The Ultimate Driving Museum Names the 2006 E86 BMW Z4 M Coupe as November's “Car of the Month Brought To You By Continental” 10.11.2022: ...in The Power of M Exhibition The BMW CCA Foundation and The Ultimate Driving Museum have selected the 2006 E86 BMW Z4 M Coupe as November's "Car of the Month Brought to You By Continental." The campaign, which began in June, will spotlight one c

...in The Power of M Exhibition



The BMW CCA Foundation and The Ultimate Driving Museum have selected the 2006 E86 BMW Z4 M Coupe as November's "Car of the Month Brought to You By Continental." The campaign, which began in June, will spotlight one car each month until the remainder of the year, to help support The Power of M exhibit at the Museum, celebrating BMW Motorsport's 50th anniversary.



The exhibit, which opened to the public on May 16 and will run through January 2023, features 25 cars and one motorcycle that represent BMW Motorsport's history, including significant race cars and their roadgoing counterparts from BMW M.



"Each car has its own story that established itself either as a race winner or a champion on the road. We at BMW CCA Foundation are proud of how BMW's legacy of winning races has translated to producing outstanding cars for the consumer," said Bruce Hazard, Board Trustee and head of Exhibit Committee for The Ultimate Driving Museum.



June's initial "Car of the Month" was the 1974 E9 3.0 BMW CSL, while July's choice was the 1979 E26 BMW M1 Procar. For August, the 1987 E28 BMW M5 was selected. In September it was the 1989 E30 BMW M3 Cecotto, followed by October's 2003 E46 BMW M3 CSL.



Featured in November is the 2006 E86 Z4 M Coupe No. E86-605, powered by a 3246cc S54 inline six-cylinder 395hp engine at 8200 rpm. It's equipped with a six-speed sequential transmission, and has a curb weight of 2646 pounds. It is owned by Peter and Jennifer Gleeson of Seattle, Washington.

 


 


The 2006 E86 Z4 M Coupe race car is November's "Car of the Month brought to you by Continental."
(Klaus Schnitzer image)




The Z4 M Coupe race car was built for customers contesting the German Endurance Championship (VLN) and other “non-European endurance series.” That included the Super Taikyu series in Japan, which No. E86-605 dominated for five seasons running.



No. E86-605 is one of 12 (perhaps 16) Z4 M Coupe race cars. Built at Schnitzer Motorsport for the Petronas Syntium team, No. E86-605 took two podiums in 2007. In 2008, the car won the Tokachi 24 and finished second for the season with Fariqe Hairuman and Masataka Yanagida. The following year, No. E86-605 carried Hairuman, Yanagida, and Nobutero Taniguchi to four wins and the Super Taikyu title. In 2010, it took seven wins en route to a second title with Yanagada, Taniguchi, and Imuran Shaharom. In 2011, No. E86-605 delivered five wins and a third Super Taikyu championship with drivers Yanagada, Taniguchi, and Dominic Ang.



In 2014, owner David Wong closed down the Petronas Syntium team and sold No. E86-605 to Peter Gleeson. “This is one of the most important Asian racing cars of this period,” Gleeson says. “It certainly has one of the most impressive racing histories of any BMW chassis.”



To preserve that history, Gleeson has left No. E86-605 exactly as raced. “I haven’t even cleaned the burn marks or other racing scars from it!”



Full information on this 2006 E86 Z4 M Coupe No. E86-605, may be found at https://bmwccafoundation.org/car-of-the-month/continental-car-of-the-month-november/


"By recognizing each month one of the iconic cars that are in the exhibit, we hope to bring awareness to BMW fans and the public to the dynamic provenance each of these cars represents in the history of BMW Motorsport," added Hazard.



Along with 25 cars and one motorcycle, The Power of M includes informative displays throughout, telling the history of the cars and BMW M in words and photos.



The exhibit is also commemorated with a lavishly produced book that features the history of each car and the M brand/BMW Motorsport, with text by Jackie Jouret alongside new photography by Klaus Schnitzer and archival photos. The book is sold through the BMW CCA Foundation Store as well as Amazon.



Open to the public from May 16 through January 2023,The Power of M: Celebrating 50 Years is the fifth major exhibit staged by the BMW CCA Foundation. It follows these previous major exhibitions: 2017’s Heroes of Bavaria; 2018’s The ICON: 50 Years of the 2002; 2019’s PASSION: 50 Years of BMW Cars and Community; and 2020’s GENESIS: BMW From the Beginning. GENESIS closed in May 2021 following a successful year-long run at The Ultimate Driving Museum – right across Highway 101 from BMW Manufacturing, and next door to the BMW Performance Center in Greer, South Carolina.


 



JVS Enterprises - photo Schnitzer