taking first in Class E, while Victor Garces was less than two seconds back in his 2024 2 Series Gran Coupé. Richard Daugherty wheeled his ’23 X3—not generally thought of as an autocross vehicle—around the course quickly enough to win Class F ahead of Richard Daugherty’s xDrive 330i.

Finally, in Class X—for non-BMW rides—Brian Tippens drove his Hyundai Ioniq to a class win, beating the two Porsches and the Mustang, much to the surprise of everyone except perhaps the owner. Even more surprising, he was fourth overall (!) for the day, just 2.1 seconds off the winning FTD. Apparently, all that electric-motor torque—and Tippens’s driving skill, of course—overcame the weight from the Hyundai’s batteries.

As always, the autocross did what it does best and gave entrants of all skill levels the opportunity to find the limits of their car in a safe, controlled setting. The only problem is that once you start autocrossing, it can be become addictive. Not a problem, of course, just make sure to increase that tire budget.

Top Photo: Jon vanWoerden

The post O’Fast 2025 | The Autocross Was a Blast appeared first on BimmerLife.

Find even more events on the official BMW Car Club of America Event Calendar.

October 24-26, 2025 – Make Some Noise Drifting Event – Sandlapper Chapter

Later this month, the Sandlapper Chapter is going to take to the track at Carolina Motorsports Park in South Carolina for something totally new: a drifting event in addition to the traditional club racing and HPDE. That’s right, it’s the first opportunity from any of our chapters for you to get out there and get sideways in your own car in a controlled environment.

The drift portion of the weekend will take place on CMP’s kart track and is limited to 50 cars, which ensures a ton of time to see how much tire smoke you can make. There’s even a two hour session on Saturday night under the lights, which promises to be a lot of fun. That portion is exclusively for CCA members, but if you sign up at the event you can get a full year membership for just $29. Registration for the drifting sessions ends on October 11th, so be sure to sign up here before spots run out.

Of course, there will also be an HPDE and club racing over the course of the weekend if you’d rather not spend your time on track sideways. Signups for the HPDE and club races are still open as well. The event runs October 24 – 26. Get in there!

Full info below:

Sandlapper Drift, Morehead Speedworks Club Race, and Todd Newcomer Memorial HPDE

Enjoy a drift weekend on the Kart Track at CMP. We are limiting entries to 50 people, which means a lot of track time for participants.

Meet professional drifters!
Johan Swartz: the drift world record holder, sharing his world record-setting experiences.
James Clay: race driver, drifter and founder/ owner of BimmerWorld

Drift Under the Lights!
On Saturday evening, we’ll have a special two-hour track time to drift under the lights for BMW CCA members. Not a current member? We’ve arranged a half-price sign up for this event only. For $29 you can be a BMW CCA member for a year.

Live entertainment on Saturday night
Free Camping: Camping is allowed at the track, and they have 20 (free) and 30 (for a fee) amp service. There are ample restrooms and showers on site. You can reserve sites and electricity on the CMP Site
Halloween Weekend: This weekend event is traditionally our Halloween celebration weekend, so if you like, decorate your paddock spaces. If you have kids, trick-or-treating is the norm. It’s always a fun weekend.
Buffet Dinner Saturday night (additional cost for drift, included for HPDE and club racers) Otherwise, there’s a snack bar serving food from 8 to 3 each day.
HPDE: Eight sessions on track, plus classroom sessions. Free open track time for instructors on Friday.

Oct. 25, 2025: BMW Foundation: The Seven ALPINA Wonders of Plant Spartanburg

Join the BMW CCA Foundation for an exclusive evening at BMW Zentrum to celebrate the legacy of ALPINA Automotive excellence. “The Seven ALPINA Wonders of Plant Spartanburg” is an enlightening event where you’ll get an in-depth look at seven truly special vehicles, all born from the BMW Plant Spartanburg Factory.

This isn’t just a dinner event; it’s a deep dive into the untold stories behind these remarkable machines. The Seven ALPINA Wonders of Plant Spartanburg evening will be focused on telling the insider tales of the X5 4.6iS and 4.8iS, the ALPINA Roadster S, the XD3 (two generations), the XD4, and the XB7. We’ll reveal the passion, the challenges, and the triumphs that led to their creation. You’ll hear from the very people who made them, including ALPINA VIPs, BMW VIP’s and others who had a hand in shaping automotive history.

Your ticket offers more than just a fascinating look back. You’ll have the chance to win incredible giveaways and support a great cause, as all proceeds benefit the BMW CCA Foundation.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
• Time: 5:30pm – 9:00pm
• Location: BMW Zentrum
• Tickets: $145

The evening festivities will include:

• A discourse led by Matt Russell to interview ALPINA VIPs
• Door Prizes
• Heavy hors d’oeuvres, beer, and wine will be served
• Each registered guest will receive complimentary admission to the ALPINA: 60 Years of Excellence exhibition.
• Each purchased ticket will have a chance to win a set of Continental Tires
• A portion of the evening is sponsored by Hagerty

Secure your spot now for an unforgettable night of cars, stories, and community.

https://events.humanitix.com/the-seven-alpina-wonders-of-plant-spartanburg

Oct. 26, 2025 – BMW Performance Center Classic and Motorsports Festival

Get ready to celebrate BMWs of past and present at the BMW Performance Center Classic and Motorsports Festival at the BMW Performance Center, 1155 Highway 101 South, Greer, South Carolina. Festival admission costs $50. Driving Experiences led by pro instructors will be from 8 am – 10 am and 10 am – 12 pm. Price for the Driving Experience with Festival Admission Ticket is $250. Driving experience includes a two-hour driving experience, professional instruction, off-road experience, entrance to Festival Exhibit, and cookout lunch buffet. Exhibition runs by display cars will be from 1 pm – 3 pm. From 3 pm onward attendees can purchase charity tickets for hot laps in BMW racecars with pro drivers, including Bill Auberlen. Ticket sales for hot laps will benefit the BMW CCA Foundation.

To purchase Driving Experience and Festival Tickets, call 888-345-4269 or visit BMWPerformanceCenter.com.

EXHIBITS

Peterson Automotive Museum Celebrates 50 Years of the BMW 3 Series in Motorsports

BMW CCA Foundation Ultimate Driving Museum Exhibit: ALPINA

Don’t miss out! BMW CCA members can find hundreds more events at bmwcca.org/calendar.

Not a BMW CCA member yet? You can get all the benefits of membership for less than $5 a month! Visit bmwcca.org/jointoday to join the world’s largest official BMW enthusiast club today!

The post BMW CCA Events: Drifting Event, Foundation Zentrum ALPINA Event, BMW Performance Center Event appeared first on BimmerLife.

Want to spend the weekend with likeminded BMW fans to take in the action? Then our car corral and hospitality is for you. Details are below, with info on ticket sales, pricing, and packages set to hit your email inbox soon. We hope to see you there!

BMW CCA Corral & Hospitality at the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona

January 24–25, 2026 | Daytona International Speedway

Join BMW CCA for an unforgettable weekend of racing, camaraderie, and exclusive hospitality at the legendary Rolex 24 at Daytona—America’s most prestigious endurance race!

We’re bringing the ultimate BMW fan experience to the infield with our BMW CCA Corral and Hospitality Tent, located in a premium viewing area inside Daytona International Speedway. This is your front-row seat to 24 hours of non-stop racing action, including a strong showing from BMW Motorsport in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Your VIP Weekend Includes:

· Exclusive BMW CCA Parking Corral for BMW vehicles

· Access to the BMW CCA Hospitality Tent

· Catered meals & refreshments throughout the race weekend

· Live race feed, timing & scoring displays

· Garage tours, tech talks, and special guest appearances from BMW Motorsport

· BMW CCA swag & giveaways

· Member camaraderie and access to fellow BMW enthusiasts from across the country!

Whether you’re a seasoned endurance racing fan or making your first trip to Daytona, the BMW CCA experience puts you at the heart of the action.

Limited Spots Available – Don’t Miss Out!

Tickets and corral passes will go fast!

The post Tickets for CCA Hospitality at the 2026 Daytona 24 Available Soon appeared first on BimmerLife.

The drift portion of the weekend will take place on CMP’s kart track and is limited to 50 cars, which ensures a ton of time to see how much tire smoke you can make. There’s even a two hour session on Saturday night under the lights, which promises to be a lot of fun. That portion is exclusively for CCA members, but if you sign up at the event you can get a full year membership for just $29. Registration for the drifting sessions ends on October 11th, so be sure to sign up here before spots run out.

Of course, there will also be an HPDE and club racing over the course of the weekend if you’d rather not spend your time on track sideways. Signups for the HPDE and club races are still open as well. The event runs October 24 – 26. Get in there!

Full info below:

Sandlapper Drift, Morehead Speedworks Club Race, and Todd Newcomer Memorial HPDE

Enjoy a drift weekend on the Kart Track at CMP. We are limiting entries to 50 people, which means a lot of track time for participants.

Meet professional drifters!
Johan Swartz: the drift world record holder, sharing his world record-setting experiences.
James Clay: race driver, drifter and founder/ owner of BimmerWorld

Drift Under the Lights!
On Saturday evening, we’ll have a special two-hour track time to drift under the lights for BMW CCA members. Not a current member? We’ve arranged a half-price sign up for this event only. For $29 you can be a BMW CCA member for a year.

Live entertainment on Saturday night
Free Camping: Camping is allowed at the track, and they have 20 (free) and 30 (for a fee) amp service. There are ample restrooms and showers on site. You can reserve sites and electricity on the CMP Site
Halloween Weekend: This weekend event is traditionally our Halloween celebration weekend, so if you like, decorate your paddock spaces. If you have kids, trick-or-treating is the norm. It’s always a fun weekend.
Buffet Dinner Saturday night (additional cost for drift, included for HPDE and club racers) Otherwise, there’s a snack bar serving food from 8 to 3 each day.
HPDE: Eight sessions on track, plus classroom sessions. Free open track time for instructors on Friday.

The post Our First Drifting Event Ever Is in October. Sign Up Now appeared first on BimmerLife.

The Petersen Museum seen from Wilshire Blvd, showing off its 2015 redesign.

The Petersen Museum, with its multiple floors of countless temporary and permanent exhibits, is like this daily, but the addition of more than 200 BMWs rolling up the circular ramps to the rooftop parking decks added even more fantastic distractions for everyone. Officially entitled, BMWs and Bretzels, this all-BMW Cruise-in, was much more than a typical Cars & Coffee.

Bill Auberlen and Tom Plucinsky share the stage on the parking deck during BMWs and Bretzels.

Thanks to the support from BMW NA, the deck also had a stage for a unique chat with racecar driver Bill Auberlen facilitated by BMW’s Tom Plucinky, Head of BMW Classic.  The morning attendees came from a broad range of awareness of various aspects of the BMW community. While the seats were full from the get-go for Auberlen and Plucinsky, as their stories carried over the parking decks, more and more guests gathered, hearing racing stories covering more than 30 years in only the way Auberlen can tell them.

BMW CCA Executive Director Frank Patek, Executive Vice President Brian Thomason, Pacific Region Vice President James Crivellone, and BMW NA’s Tom Plucinsky welcome Eddy Funahashi to the stage to receive his Friend of the Club award.

The BMW Car Club of America leadership then took the stage to present longtime volunteer and past almost-every-position Eddy Funahashi with the Friend of the Club honor. Funahashi has been a fixture at virtually any BMW CCA event, meeting, or even thought, so it was no surprise he made the trek from the Central Valley for this event. The surprise, though, was his, saying later, “It seems everyone except me knew this was coming!”

If there are BMW fans, there will be the BMW Car Club of America.

Another Central Valley BMW CCA member, Wayne Wundram, enjoyed the day at the Petersen. “This sure was a great event for the BMW crowd,” says Wundram, no stranger to popular BMW events. He helped found and still manages much of Legends of the Autobahn. “It was great to see presence with Frank Patek and Jason Kazian from the national offices in Greer, South Carolina, plus more volunteers, too,” he continues. “There had to be at least 100 cars in the official display and many more all around. I loved that one-on one talk led by Tom Plucinsky from BMW NA with Bill Auberlen about Bill’s racing history.  And it was great to see Eddy honored with the Friend of the CCA award. Then Tom led a tour through the Peterson museum vault and we got a history lesson about BMW racing with the 3 series cars from 1977 to date.”

The cars rolled in for 90 minutes prior to the official 9:00am start time.

Frank Patek agreed. “The Club was delighted to partake in this celebration of BMW NA’s Motorsport history in the midst of our joint year-long effort to honor the 50 Years of the 3-Series,” he says. “It was great to catch up with so many long time CCA members and we are proud to have welcomed a number of new members who joined us today!”

You know you’re in a powerful exhibit when Bill Auberlen is taking pictures of the cars he used to race.

That 50 Years of 3-Series Racing exhibit in the Vault was yet another example of the many things to see at the Petersen. It’s not a large exhibit with ten cars, but each of those cars, especially the eight race cars covering all generations of the 3-Series (and the 4-Series!) sure was impactful.  The racecars were unique, but how many people have seen an E46 M3 GTR street car?  Adjacent to the racecar?  Surrounding a P60 engine freshly pried from its actual crate?  With one of the people responsible for getting those cars in the exhibit? With the winningest driver in American Sportscar history talking about his experience in them? Yeah, that kind of Disneyland. Or Petersenland.

The GTR face-off in the exhibit always warrants some time, especially when a tour is being hosted by Tom Plucinsky.

Back up on the parking deck next to the BMW CCA booth, Avants and Hagerty / Radwood also saw great energy from the attendees.  Art Cervantes, Director of Radwood, knows a bit about cool car gatherings. “We [Hagerty / Radwood] were stoked to be at the BMW Cruise-In and support the RADwood Era and beyond,” Cervantes says. “Vehicles of the 80s and 90s are the fastest growing collector car segment—just check out those Monterey Car Week auction results!—and unbeknownst to many RADwood fanatics, Hagerty insures the RADwood Era! Also, BMW’s are the number one brand by volume at RADwood events and the 3-series is also the most popular nameplate of all, followed by the Porsche 911. There is strong nostalgia in the automotive space for BMW’s Motorsport heritage of the RADwood Era including BTCC, DTM, and F1, so it was even more appropriate to have this event while they had the exhibit downstairs.”

Two people who know a thing or two about old(er) BMWs–Director of Radwood Art Cervantes and BMW USA Head, BMW Classic Tom Plucinsky, hanging around some E36 royalty at the Radwood booth.

Cervantes drove his own rad M Coupe to the event but still had the chance to look around a bit. “My personal favorite car I saw was the immaculate, one of eight agate green E24 M6 with green plaid interior. And also shout out to the owner who took an E30 M3 race car and completely restored it back to street use! Seeing these cars seems like a perfect tune-up for the upcoming Radwood LA October 25^th at the Port of Los Angeles. We’re expecting more than 400 cars including a selection of iconic vehicles from The Petersen to be announced soon!”

The Frank Stella M1 art car looks right at home in the Totally Awesome exhibit.

That selection might come from some of the other exhibits at the Petersen, too. BMWs are also currently on display in at least the popular “Totally Awesome” exhibit to the Wedge Revolution, and the Alternating Currents exhibit. This added to the many opportunities attendees had this fine Sunday morning.

The Totally Awesome exhibit checked a lot of boxes for a lot of people.

BMW CCA Pacific Region Vice President James Crivellone came down from Washington state for the event and felt that same energy. “Sunday at the Petersen Museum…let’s see, McLaren F1…CHECK. Gordon Murray S1 LM…CHECK. BMW Turbo Concept…CHECK. And 300-plus BMW enthusiasts taking over the top two floors of the parking garage…also CHECK.”

This E24 was at the top of a lot of people’s lists for favorite car!

Crivellone owns a wide range of BMWs, so while a gathering of different cars is not new, this was still extremely rewarding. “What a wonderful day filled with a plethora of BMWs, from 2002s to F90 M5CSs,” he adds. “But the icing on the cake for me was hearing Bill Auberlen talk about his time racing for BMW, from F1 GTRs, M3s, M4s, M2s, and the V12 LMR.  The stories he told were fantastic to hear! Oh, and the pretzels at this BMWs and Bretzels were excellent, too!

The newest car in the 50 Years of 3-Series Racing exhibit is actually the 4-Series from the BMW Performance Center. Bill Auberlen describes how it is similar to the car he races this season.

For many of the BMW CCA members and attendees, this was the first visit to the Petersen. For others, they had been to this event previous years. While the museum does a great job of rotating exhibits and even cars within exhibits, hosting events like this creates even more reasons to visit.

Everywhere you turned there were cool BMWs!

Petersen Museum Director of Marketing Dan Pilling was seen smiling throughout the active morning. “This is an annual event for us, usually around the time of Oktoberfest,” he explains. “We are incredibly grateful for the partnership with BMW NA and the BMW CCA. They were essential to the success of the event. We strive to host a great event itself, but it was clear some folks did come because of the great BMW representation really on every floor of the museum. The guests had added reason to attend.”

Eliv Solis’ E30 is a show-stopper wherever it’s seen.

In his role, Pilling sure knows unique cars, but he still enjoyed the mix of cars guests brought. “It was just such a great selection of BMWs from all sorts of eras,” he continues “I compliment the guests that there were so many wonderful BMWs. I did see a second Isetta…we brought out ours on the ramp and then it wasn’t the only one there! There should be an award for that driver for taking that other one through LA traffic!  I was impressed there were three Z8s including one ALPINA example. It’s great to see that those are being driven and not locked up in a collection. Same thing for the 2002s that came out in force, too.”

An E9 races to the Petersen for the event.

“I did get educated a bit, too,” he admits. “Tom pointed out two Bavarias, one slightly modified and one seemingly completely original. I have to say I was not aware of the model. Those were fantastic, as was the E9 ALPINA that rolled up, too. Another highlight of this year’s event had to be the one-on-one chat with Tom and Bill Auberlen. That was a great added touch and really gave the guests yet another benefit for the day.”

BMWs of all eras were well-represented at the event.

Pilling joked about the mythical award for braving traffic, but the event did have actual awards. “We have four awards, including a Kids Award,” he says. “They awarded the red E30 M3 with the roll cage. It’s exciting to see them—mostly under twelve years old probably—get enthusiastic about cars. This next generation still has a love for cars! We also present the Petersen Perfection award, a People’s Choice Award, and then Best of Show which went to an incredible taiga green 2002.”

The Wheeler’s award winning taiga green 2002 was capturing attention even as it rolled in.

The Wheelers—Steve, Suzanne, Grant, and Grant’s girlfriend Kayla—drove that 1975 2002 more than 50 miles to get to BMWs and Bretzels. “Winning felt really good!” Steve Wheeler says. “We spent about four hours detailing the car on Saturday. I didn’t even know it was judged until we arrived. I was really surprised to win, but people do like that car. We always get compliments.”

“When we heard about this event though the BMW CCA, we knew we should make the trek,” he adds. “Grant, Suzanne, and I visited the museum a few months ago and did the whole tour including the vault, which was really cool, but we knew there’d still be a lot to see. The F1 exhibit is excellent and the Ken Block exhibit is impressive. Yesterday Suzanne and I did see the 80s exhibit. Both of us grew up in the 80s so we could relate. And Grant and Kayla did go into the museum yesterday, too.”

“We really like these unique benefits from the BMW CCA,” Wheeler continues. “We got involved with the Club for the Lyon Air Museum show a few years ago and have renewed every year since. It’s nice to be part of something we’re passionate about. We’ve had BMWs for 25 years now. The 2002 is our 13th. I don’t think we’ll ever leave the brand. I enjoy reading Roundel and BimmerLife. I’m in the save-printed-copy club!

We heard a lot of “Are you still here? I thought you were leaving already!” and “Yep, we’ll be back to see even more at the museum!” With the hundreds of cars covering more than 65 years of BMWs on the parking decks, people can be excused for not getting to all that the museum has to offer.  While the museum will still be there, some of the exhibits won’t be. Time to head back to this automotive Disneyland and see even more of what they have to offer.

The post Celebrating BMWs at the Petersen Museum appeared first on BimmerLife.