BMW brings two concepts, manual car to Monterey

BMW said on August 4 that it will use Monterey Car Week 2026 to show two concept cars in North America, stage a 40-year retrospective for the M3 and display a limited-production manual-transmission M3 aimed at collectors. The lineup spans Legends of the Autobahn, The Quail and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, according to BMW Group’s U.S. press release. Yahoo Autos first highlighted the manual car as the model collectors should watch. Monterey Car Week runs August 7-16 across the Monterey Peninsula, with BMW’s main public program concentrated from August 13 through August 16. The company said the week will include the North American debuts of the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse and the Vision BMW ALPINA, plus M3 road and race cars marking four decades of the badge. (press.bmwgroup.com) ### Which two concept cars is BMW actually bringing? BMW said the two concept cars are the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse and the Vision BMW ALPINA. The company described both as North American debuts in its August 4 announcement. (ksbw.com) The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering on August 14 is where BMW plans to show the Vision BMW ALPINA, according to the company. Pebble Beach on August 16 is where BMW said the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse will appear on the Concept Lawn. (press.bmwgroup.com) ### What is the manual-transmission car? BMW said the manual car is the new M3 CS Handschalter, which will be part of its 40-years-of-M3 display at Legends of the Autobahn on August 13. BMWBLOG, citing the company’s Monterey program, reported that the exhibition spans six cars and includes the new G80 M3 CS Handschalter alongside earlier M3 generations. (press.bmwgroup.com) Yahoo Autos reported that BMW is positioning the car as a collector-focused model and said U.S. allocation is limited to 30 examples. The same report said the car pairs the higher-performance CS formula with a six-speed manual transmission, a combination that gives it unusual status in BMW’s current lineup. (press.bmwgroup.com) ### How is BMW marking 40 years of the M3? Legends of the Autobahn on August 13 will host BMW’s M3 anniversary display, the company said. BMW listed a lineup that includes the original E30 M3, the E36 M3 Lightweight, the E46 M3, the E92 M3 Lime Rock Park proof-of-concept prototype, the F82 M4 GTS and the new M3 CS Handschalter. (autos.yahoo.com) The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion on August 13-16 will add race cars to that anniversary theme. BMW said four generations of M3 race cars will appear on track, including the E30 M3 DTM, the E36 M3 GTS-2, the E46 M3 GTR and the E92 M3 GT. (press.bmwgroup.com) ### Where do Kith and the rest of BMW’s week fit in? BMW said Ronnie Fieg, founder and chief executive of Kith, will join an invitation-only panel during Car Week to unveil the fourth chapter of the Kith for BMW collaboration. The company said that event will include a new collection and bespoke automobiles celebrating BMW’s past and present. (press.bmwgroup.com) Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey-based BMW framed the broader Monterey program as a mix of performance, luxury and design-led events. In its release, the company said the week will showcase “the breadth of its performance, luxury, and design leadership” across the peninsula. (press.bmwgroup.com) ### When can people see the cars? August 13 is the first key public date, when BMW’s M3 anniversary display and the M3 CS Handschalter are scheduled for Legends of the Autobahn at Pacific Grove Golf Links. August 14 brings the Vision BMW ALPINA to The Quail, and August 16 brings the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse to the Pebble Beach Concept Lawn, according to BMW’s published schedule. (press.bmwgroup.com 1) (press.bmwgroup.com 2)