Some anniversaries get a press release. This one gets nine entirely new vehicles. BMW M and BMW Motorrad have jointly unveiled the "100 Jahre Nürburgring" collection — six high-performance cars and three motorcycles, each limited to 100 units worldwide, marking a full century since Germany's most demanding racetrack first opened.
The Nürburgring's Nordschleife circuit opened on June 18, 1927. BMW Motorrad claimed its first victory there that same year, giving the brand a genuine century-long relationship with the track to draw on for this collection, rather than a manufactured marketing tie-in.
The Motorcycle Side of the Collection
BMW Motorrad's contribution spans the M 1000 RR, M 1000 R, and M 1000 XR — the brand's most track-focused performance motorcycles. Each gets a Nürburgring Green paint scheme developed exclusively for this edition, a Nordschleife silhouette painted directly onto the fuel tank, and an anniversary-specific airbox cover design carrying an individually numbered "one of 100" marking.
Standard equipment across all three motorcycles includes the M Track Package, carbon wheels finished in Nürburgring green graphics, a black rear swingarm and rear frame, and an Alcantara-style seat with "100" embroidery stitched directly into it. The M 1000 RR and M 1000 R additionally come with an M Cover Kit, while the full package across all three bikes includes an exclusive "100 Jahre Nürburgring" motorcycle mat and a rear paddock stand — accessories aimed squarely at collectors who'll display these as much as ride them.
Why the Motorcycles Matter More Than a Standard Special Edition
Here's what separates this from a typical anniversary paint job. BMW's M 1000 RR is a genuine WorldSBK and FIM Endurance World Championship-proven superbike platform — its aerodynamics and engine are developed for actual competitive racing, not just road use dressed up in racing colours. Building an anniversary edition around a motorcycle with that level of motorsport pedigree gives the "100 Jahre Nürburgring" branding real substance, rather than applying celebratory graphics to a purely road-going model with no competition lineage.
The Car Side: Six M Models, Different Rollout Timing
On the automotive side, the collection includes the M2, M3 Sedan, M3 Touring, M4 Coupé, M5 Sedan, and M5 Touring — BMW's current high-performance lineup, spanning compact, sedan, wagon, and coupe body styles. The design language stays consistent across the full nine-vehicle collection: Nürburgring Green as the unifying colour theme, the circuit's silhouette, "Nürburgring since 1927" lettering, and a "100 Years" anniversary logo appearing across both the cars and motorcycles.
Rollout timing differs meaningfully between models. The M3 Sedan, M3 Touring, M4 Coupé, M5 Sedan, and M5 Touring editions become available to order starting September 2026, while the M2 edition follows separately in January 2027 — a staggered release rather than all six cars launching simultaneously.
What BMW's Leadership Said About the Collection
Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW Motorrad, framed the anniversary in terms of genuine heritage rather than marketing opportunism: "The Nordschleife has been part of the DNA of our M models for years. With our special models for the 100th anniversary of the Nürburgring, we pay tribute to a place that has made motorsport history and, to this day, shapes the connection between racetrack and road like no other."
Frank van Meel, CEO of BMW M, echoed that sentiment from the automotive side, calling the Nürburgring "much more than just a racetrack" for the M division — describing it as "a second home," given that all of BMW M's production vehicles undergo testing on the Nordschleife specifically.
Why the Nordschleife Still Matters This Much
The Nordschleife's reputation as one of motorsport's most demanding circuits comes down to genuinely difficult numbers: 20.8km in length, 73 corners, and significant elevation changes throughout — a layout that's earned it the nickname "Green Hell" among drivers and riders. That combination of length and technical difficulty has made it the industry-standard proving ground for high-performance vehicle development for decades, not just for BMW but across the entire automotive and motorcycle industry.
Pricing and Availability
BMW hasn't announced pricing or ordering details for the three motorcycle editions yet, stating that information will be released separately. For context on where these will likely land, the standard (non-anniversary) UK pricing for the underlying models runs from roughly £28,700 for the M 1000 R up to £43,000 for the M 1000 RR — figures that give a rough sense of the base cost before whatever premium the limited-edition treatment adds.
Why This Collection Is Genuinely Rare
Anniversary editions tied to a specific racetrack are common enough in the industry, but a joint car-and-motorcycle collection spanning nine distinct models, each capped at exactly 100 units globally, represents a considerably larger coordinated effort than most manufacturers attempt for a single celebratory moment. For collectors and BMW enthusiasts specifically, that scarcity — combined with the genuine century-long historical connection between BMW and the Nürburgring — makes this less a marketing exercise and more a formal acknowledgment of one of the automotive industry's longest-running manufacturer-track relationships.
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