2016 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion was held August 18 to 21, 2016, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The event gathered approximately 550 legendary pre and postwar race and sports cars that represent the pinnacle of their class. This year, 100 years of BMW was the featured marque.
We’ve said before that our favorite event at Monterey Car Week is the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. In 2016 BMW was on center stage, celebrating its distinguished racing history and centennial. In addition to numerous BMW race cars, BMW owners got to run parade laps around the track.
This vintage car racing is a tremendous spectacle even if you’re not into racing. Essentially, these cars get taken out of their museums and do battle against one another like they did in the old days. This is real racing, real mechanics and real expensive historic cars. You can smell the excitement (and the gasoline).
You name it, it was there. Every Porsche you can imagine. Plenty of BMW M1s. Formula One cars everywhere. I lost count of the Mustang GT350s and all the race-prepped Bentleys. Stuff even the most hardcore enthusiast has never heard of.
SEE ALSO: Our list of the best BMW race cars ever and our BMW homepage for our favorites.
The cars were grouped into 16 categories, with race cars ranging from the 1920s to the ’80s. There was something for every type of race fan. BMW USA Classic will run seven historic race cars at the 2016 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion on August 18-21 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey. BMW is the featured marque at the Rolex
BMW was represented by 64 vintage BMW race cars ranging from a strong group of 1930’s 328s to the all concurring BMW V12 LMR of 1999. The Rolex Reunion was also the largest gathering of BMW M1 ProCars ever assembled in the USA. All five factory IMSA specification 3.0 CSLs were also in attendance, the first time since they raced in 1975 and 1976.
Rather than a static heritage display that is typical for the featured marque at the Rolex Reunion, BMW of North America developed the ‘BMW Living Legends Garage’ to house a selection of BMWs that chronicle the history of the company’s racing heritage.
Definitely check out the Monterey Car Week coverage, lots of cool stuff to see.
