On May 12th, America’s Car Museum (ACM) is bringing the “Heroes of Bavaria– 75 Years of BMW Motorsports” collection from the BMW Car Club of America Foundation to its location in Tacoma as a crowdfunding campaign. The seventeen iconic race cars in the display will celebrate and detail BMW’s storied motorsports legacy. There will be a Bavarian-themed grand opening celebration at ACM that evening to welcome the collection to the museum.
Donating to ACM’s crowdfunding effort will be rewarded with opportunities to extend the donator’s experience beyond what’s offered by typical automotive museums, including passes to the exhibit’s opening celebration, limited edition posters and books, private tours of the ACM collection, and the ability to “adopt-a-winner.” One lucky individual can also purchase an exclusive one-day experience at a BMW performance driving school, where they will be able to learn about the theory, physics and mechanics of performance driving.
“As proven by the extraordinary collection of race cars within Heroes of Bavaria exhibit, BMW rightfully earns the title of the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine.’ Their vehicles have been tried-and-tested on race tracks for the last 75 years,” says America’s Automotive Trust CEO Adam Langsbard. “We’re thrilled to be the first to display this unrivalled collection on the West Coast and share BMW’s many motorsports accomplishments with the hundreds of thousands guests who visit ACM each year.”
The festivities of the grand opening will include classic German food and drink as well as a live discussion moderated by ACM Master Collector Peter Gleason. The discussion will be held with several notable BMW figures, including:
- Bill Auberlen, the winningest BMW factory race car driver in history
- Erik Wensberg, M Brand Manager for BMW of North America
- Tom Plucinsky, BMW Group Product and Technology Department Head
Tickets to the opening night include member discounts and are available at the Heroes of Bavaria page on ACM’s website. Also, a free limited edition commemorative poster is available for the first 150 people through the door.
If you aren’t able to attend the evening opening, ACM Curator of Exhibitory Scot Keller will be leading an exclusive early entry Curator Talk & Tour on the morning of May 13. He will delve into BMW’s history and provide expert insight to the remarkable vehicles on display.
“The Heroes of Bavaria exhibit celebrates the history of BMW racing by featuring noteworthy race cars, beginning with the infamous 328,” said Keller. “The two-liter 328 – arguably one of the most successful sports cars of the 1930s – is just one of example of BMW’s motoring legacy. It has achieved a class win in the celebrated Mille Miglia in 1938 and an overall victory in 1940.”
Other notable vehicles include the very first 1961 700 RS, a 1972 3.0 CSL Groupe 2 Rally Car – the only one of its kind – and a 2000 Williams Formula F1 driven by Ralf Schumacher in eight total races, achieving three podium finishes.
To donate to the “Bring the BMW Heroes of Bavaria to ACM” crowdfunding campaign, please visit:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bring-the-bmw-heroes-of-bavaria-to-acm-cars#/.
If you’d like more information on the “Heroes of Bavaria” opening celebrations, go to americascarmuseum.org. by eric pylvanainen and martina preston