McLaren @ Lime Rock....

[mini magic]

The Rolex Vintage Festival Presented by BMW, Aug. 29-Sept. 1, promises to be one of the best ever.

The exciting new additions to the Rolex Vintage Festival include two new events on Sunday, an Elite Concours for Formula 1 machines and Bimmerfest East, a BMW enthusiast car show, and a special viewing of The Italian Job, starring Michael Caine, on Saturday night.



Rolex will present its superb "Moments in Time" motorsports exhibit at the Vintage Festival. And BMW will also have a major presence, marking the 25th anniversary of the legendary M1 and the 20th anniversary of BMW's 1983 Formula 1 World Championship. In 1983, Nelson Piquet's Brabham BMW BT-52, the first turbo powered car to win the F1 World Championship, will be flown over from Germany for the Vintage Festival.



The Rolex Vintage Festival Presented by BMW enters its third decade as one of the foremost events of its kind in the country.

More than 200 race cars will showcase eight decades of racing action from classic pre-war machines to the exotic Lolas, Lotuses, and Porsches that ruled the 1960s and early '70s. Historic Trans-Am cars will be back along with classes for the big sports cars of the late 1950s, GT cars from the '60s and Formula cars from 1955-1963. The featured marque will be Bugatti.



Adding to the racing theme will be BMW Team PTG drivers Bill Auberlen, Hans Stuck and Marc Surer, who will meet fans and demonstrate race cars from BMW's past. You'll see BMW's fastest sports cars including a 1986 BMW/March GTP, a 1996 BMW powered McLaren F1 GTR and the 1999 Sebring winning BMW/Williams V12 LMR.

Then on Sunday, Aug. 31, automobile lovers of all ages will be able to enjoy a combination of four car shows that represent a diverse mix of timeless and modern classics.

The Elite Concours will feature significant Formula 1 cars from multiple eras, while Bimmerfest East will include all BMW model lines, including modified late-model BMWs and pristine classics. Then there's the Vintage & Historic Car Show, which features first-rate foreign and domestic cars lined up along Lime Rock's 2,400-foot front straightaway, and the popular Show of Shelbys.

The 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom will also make a special visit to the Rolex Vintage Festival on Sunday during the car show activities.

See the glorious past of sports car racing, and the evolution of the automobile, come alive once again at Lime Rock Park through the sights and sounds of the legendary cars and drivers who wrote the pages of motorsports history. It's all at the Rolex Vintage Festival Presented by BMW, Aug. 29-Sept. 1, at the Road Racing Center of the East.




i know i'm going