BMW M Motorsport to Offer 2020 Rolex 24 Winning BMW M8 GTE to the Collector Market.

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – August 9, 2022 . . . BMW M Motorsport has a very special opportunity for automotive enthusiasts in celebration of its 50^th anniversary. In conjunction with BMW of North America, LLC, the rare decision has been made to offer the 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona GTLM class-winning No. 24 BMW M8 GTE for sale to a fortunate collector. The BMW M8 GTE Chassis Number 1809 will be on display in the BMWUSA Classic garage during the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion running from August 17-20.

“BMW has a proud history of preserving and exhibiting its rich collection of historic racing cars in both Munich and North America,” commented Thomas Plucinsky, BMW USA Classic Manager. “I only need the fingers on one hand to count the few factory race cars that have left the ownership of BMW in recent years. The BMW M8 GTE represented a money-is-no-object factory GT race car. It is truly an engineering masterpiece. The new owner of BMW M8 GTE No. 1809 will be the steward of a very important piece of BMW history in America and can count on support from BMW in the years to come to ensure its condition and value are maintained at the highest level.”

“Chassis number 1809 has an exceptional provenance having been built in preparation for the 2020 season and owns the distinction of winning its very first race – the Rolex 24 At Daytona – with drivers John Edwards, Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn, and Chas Mostert.” continued Victor Leleu, Experiential Marketing Manager and former BMW NA Motorsport Manager. “From that auspicious start, it went onto scoring an additional five podium finishes, to help BMW and BMW M Team RLL earn the Michelin Endurance Cup and finish second in the GTLM class Driver, Team and Manufacturer points standings. 1809 also raced the Rolex 24 again at the start of the 2021season, finishing third.”

Following the Rolex 24 victory, Klaus Fröhlich (Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development) stated, “That was an extremely exciting race. The final hours were particularly tense, with the lead changing hands many times. Today’s victory for BMW Team RLL at the Daytona 24-hour race ranks very highly in many regards. It was the result of excellent teamwork between the team, drivers and our engineers. The operative excellence of BMW Team RLL was remarkable. 24 hours without a single mistake, under great pressure throughout the entire race. Compliments to everyone. The same goes for our quartet of drivers, who gave a perfect performance. Last but not least, our BMW M8 GTE once again demonstrated its winning genes at the scene of last year’s triumph. In doing so, it underlined the fact that this car is one of the top GT cars out there right now. The BMW M8 GTE showed no signs of weakness in this 24-hour sprint. It was among the leaders all race and led for more kilometers than anyone else. And all that against extremely strong opposition. We certainly put on a display of great motor racing for the fans and spectators. That was a strong start to the year for BMW Motorsport, including in other categories. Congratulations to all involved. Long may it continue.”
 

The BMW M8 GTE racing cars were campaigned by BMW M Team RLL in the GTLM Class of the 2018, 2019, and 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship seasons. A total of eight chassis were used by BMW Team RLL during those three seasons. Of those, BMWUSA Classic will retain two running examples as well as the latest specification parts to support the cars. Three additional running cars (of which Chassis 1809 has the best racing history) exist and may be sold in the coming years.

Most recently, this past February, 1809 was tested at Palm Beach International Raceway in preparation for sale. Driven by Bill Auberlen, the driver with more races in a BMW than anyone else in the world (518) and the driver with more victories in IMSA history (65) than any other driver, the car ran through a spectrum of tests that included updated programming for easier use by a customer.

Chassis 1809 is offered with engineering notes, press and marketing materials and, of course, the 2020 Rolex 24 trophy. The BMW M8 GTE will be delivered with a vehicle running kit containing special tools needed to operate the car plus a spares package which includes an extra set of wheels and the typical consumables. BMW M Motorsport through BMWUSA Classic will be able to support the long-term operation of BMW M8 GTE race cars with technical support and a wide range of new and used replacement parts.

Additional information and pricing can be found by contacting:

BMW-M-Motorsport@bmwna.com

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers,146 BMW motorcycle retailers, 105 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

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Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com, www.miniusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com. 

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