BMW's Amelia Island Showcase Combines Rare Classics With New Muscle

Feb. 28, 2023 6:10 PM ET by Gerhard Horn Auto Show / Comments

Unfortunately, the XM will be among the exhibits guaranteed to grab your gaze.

The facelifted 2024 BMW X5, X5 M Competition, X6, and X6 M Competition will officially premiere at The Ritz-Carlton Amelia in northeastern Florida, and they'll be joined by a number of past and modern classics. The event at the Golf Club at Amelia Island takes place March 3-5 and will see plenty of eye candy on display.

The original BMW 3.0 CSL racecar, commonly known as the Batmobile, will also attend. On Sunday, the racecar will be moved to the show field to participate in the Concours d'Elegance; BMW will replace the empty spot with a pristine example of the road-legal CSL from the era. Only 167 road-legal models were made between 1973 and 1975.

The modern 3.0 CSL was not listed among the attendees, likely because handmade cars take a long time to be built.

BMW

At BMW's installation, you can also stare at the glorious BMW 507 Sport Series II, quite possibly the most beautiful roadster ever produced. 252 507s were made, but this particular example (chassis 70240) is especially noteworthy as it is the only 507 designated as a 1960 model on the manufacturer's plate. It was also the very last 507 to leave the Munich plant (although not the last made) and one of very few to feature the removable hardtop from the factory. It even features the upgraded "Surtees" specification, which bumped output from the 3.2-liter V8 from 150 horsepower to roughly 165. Best of all, this 507 has never been restored.

BMW

Across the whole weekend, you can also get test drives in the new 7 Series and the heavily facelifted X7. These test drives will begin at the Ritz-Carlton, where the XM will be on display.

Other attractions include highlights from BMW's Formula 1 era. Juan Pablo Montoya's 2002 BMW Williams FW22 F1 car - which produced over 810 hp from the BMW E41/4 3.0-liter V10 - will be on display at the Concours d'Elegance as part of a group of vehicles with close ties to this year's honoree, former stock car racing driver Jeff Gordon. Montoya and Gordon swapped racing cars for the TV show Trading Paint back in the day, which is why it earned a place in a display celebrating the racer. Hopefully, BMW mechanics will be on hand to fire it up once or twice and give showgoers an aural experience they will never forget with the V10 engine's 18,000-rpm redline.

BMW

The Cars & Community Car Show on the Saturday of the event will see more than 40 classic and contemporary Bimmers spanning six decades of the automaker's history on display. These will comprise some cars from BMW of North America's own US classic collection, including a one-of-one 2002 Z3 Roadster in BMW Individual spec, which also happens to be the last Z3 Roadster ever made. The last Z4 M Coupe ever built will be there too, along with a 2003 X5 4.6is in Imola Red and one of 50 2001 X5 4.4i models produced exclusively for the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book.

Finally, on Sunday, BMW's all-electric i7 xDrive60 will join the punnily-named Taking Charge Parade. With EVs, V8s, racecars, classics, luxury cars, and sports cars on display, BMW will have something for everyone.