2016 Monterey Car Week through JZG's lens

[John Z Goriup]

I'm done........and yet I'm not entirely done.

The last set of seven images from the concept field.

All that's left after this is to process several sets of BMW motorcycle photos, make heads and tails out of the various images, figure out what detail shots go with which bike, get the descriptions right and then post them, but that'll just have to wait for a few days until I catch up with a ton of things I've neglected while I worked on this package.

Thank you all for logging on and looking, and thank you especially for all the kind words. I may bitch and moan about the hard work and long hours at the computer, but in all honesty, it's still fun, I believe it's worth doing and I genuinely enjoy doing it.

See you soon,

John Z. Goriup

[72targa]

What a show! Thanks John!

[Gburner]

I'm done........and yet I'm not entirely done.

Many of the owners of the cars you snapped may feel the same way.
Thank you for capturing the events.

Anyone know? What is the featured marque for 2017 Reunion?

[928cs]

Thank you very much, John!

[John Z Goriup]

Finishing my 2016 Monterey Car Week presentation, we can now turn to the final remaining open segment, the BMW Motorcycles, which were part of the BMW Centenary Celebration.

There was a relatively small - eleven bikes in total - but managable & impressive number of the rarest and most significant BMW two-wheelers presented, from the earliest to modern examples - and I will be featuring only one bike per post, even though that will result in small, odd-numbered lots of images of any one machine, but it will be a sure way to avoid mixing out-of-sequence images of two or three bikes in one set and confusion. I am not sorting these exhibits by age, prestige, rarity or any other parameter I may have arbitrarily chosen, rather, in random order. I further will not be adding any of my usual personal commentary, instead I will be quoting the Concours Guide Book verbatim with the description, since my knowledge of BMW bikes is much too limited.

The first set of 6 photos shows a 1934 BMW R7 Concept Motorcycle from the BMW Classic Group.

" Channel-section pressed steel was the preferred material for motorcycle frames by German manufacturers such as BMW, DKW and Zündapp in the 1930s. But Alfred Böning took things one step further when he developed a possible new top-of-the-range model for BMW, he chose to use a monocoque steel structure, with a new engine designed by Leonhard Ischinger bolted underneath it. The bike's super-stylish Art Deco appearance surely would have caused a sensation but the project was canceled after the first road tests for various reasons - not least financial ones. "

[John Z Goriup]

This next machine is a 1927 BMW R42 Motorcycle.

" The R42, produced by BMW from 1925 to 1928, had an additional 3.5 horsepower and was also more efficient so it offered slightly improved performance over that of its predecessors. Stylistically, the R42 is a wonderful example of the impact of the Art Deco era on motorcycle design. The R42 has very sporty appearance, with new straight front tubes, the engine mounted further back in the frame and revised fenders. This example of the R42 has the iconic flat tank design that is typical of BMW motorcycles of the 1920s and it includes all of the options available from the factory. It has just been restored in Germany. "

[John Z Goriup]

Next up......a 1954 BMW Rennsport.

" The BMW RS54 was BMWs Grand Prix racer during the second half of the 1950s. BMW built 25 of these racers and delivered each one with an extra engine. The racing engine is a twin overhead cam design as opposed to BMWs pushrod street engines.The Rennsports were not very successful as solo racers because of the width of the horizontally opposed cylinders, which required the engine to be mounted up high in the frame to allow for clearance when leaning. But this configuration was an asset for sidecar racing where the engine could be mounted low in the frame. Most of the RS54 Rennsports were converted to sidecar machines and were hugely successful, winning the World Sidecar Championships from 1954 to 1974. This 1954 Rennsport is unique. It is the only one exported initially to the United States where no sidecar racing was taking place. After being raced by Kurt Liebman, it was aquired by World Champion motorcycle rider John Surtees of England. The current owner bought it in 2001. "

[John Z Goriup]

This example is a 1974 BMW R90S.

" The BMW R90S, designed by Hans A. Muth is considered to be the motorcycle that changed BMW's image of a manufacturer of conservative touring motorcycles to that of a builder of high-performance sporting motorcycles. They were produced between 1974 and 1976 with a total production run of 17,378 machines. The engine is a 900-cc, horizontally opposed twin cylinder, twin-valve unit, giving the bike a top speed of 125mph. Each bike was assembled by one technician at BMW's Spandau factory. This example is a one-owner machine with just 14,000 miles on the clock. It has never been restored and it retains its original hand-painted and air-brushed silver-smoke paint. "

[John Z Goriup]

The next bike, this 1925 BMW R37 Motorcycle took home the 'Best of Show' Trophy in the motorcycle portion of the Concours.

" The R37, built only in 1925 and 1926, is the rarest of BMW's production racing bikes. All of the 152 R37s were based on the R32, but all of the road equipment was removed and they were fitted with a 494-cc engine with overhead valves and a new aluminum cylinder head, effectively doubling the R32's power. Competition and reliability were very important to BMW, and the R37 was successfully campaigned on race and track as well as off-road throughout the mid-1920s. In all, the R37 won 91 European races in 1925, 106 in 1926 and 171 in 1927. This example, number 139 of the 152 produced, is believed to be the only R37 still in its period racing-trim. ".

[John Z Goriup]

This set will show a 1967 BMW R69S with 1952 Steib S500 Sidecar.

Between 1955 and 1969 over 15,000 of the 594-cc shaft-drive, opposed-twin R69 motorcycles were built, including the later and more powerful R69S. This example was originally built as a solo machine but has since been fitted with a 1952 Steib S500 sidecar. The sidecar was originally attached to another motorcycle used by the New York Times as a press vehicle during Nikita Krushchev's visit to Iowa in September 1959. This BMW R69S motorcycle combination features several desirable and unique period-correct fittings, including a sports fuel tank, a triple-gauge Rauch headlight and a Hella Mirror Sport Light. Both the motorcycle and the sidecar received a complete nut and bolt restoration in 2013 ".