BMW is spending Monterey Car Week arguing both sides of an argument it has been having with itself for a decade.
On Thursday it debuts a quad-motor electric M concept. On Saturday it runs four decades of racing M3s around Laguna Seca. Somewhere in between it is selling a 473-horsepower inline-six with a six-speed manual and no electric assistance at all, for $107,100 before destination.
The full program spans August 13 through 16 across four venues on the Peninsula.
Key Takeaways
- BMW M Concept Neue Klasse makes its North American debut Thursday, August 13 at House of M in Monterey, with a quad-motor drivetrain and an M-specific version of BMW’s Heart of Joy control unit.
- Vision BMW ALPINA debuts Friday, August 14 at the Quail. A one-of-one design study with full-grain Alpine leather, watchmaking-inspired metal, and crystal controls.
- The M3 turns 40. Six generations display Thursday at Legends of the Autobahn, which is free to attend.
- Four racing M3s run Saturday at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, including a 2011 E92 M3 GT driven by BMW M CEO Frank van Meel.
- 2027 BMW M3 CS Handschalter: 473 hp, six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, roughly 75 pounds lighter, $107,100 plus $1,350 destination.
- Kith for BMW returns for a fourth chapter Saturday evening with Ronnie Fieg, alongside bespoke cars he designed.
- Both concepts appear on the Pebble Beach Concept Lawn Sunday, August 16.
The M Concept Neue Klasse Runs Four Motors
BMW’s Neue Klasse platform has been the company’s stated future since the concept first appeared, and the M version is where the performance division has to prove the architecture can do more than range.
Four motors is the headline. Distributing drive across four independently controlled units allows torque vectoring far beyond what a differential can manage, and it is the approach nearly every serious electric performance car has converged on.
The control software is the part BMW keeps pointing at. Heart of Joy is the company’s name for the unit that manages drivetrain, braking, energy recovery, and steering as one system rather than four negotiating ones, and the M Concept carries an M-specific version tuned for the performance brief.
Whether that produces a car worth the badge is not answerable from a show stand. What is answerable is that BMW considers this the preview of where M goes next.
It debuts Thursday evening at House of M in Monterey, then moves to the Rolex Reunion paddock Friday and Saturday before landing on the Pebble Beach Concept Lawn Sunday.
Vision BMW ALPINA Is a One-Off
ALPINA spent decades as an independent tuner building quieter, torquier, longer-legged alternatives to M cars. BMW bought the brand outright, and this is the first substantial statement about what happens to it.
Vision BMW ALPINA is a one-of-one design study rather than a production preview. Its material list reads more like a watch catalog than a spec sheet: full-grain Alpine leather, metal surfaces finished with techniques borrowed from watchmaking, and controls made of crystal.
None of that describes how it drives, because a design study does not have to.
It debuts Friday, August 14 at the Quail, with a press conference at 11:25 a.m., then joins the M Concept on the Concept Lawn Sunday.
Forty Years of M3
The original E30 M3 arrived in 1986 as a homologation special built to make BMW competitive in touring car racing. It worked well enough that the M3 became the reference point every sport sedan since has been measured against.
Six cars display Thursday at Legends of the Autobahn on the Pacific Grove Golf Links, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., free to attend.
| Car | Significance |
|---|---|
| E30 M3 | The original homologation special, 1986 |
| E36 M3 Lightweight | Stripped US-market special built for club racing |
| E46 M3 | The high-revving naturally aspirated inline-six generation |
| E92 M3 Lime Rock Park prototype | V8-era limited edition prototype |
| F82 M4 GTS | Water-injected track special |
| G80 M3 CS Handschalter | The current manual-transmission flagship |
Four Competition M3s Run at Laguna Seca Saturday
On Saturday, August 15, four competition M3s take the track at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
| Car | Driver | History |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 E30 M3 DTM | Mike Skeen | German touring car championship machinery |
| 1997 E36 M3 GT2 | — | Winner at the Daytona 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring |
| 2004 E46 M3 GTR | Bill Auberlen | Grand Am championship winner |
| 2011 E92 M3 GT | Frank van Meel | Driven by the CEO of BMW M |
Van Meel driving the E92 GT himself is the detail worth noting. Executives usually watch from hospitality.
The Manual Is Still For Sale
Against two electric concepts, BMW is also shipping the 2027 M3 CS Handschalter, and the specification is deliberately old-fashioned.
The M TwinPower Turbo inline-six makes 473 hp. Drive goes rearward through a six-speed manual. Carbon fiber and titanium components remove roughly 75 pounds. Pricing is $107,100 plus $1,350 destination, production started in July 2026, and deliveries are expected in the fall.
Handschalter is German for “manual shifter.” BMW uses it as a model designation to mark cars where the manual transmission is the point rather than a cost-saving base option.
Four hundred seventy-three horsepower through three pedals, sold new in 2027, at a moment when the same company is showing a four-motor electric M concept two days earlier on the same peninsula. Both cars are honest expressions of what BMW currently is.
Kith Chapter Four
Saturday evening brings the fourth installment of BMW’s collaboration with Kith. Ronnie Fieg, the brand’s founder, CEO, and creative director, joins BMW design leadership for an invitation-only panel, and bespoke cars Fieg designed around BMW heritage models are being unveiled alongside a preview of the 2026 Kith for BMW clothing collection.
Fashion collaborations sit awkwardly with enthusiasts, and the previous Kith chapters drew the predictable complaints. They also sold out, and they brought a demographic to BMW heritage cars that concours judging never will.
BMW’s Monterey Schedule
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Aug. 13 | M3 heritage display, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Legends of the Autobahn, Pacific Grove Golf Links |
| Thu., Aug. 13 | M Concept Neue Klasse North American debut, evening | House of M, Monterey |
| Fri., Aug. 14 | Vision BMW ALPINA debut, press conference 11:25 a.m. | The Quail, Carmel Valley |
| Fri.-Sat., Aug. 14-15 | M Concept Neue Klasse on display | Rolex Reunion paddock, Laguna Seca |
| Sat., Aug. 15 | Four racing M3s on track | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca |
| Sat., Aug. 15 | Kith for BMW panel, evening, invitation only | Monterey Peninsula |
| Sun., Aug. 16 | Both concepts on the Concept Lawn | Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is BMW debuting at Monterey Car Week 2026?
Two concepts. The BMW M Concept Neue Klasse takes its North American debut Thursday, August 13 at House of M in Monterey, and the Vision BMW ALPINA debuts Friday, August 14 at the Quail. Both appear on the Pebble Beach Concept Lawn on Sunday.
What is the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse?
An electric performance concept previewing the next generation of BMW M. It uses a quad-motor drivetrain and an M-specific version of BMW’s Heart of Joy control unit, which manages drivetrain, braking, energy recovery, and steering as a single system.
What is Vision BMW ALPINA?
A one-of-one design study marking BMW’s direction for the ALPINA brand it acquired. It features full-grain Alpine leather, metal surfaces finished using watchmaking techniques, and crystal controls.
How much is the 2027 BMW M3 CS Handschalter?
$107,100 plus $1,350 destination. It makes 473 hp from an M TwinPower Turbo inline-six, drives the rear wheels through a six-speed manual, and sheds roughly 75 pounds through carbon fiber and titanium components. Production began in July 2026 with fall deliveries expected.
What does Handschalter mean?
It is German for manual shifter. BMW applies it to models where the manual gearbox is the defining feature rather than the entry-level option.
Where can I see the M3 anniversary display for free?
Legends of the Autobahn at the Pacific Grove Golf Links on Thursday, August 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Spectator admission is free.
Which M3s are racing at Laguna Seca?
A 1992 E30 M3 DTM driven by Mike Skeen, a 1997 E36 M3 GT2 that won at Daytona and Sebring, a 2004 E46 M3 GTR driven by Bill Auberlen, and a 2011 E92 M3 GT driven by BMW M CEO Frank van Meel. They run Saturday, August 15.
How old is the BMW M3?
Forty years. The original E30 M3 arrived in 1986 as a homologation special built to qualify BMW for touring car racing.
What is the Kith for BMW collaboration?
An ongoing partnership between BMW and the fashion brand Kith. The fourth chapter is presented Saturday evening, August 15, at an invitation-only panel with Kith founder Ronnie Fieg, including bespoke cars he designed and a preview of the 2026 clothing collection.
Can the public see the concept cars?
Yes. The M Concept Neue Klasse is displayed in the Rolex Reunion paddock at Laguna Seca on Friday and Saturday, and both concepts appear on the Pebble Beach Concept Lawn on Sunday, August 16.
Both Directions at Once
BMW is using one week on one peninsula to show a four-motor electric M concept, four decades of racing M3s, and a 473-hp manual sport sedan it will happily sell you in 2027. The company is not resolving the tension between those three things, and it may be right not to try.
The free version of all this is Thursday morning in Pacific Grove, where six generations of M3 sit on a golf course and nobody checks a guest list.
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
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