Bimmerfest West Blasts BMW Beauty Into California

Diehard BMW owners and fans occupied Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, for Bimmerfest West, the 19th-annual gathering of BMW owners on the West Coast. The two-day event offered an autocross competition, a ‘Battle of the Bimmers’ show hosted by Toyo Tires, a BMW Heritage Corral, a road course challenge sponsored by Bilstein and a parade lap around Auto Club Speedway.

Tiffany Lee, Marketing Specialist of Vertical Scope (Bimmerfest’s parent company), mentioned that this year’s Bimmerfest was the largest event to-date with over 5,000 vehicles, 220 vendor booth cars and 15,400 attendees coming out for the weekend festivities. Fans flew in from as far as Sydney, Australia to witness this year’s event—including Steve Inwood who drove 2,524 miles in a 2011 1M all the way from Ontario, Canada. Now that’s dedication!

With over 90 vendors displaying their newest parts and accessories, attendees had plenty to see and do throughout the two-day event. Among those showcasing their products was Titan 7 Forged Wheels.

“We’ve been gaining some good traction in the Euro market, and our forged wheels play perfectly into the motorsports world. What better way to promote them than setting up right in front of the race pits?” said Titan 7 founder and CEO Eddie Lee. Well played!

The owner of this BMW 325 proudly showcased his vehicle for all the right reasons.

Displayed next to his restomod sat the original bill of sale for the amount of $700. It’s safe to assume this fully-restored ride is now worth well over what he purchased it for.

Weistec Engineering’s Mercedes Benz CLK63 AMG Black drag car crashed this year’s Bimmerfest show. Sporting a new Optima Batteries livery, this V8-powered Weistec Stage 3 twin-screw supercharged machine delivers 1,000-plus horsepower.

The event also featured a dyno competition hosted by Ace Dyno. BMW owners were given a chance to strap their cars down for a chance to be the big dog in a sea of contenders. The winner was awarded bragging rights and some cool prizes.

This Alpina B10 Bi-turbo was a fan favorite and a rare example of the BMW 5 series E34.

With only 507 units produced from 1989 to 1994, this factory modified 535i was documented as the fastest production sedan in the world at the time of its introduction.

Slovenian exhaust system manufacturer Akrapovič displayed a number of beautifully-crafted systems inside their booth, as a steady flow of curious onlookers and potential buyers kept the sales representatives busy throughout the event.

Another rare vehicle on display in front of the Optima Batteries booth was this BMW 3.0 CSL. What makes the CSL model one of the most sought-after roundel-wearing vehicles, you ask? BMW produced only 439 LHD, fuel-injected cars from the second series. Although this particular vehicle didn’t have the rare factory City Package delete option, Hagerty values a concours condition model for $293,000 and a fair-condition model will fetch in the neighborhood of $126,000.

Here’s an owner’s rendition of Pixar’s Lightning Mc Queen complete with matching Power Wheels.

We captured this kid riding though the event in style!

Crash parts and numerous engines were all on display in the Specialized German booth. Looking for a ’08 M3 4.0-liter engine for a custom swap? These guys have exactly what you’re looking for.

We caught up with this race-prepped BMW E30 powered by a M54B30 retrofitted with individual throttle bodies sourced from an E46 330i. The owner integrated a full cage while retaining most of its interior pieces. The carbon fiber front and rear bumpers not only lightened the vehicle but provided a unique, eye-catching appearance.

Some things seem to always go hand in hand. A good comparison would be Mugen as the go-to upgrade for Hondas. In the BMW world in the 1990s, it was most definitely AC Schnitzer. Adding to the throwback theme was the addition of numerous Dinan parts, while an RMS supercharger was installed for additional horsepower.

This 2002 was truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Under the hood lurked a Cummins T4 turbocharger producing over 400 rear-wheel-horsepower at 15 psi of boost pressure.

Curious onlookers continuously gathered around this clean 2002 sitting on reverse steel wheels throughout the day.

A peek inside revealed the interior was just as immaculate as the exterior.

Pure Turbos showcased their 900-plus-horsepower F80 M3 equipped with their stage 2 upgrade turbos. Exterior modifications included a 2MGT3 wide body kit wrapped over a set of 19×11-inch front and 19×14-inch rear Aristo Wheels.

Noticing an oil soaked rag sitting on the floor, I followed the trail that eventually led me to an E46 that suffered some sort of engine failure during a morning track session. The owner was nowhere to be found, but by the looks of it, this engine was toast.

Others called it an early weekend and loaded up their trailers by mid-morning.

This BMW received a complete exterior makeover starting with a PSM Dynamic M6 Wide Body kit.

To fill the fender gaps, a set of staggered MV Forged 3-piece wheels in 21×14-inch front and 21×17-inch rear give this ride an aggressive look. Vehicle stance was accomplished using a dual tank Airlift suspension setup.

Pandem USA showcased their popular BMW E30 wide body kit with optional rear ducktail wing. The wide body increases front fender width by 50mm and rear width by 70mm.

There’s something about wagons that give us that warm and fuzzy feeling.

Check out this LS swap complete with haphazard engine harness.

CSF sponsored this year’s track event.

Race prepped cars of all makes and models were already rolling by 9am.

Run groups were organized into six categories.

Also included in the festivities were those competing in the BMWCCA-USTCC point’s race.

Competition was fierce throughout the two-day race event.

Whether you’re a fan of German engineering, or simply love all things BMW, Bimmerfest West is an event you don’t want to miss.


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