9 December 2019

When he was seven years old, Wes Young was given a blue “Batmobile” toy car by his gran. In fact, it was the legendary racing version of the BMW 3.0 CSL from the 1970s. This turned out to be a present with long-term consequences. In 2017, Young fetched a BMW 3.0 CS manufactured in 1972 from the other end of Australia and brought it home to Tasmania. Even while it was being restored, he saw an advertisement for just that BMW 3.0 CSL of his childhood dreams. This was truly a “barn find”. It hadn’t been revved up since 1983 and was located just four hours away as the crow flies – Young struck while the iron was hot and is now restoring the dream car from his childhood. The car and its owner are shown on a new clip in the series “Our Brands. Our Stories.” and the entire story is narrated on the blog classic#heart.

“Daredevil” is a fantastic word that has pretty much gone out of fashion. But it’s a good fit with motor sport during the years following 1929. And it also aptly describes Ernst Jakob Henne, who pursued World Speed Records astride supercharged BMW Kompressor motorcycles. The son of a saddler from the Allgäu region had achieved 76 records by 1937. His first speed record was 216.9 km/h, and his final record was 280 km/h – which remained unchallenged for 14 years. A film clip of historic snapshots (on view in the BMW Group Press Club) gives you an idea of the derring-do, daredevil rides in the competition with English motorcycle aces over a period of many years. Henne was able to rely absolutely on his machine: after all, he had built the full fairing (hence the nickname “Henne and the Egg”) with his own hands.

The heights of the Apennines to the south of Modena present a wonderful playground for the classic Mini – it’s therefore no surprise that Enzo Ferrari wanted to own one. His Mini Cooper was individually tuned by Downton Engineering, and its history is rather special. Daniel Richmond, proprietor of Downton, had already offered tuning kits for the Mini in 1960. On the basis of this feat, Mini creator Alec Issigonis had appointed him as a technical advisor at the British Motor Corporation. This meant that Richmond was also involved in the development of the Mini Cooper – even though he continued to tune classic Minis independently. And one of those specials was destined for Enzo Ferrari.

So you’re still missing a Christmas present? Maybe one with style, sporty appeal and understated exclusivity? The BMW Shop has a small selection of classic items, including a new interpretation of the BMW Motorsport jacket like the one developers and mechanics used to wear in the pit lane: authentic style, modern fit and high-quality tailoring.