2022 has been quite a year for BMW M, and rightfully so having garnered countless enthusiasts over the past 50 years of its existence. It’s no surprise then that peppered throughout the calendar year we’ve seen special events organized all throughout the world in honor of this milestone – celebrating 50 years of BMW M – and at the center of it all you’ll find that the attendees of these events are true enthusiasts that love the cars, the culture, and the feeling of being united under the most powerful letter in the world: ///M

Naturally when BMW CCA decided to host a 50 years of BMW M celebration in Seattle I had to attend, and I’m glad I did! Hosted at The Shop in collaboration with BMW Seattle, we gathered together like it was some sort of yearly automotive pilgrimage. As owners pulled into the venue we all would stop and take in the new arrival, do an obligatory head nod, smile, and proceed to talk about the M car in our sights while sipping coffee and eating the delicious breakfast that was provided by The Derby restaurant.

M beauties spanning almost all generations were present, but the one that basically made EVERYONE stop and stare was undoubtedly the stunning BMW 3.0 CSL “Batmobile.” This all original rarity owned by Mr. Peter Gleeson is but 1 of 57 examples produced and it is a pristine example of BMW M history. If you’re into M cars, then this is essentially what amounts to rolling art and we were all in awe. After we all collectively picked our jaws off the ground we were treated to a fun raffle hosted by BMW CCA with multiple prizes, accompanied by some adorable dogs that made a special appearance.

Some Iconic Cars Were Present

Of course a lot of car talk was had amongst owners and fans alike, many photos were taken, a lot of pointing and explaining took place as well, and every now and then someone would gasp and then immediately dive into how the E39 M5 in LeMans Blue cemented their love for the M brand (ok so it was me, I was that person, give me a break) E30’s were present too, as well as a stunning Japan import left-hand-drive E36 M3 with the euro engine installed. We also spotted some gorgeous E46 examples, some E60 M5’s with that howling V10, and of course every CS model produced to date (M2 CS, M3 CS, M4 CS and M5 CS) with the M3 CS being represented by yours truly.

I won’t spoil it all for you, but what I will do is highly recommend you attend one of these 50 years of BMW M celebration events if one is ever to pop up near where you live. The people, the cars, the passion and the atmosphere is hard to beat. I tried to capture it for you, and if you’re curious you can tap the video and watch the recap for yourself! If you’re feeling extra excited then leave a comment and let us know which M model was your favorite!

Thanks for spending some time with us, I’ll catch you in the next one!