NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill

BMW OF NORTH AMERICA TEAMS WITH CAR AND DRIVER MAGAZINE TO DEMONSTRATE HIGH-PERFORMANCE DIESEL TECHNOLOGY

Woodcliff Lake, NJ - October 9, 2006: Two 3 Series Sedans Will Compete in 25-Hour Endurance Race

BMW of North America, LLC announced today that it is teaming up with Car and Driver magazine to demonstrate the high-performance capability of its newest diesel engines. A pair of 335d sedans, equipped with twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder diesel engines will compete in the 25-Hours of Thunderhill endurance race that takes place at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California on December 2-3, 2006.

"BMW has a reputation for performance that is well-known in the US," said Tom Purves, Chairman of BMW of North America, "but BMW's reputation as a technology leader in high-performance diesels is less well-known here, so we wanted to showcase that expertise at a time when more and more consumers are interested in the best possible combination of performance and fuel efficiency. BMW diesel technology demonstrates our EfficientDynamics philosophy at its best. On the one hand, it offers best-in-class performance; on the other hand, it offers outstanding fuel economy. These are ideal characteristics for endurance racing."

Car and Driver's editor-in-chief Csaba Csere agreed, "We've long admired the power and fuel economy that BMW has achieved with its diesel-powered cars in Europe. As the demand for fuel efficiency has made diesel engines more attractive to American buyers, many have wondered whether that efficiency could be combined with the responsive performance for which BMWs are justly famous. By entering this grueling race with these 335 diesel sedans, we expect to demonstrate that speed and efficiency can coexist together to deliver not only driver satisfaction, but also an excellent finish in an event that demands both qualities."

While this is a first effort at demonstrating BMW diesel performance on the race track in the US, this is not the first time that BMW has raced a production road car powered by a diesel engine. In 1998, BMW made history by winning the 24 Hour Nuerburgring race with the 320d, powered by a two-liter, four-cylinder diesel engine. The combination of high-performance with better fuel efficiency allowed the team to make fewer pit stops during the long endurance race.

The two 335d models that will race in the 25-Hours of Thunderhill embody the newest BMW 3 Series sedan, launched in 2006, and the most powerful inline, six-cylinder diesel engine in the world. In road-going specification, it produces 286-horsepower and 427 lb-ft. of torque. Boasting technology such as an all-aluminum crankcase, the latest generation of direct fuel injection and variable twin-turbocharging, the 335d offers impressive performance, as well as fuel economy. Variable Twin Turbo technology, allows the 3.0-liter diesel to deliver maximum performance without the lag that has been characteristic of many turbocharged engines in the past. Employing a small turbocharger, which, due to its low inertia, develops its power-boosting effect without delay, and a larger turbocharger which picks up the momentum, allows the engine to produce its maximum torque at only 1750 rpm. The two 335d sedans are race-prepared and run by Marshall Pruett Motorsports Engineering in San Jose, California. MPME has worked with Car and Driver on their last two 25 Hour programs.

The team of drivers for the two vehicles will be made up of editors from Car and Driver, professional racers, an up-and-coming young driver and the Motorsports Manager of BMW of North America. Editors Csaba Csere, Mark Gillies, Tony Swan and Larry Webster, will team with professional racers Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand, two drivers who have previously placed a BMW M3 in the winners' circle, driving for BMW Team PTG. Joining this group will be Martin Birkmann, Motorsports Manager for BMW of North America and Auston Harris, a young racer on the move.

The December 2-3 running of this endurance road race will be the 10th anniversary of the event and the fourth time since the duration was expanded from 12 hours to 25 hours, making it the longest endurance road race in the world. Car and Driver editors have competed in all three of the previous 25-hour Thunderhill races and have driven in 53 24-hour automobile races between them. The race begins at 11:00 am on Saturday, December 2 and concludes at noon on Sunday, December 3.

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, the MINI brand, and the ROLLS-ROYCE brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 Roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car centers, 334 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 80 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

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