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Petersen Museum Celebrates 50 Years of BMW 3 Series Motorsport Legacy

BMW of North America, in collaboration with the Petersen Automotive Museum, has unveiled a thrilling tribute to one of the most iconic model lines in motorsport history—“The Ultimate Racing Machine: 50 Years of the BMW 3 Series in Motorsports.” The exhibit, housed in the newly reimagined James H. Frank Family Vault’s Phil Hill Legends Room, is a celebration of performance, engineering, and endurance, showcasing BMW’s motorsport DNA across seven generations of 3 Series excellence.

“For 50 years, the 3 Series has embodied the spirit of competition and innovation that drives the automotive world forward,” said Terry L. Karges, Executive Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum. “This exhibit offers visitors a rare look at how BMW’s motorsport DNA has evolved—both on the track and on the street.”

Thomas Plucinsky, Head of BMW Group Classic USA, echoed this sentiment. “The original BMW 3 Series and now the BMW 3 Series with its ‘fraternal twin,’ the 4 Series, are the core of the BMW brand. ‘The Ultimate Racing Machine’ exhibit brings together seven of the most successful and important race cars—one from each generation.”

A Journey Through Seven Generations of Motorsport Engineering

The exhibit showcases a comprehensive look into the evolution of BMW’s 3 Series in motorsport, beginning with the first-generation E21 320i Group 5 car—a featherweight racing weapon with an M12/7 engine derived from Formula 2—and ending with the cutting-edge 2023 G82 M4 GT4, which represents the future of customer racing programs. Each generation in between is represented by a historic race car that helped shape BMW’s legacy on circuits around the world.

E30 M3: The Birth of a Legend

Of particular interest to motorsport purists is the 1990 E30 M3 DTM, a homologation masterpiece that laid the foundation for BMW’s touring car dominance. Driven by Steve Soper for Team Bigazzi, the E30 brought home multiple wins and finished 9th overall in the fiercely competitive 1992 DTM season.

E46 M3 GTR: America’s V8-Powered Outlaw

One of the crown jewels of the exhibit is the 2001 BMW M3 GTR—both in race trim and the exceedingly rare Straßenversion (street version). The race car, built to dominate the American Le Mans Series, famously won the 2001 Petit Le Mans with its patriotic “Stars and Stripes” livery. Powered by a 444 hp P60 V8 engine, the M3 GTR is revered as one of BMW Motorsport’s most radical and successful creations.

E92 M3 GT: ALMS Domination

The 2011 BMW M3 GT further solidified BMW’s stateside prowess. Developed with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, the car swept the American Le Mans Series Driver, Team, Manufacturer, and Michelin GreenX Challenge titles in 2011, showing that performance and sustainability can indeed go hand in hand.

F82 M4 DTM Class 1: The Final Chapter of a Formula

The 2020 BMW M4 DTM Class 1, with its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, carbon fiber chassis, and Formula 1-style technologies like DRS and push-to-pass, closed an era of DTM racing before the series transitioned to GT3 specs. This race car, driven by Timo Glock, represents the zenith of BMW’s DTM engineering.

G82 M4 GT4: Track Tech for Tomorrow’s Champions

The newest entry in the exhibit, the 2023 BMW M4 GT4, showcases the latest in customer racing technology. With up to 550 hp, advanced electronics, and a robust racing pedigree, this model is a testament to BMW’s ongoing commitment to grassroots and pro-level racing alike.

Not Just Race Cars—Road Legends Too

Adding depth to the motorsport focus, the exhibit also features three street-going 3 Series cars that highlight how racing technology trickled down to everyday driving. Among them: a pristinely preserved 1983 BMW 320i, a rare 1995 M3 Lightweight (LTW) built for showroom-stock racing, and one of only three surviving M3 GTR Straßenversion examples—a road-legal V8-powered marvel cloaked in motorsport mystique.

BMW in America: A 50-Year Journey

The exhibit also coincides with the 50th anniversary of BMW of North America, a company that has grown from a small importer into a pillar of the U.S. automotive landscape. With its Spartanburg, South Carolina plant now serving as BMW’s largest production facility worldwide, and a presence in 12 states, BMW’s footprint in North America reflects its global ambitions and motorsport heritage alike.

For any motorsport enthusiast or BMW devotee, “The Ultimate Racing Machine” is a rare chance to witness how one nameplate redefined racing across decades—and continues to push the envelope today.

Source: BMW North America

Auctions

Tesla Cybertruck sold for $400,000 USD

In 2019, Tesla presented its first and so far only electric full-size pickup truck, the Cybertruck. Tesla announced that it has received two million orders, and interestingly, not a single copy has been delivered to the customer, at least not yet. However, one copy of the Tesla Cybertruck was recently sold at auction.

The Cybertruck was sold at the Petersen Museum auction for $400,000. Each guest paid $1,750 for a seat, while a table cost $17,500 or $30,000 for a premier table.

In July, American media reported that they heard a little earlier that Tesla had already informed suppliers to be ready for the start of production of the Cybertruck at the end of August, while delivery would begin by the end of the year.

Each potential customer needs to pay a deposit of only 100 dollars, so there is a possibility that a large number of reservations will not be realized. It will be interesting to see if the Cybertruck will be available outside of the North American market (Europe and Asia) where customers can already pre-order the model. Because of its size and weight, selling the Cybertruck in overseas markets could pose a serious challenge. For example, in several European countries it must be classified as a commercial truck or truck.

Cybertruck will be powered by three electric motors with a total output of 805 hp (600 kW) and 1,033 lb-ft (1,400 Nm), which is enough to push the car to 62 mph in just 3 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h). It has a range of up to 500 miles.

Source: @haleykesparza and @greggertruck via Twitter