26 November 2020 

Small cars, big community feeling: Over the past ten years, the 40 or so members of the MINI Club of Lithuania have been sharing their enthusiasm for life and their passion for the classic MINI with a global community on the Internet. The motto of the Minipeople: “A cozy people club”. They all know each other, most of the members are good friends, and it’s a family atmosphere. Minipeople was established in 2010. The head of the club, Mindaugas Lataitis (35), discovered his passion for the original British runabout when a friend took him along in his 1986 classic Mini to a meeting in Poland. As Mindaugas relates in the BMW Group Classic series on YouTube “Our Brands. Our Stories”, the 17-hour drive provided enough time for a falling in love. In the video, he also presents the Mini Cooper from the year 1996 that finally conquered his heart and which he lovingly restored. Between five and six times a year, the Minipeople roll through the countryside and they are greeted with acclaim wherever they go. In 2015, they welcomed the international community for the International Mini Meeting (IMM) in Lithuania. A similar meeting is planned for 2025 and the Minipeople are already making plans for the big family get-together.

The number of classic fans is growing and this means demand for particularly appealing classics is also on the rise. The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) has been monitoring this trend since 1999 and highlighted in its latest statistics that classic cars from the BMW brand have recently experienced a particularly marked surge in popularity. Three BMW models are currently at the top of the VDA hit list charting the development of value in classic cars over the years 2016 to 2019. Vehicles from the first-generation BMW 3 Series are clearly at the top of the table and their average sale prices have increased by a massive 61 percent within the space of just three years. The number two slot is taken by the BMW CS models from the late 1960s and early 1970s with an increase of 57 percent. The BMW 02 takes third place with an increase in value of 48 percent. And another classic model series from the brand also succeeded in making it to the Top Ten. The first generation of the BMW 6 Series comes in at seventh place in the latest classic car charts with an increase in value of 30 percent.

The heart beats a little faster for history, but sometimes the future is also extremely appealing. The Austrian actor Christoph Waltz finds this out in a video clip that was produced specially for the #NEXTGen 2020. The video shows the two-time Oscar award winner driving up to the Munich head office of the BMW Group in his BMW 3.0 CS dating from the early 1970s. The entrance driveway is lined by other rolling legends like the BMW 328, the BMW 507 and the New Class, and Christoph Waltz only reluctantly hands over his car keys to the parking service attendant. And yet, the dedicated fan of classic cars is led into temptation when Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management at BMW AG, introduces him shortly afterwards to the company’s new technology flagship, the BMW iX. This isn’t a spoiler, just a hint of the quintessential spirit of the amusingly choreographed film. Ultimately, it’s not Zipse but the BMW iX itself that persuades Christoph Waltz to take a test drive.

Twelve months of Sheer Driving Pleasure! Two new calendars at the same time are available to accompany BMW and classic-car enthusiasts through the year 2021. The “BMW Classic Wall Calendar 2021” is an ideal gift and a must-have item for any office or home at the price of 22.31 euros plus postage. The calendar in the 58 x 50 centimetre format presents fascinating images of legendary vehicles from different eras of BMW’s automobile history. Additionally, there is an extra page with twelve detachable postcards. The “BMW Classic Art Calendar 2021”is also available (32.93 euros plus postage). It shows design drafts and sketches for legendary classics of the brand in the format 56 x 40 centimetres.

Another attractive offer for BMW Fans: The calendar “One year of iconic BMW design” compiled by photographer Jasper Schwering gives a new perspective on old gems month by month. Last winter, Schwering took part in the #winterwithinka series. This involved a first-generation BMW 525 styled in an Inka Orange paintwork finish being passed on from hand to hand between photographers and classic fans on a weekly basis. The young photographer from Munich was the first driver to take part in this series and he produced a photographic documentary putting the adventure with “Inka” centre stage. He also featured other brand classics. Jasper Schwering has now grouped the most beautiful motifs in a calendar – the entire process is artisan-finished and packaged right through to dispatch. It is supplied at a price of 35 euros plus postage costs.