15 October 2020

Pedro Piquet bears the heritage of a famous name and he is already a two-time winner of the Brazilian Formula 3 Championship. This weekend he will be driving in his father’s tracks. At the Goodwood Speed Week (16 – 18 October 2020), he’s going to be at the wheel of the Brabham BMW BT52, which Nelson Piquet drove to become Formula 1 World Champion in 1983. The Goodwood Speed Week is the highlight for classic car fans and friends of historic motor sport in a year sadly lacking in major events. From tomorrow until Sunday, the most spectacular elements of the Festival of Speed and the Goodwood Revival will be combined in a single event being held on the estate of the Duke of Richmond in the English county of West Sussex. On account of the pandemic, there will be no spectators present at the event itself but fans from all over the world will be able to watch the action at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in a livestream. Alongside the BT52, BMW Group Classic is sending two other motor-sport legends from its historic car collection to Goodwood House. The BMW V12 LMR, winning car at the 24 Hour Race of Le Mans in 1999, is being presented by former Formula 1 driver and BMW Touring Car Champion Johnny Cecotto. And the BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupé will also be entrusted to the hands of a seasoned racing professional. The veteran touring-car driver and BMW brand ambassador, Leopold Prinz von Bayern, is driving the two-seater that triumphed at the Mille Miglia 80 years ago.

The company history of BMW is intimately associated with the State of Thuringia. More than 90 years ago, the first automobiles with the white-and-blue logo were built there at automaker Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach. After the end of the war in 1945, BMW lost its production site since it was located in the Soviet Occupation Zone. Nevertheless, construction of BMW automobiles continued unchanged. But instead of BMW, the EMW badge was now used for the vehicles. EMW stands for Eisenacher Motorenwerke – or Eisenach Motor Works. At the beginning of the 1950s, production of the EMW 340 started up in East Germany and a little later the EMW 327 came along. Essentially, they remained BMW models – but they had a different name and were badged with a separate logo: white and red instead of white and blue. However, the tried-and-tested BMW six-cylinder engines were still mounted in the EMW models. As Frank “Bongo” Rotzsch, musician and BMW enthusiast, explains in the BMW Group Classic YouTube Series “Our Brands. Our Stories”, this was a rarity at that time in the German Democratic Republic. His passion for BMW cars came from his uncle, who drove a BMW 326 over to West Germany in 1957. Rotzsch himself owned a green EMW / BMW 327 for 15 years. At the beginning of the 2000s, he sold the car, which was in need of a major restoration. “It was a very difficult decision,” as Frank Rotzsch recalled. A few weeks ago, the purchaser surprised Rotzsch by getting in touch and came to visit him in his home town of Dresden. Naturally, he brought along the fully restored EMW / BMW 327 for a test drive. The car can now be admired on YouTube.

Jean Pierre Kraemer is an engine enthusiast, proprietor of the tuning company “JP Performance”, moderator and YouTube producer. Hailing from Dortmund, he has a wealth of technical automobile know-how – and a soft spot for BMW automobiles (“I fell in love with BMW from day one”). His YouTube channel “JP Performance” ranks among the most successful channels in the automobile sector. His latest video takes him and Benjamin Voß, Spokesman of BMW Group Classic, on an exciting journey through the “M Eras”. In a hangar at the BMW Driving Academy in Maisach near Munich, they attempt to answer the question that has often been the subject of discussion among fans of BMW M automobiles: “What is the greatest M3 as far as you’re concerned?” They have a choice between all five generations so far represented on the road from the history of the high-performance model: starting with the first BMW M3 launched in 1986 to the first coupé to bear the name BMW M4, with its successor already lining up on the starting grid. The video documentary lasting around 22 minutes can be seen on the YouTube channel of “JP Performance”. And in the second documentary of the video series about the BMW M3/M4, “JP” is not just an onlooker, he is also in the driving seat. Highlight: The drive in the BMW M1 “Münchner Wirte” – “Munich Innkeepers”. BMW Motorsport GmbH created a sensation on race tracks across the world with the high-performance sports car presented in 1978.

You can view the clips on the YouTube channel of “JP Performance”:

The “Mo 66” café located at the historic venue on Moosacher Straße 66 is celebrating the anniversary “100 Years of BMW Boxer Engine” with a pop-up. The relaxed atmosphere of the classic biker café will host visitors and motorcycle fans until the end of October for a special programme. They will be able to meet up and go on a guided tour free of charge from the “Boxer Bar” through the historic vehicle collection of BMW Group Classic. Every Friday, the workshop expert “Doctor Boxer” will be happy to answer any questions from motorcycle enthusiasts during a Q & A session.

Overview of key dates:
Boxer Bar in BMW Group Classic.
When: from now until 30 October 2020, Monday to Friday 9:00 – 18:00.
Where: Moosacher Straße 66, 80809 Munich.
Entry: free of charge.

Free guided tours through the historic vehicle collection:
6 to 29 October, Tuesday – Thursday at 10:00 and 16:00 (duration: approx. 45 mins).

Doctor Boxer – BMW Motorrad Classic consultation free of charge:
9 to 30 October, on Fridays.
10:00 – 12:00: Questions all about the motorcycle.
12:00 – 14:00: Looking for spare parts, our classic parts experts are happy to help.