• Starting in 2020, Bimmer Invasion has sought to organize BMW-centric events to fill a void for passionate BMW enthusiasts.
• The organization now hosts two massive BMW events in Florida and Los Angeles to widen its influence and mission statement.
• AST/MOTON, celebrating its 25^th year in business, used the event to showcase its newest components, including MOTON control arm bearing sets, AST camber plates, and more.

“If I knew that tomorrow a meteorite would destroy our planet, I would start shooting a new film today.” The resonant words of the German filmmaker, actor, opera director, and author reflect an unfaltering passion for his craft. It’s a level of commitment and vindication that participators in a given industry must possess to not just succeed, but continuously supersede their own achievements.

AST/MOTON is a company that has made that commitment a foundational forte. Judged against its impressive resume in INDYCAR, LeMans, IMSA racing series, and earned bids on truly epic production cars, its earnest dedication to its craft worked. Indeed, throughout its 25-year history, its name has become synonymous with motorsport achievement. Over the last decade or so, AST/MOTON has made a tangential commitment toward balancing its racing efforts with creating product lines for its burgeoning street and dual-duty customers. The fortuitous timing of that effort, its 25th anniversary, and Bimmer Invasion Orlando couldn’t have been better. The Florida-based BMW gathering was the perfect opportunity for the brand to debut its latest and greatest to Bavarian loyalists.

A FRESH LINEUP

Rain didn’t seem to spoil any of the event’s activities and alongside the opportunity to take home one of AST/MOTON’s 25th Anniversary t-shirts, there were plenty of new products that BMW enthusiasts could admire at the company’s booth. MOTON’s spherical control arm bearings—which vastly improve steering feel and turn-in confidence for E9X, F8X, G20 3-series, and G8X cars—were on display, as well as its innovative camber plate sets that circumvent the G-series’s narrow strut tower openings. These are exciting add-ons to both factory struts or for use in combination with AST Adjustable Lowering Spring (ALS) kits. This trio of products stole the spotlight, proving to fill a valuable sweet spot for new BMW owners who wanted to improve upon the factory recipe without sacrificing EDC.

BREAD AND BUTTER

But part of celebrating AST/MOTON’s 25th anniversary was an acknowledgment of what got it there. The Bimmer Invasion booth display also brought an impressive array of the company’s coilover kits; 1-way, 2-way, and 3-way variants were set up to give visitors a chance to make a true apples-to-apples comparison in person.

“There was lots of interest in our ALS kits and a handful of G8X M3/M4s running MOTON 1-way coilovers,” said Coen de Korte, CEO of AST/MOTON Suspension. It was a testament that the suspension company was on the pulse of what modern BMW enthusiasts need and, as that chassis ages, I’m confident that the interest in two and 3-way AST/MOTON’s coilover offerings will rise, too. Case in point, late model BMW fans—from E36 through E9X—were up in arms to examine AST/MOTON’s coilover systems for a variety of usage cases: street, hybrid (street/track), and full-blown track duty.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

Although Bimmer Invasion is undeniably dominated by the latest and greatest from BMW, the foot traffic to AST/MOTON’s booth proved that the people behind one of the nation’s biggest BMW gatherings are interested in the full array of the marque’s lineage. That’s a fortunate thing for AST/MOTON because it continues to develop products that cater to the lot; there is something for everyone and it’s exciting to know that a company like AST/MOTON won’t abandon platforms to play favorites.

All that said, there’s a lot to be excited about as an AST/MOTON fan in 2024, both in honor of its 25th year as a passionate suspension manufacturer and as an enthusiast-driven outfit that promises to continuously push its own boundaries to create the best possible products for its customers. In a world that’s increasingly measured by the bottom line, it’s a refreshing stance to take.

Gallery