BMW to mark 50 years of its M division at Goodwood Festival of Speed

As part of celebrations to mark 50 years of BMW’s ‘M’ performance division, the brand will be displayed prominently at this summer’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. 

The German firm is now a regular at the four-day motorsport event, held at the Goodwood estate near Chichester in Sussex, but this year BMW will feature on the main stage as the brand is celebrated on the renowned ‘Central Feature’ in front of the Goodwood House.

This is one of the core features at every Festival of Speed – and has been since 2016 – with a different manufacturer in control of the statue each year. Lotus had the position last year, while Aston Martins were on show in 2019. 

Goodwood says that this year’s sculpture ‘will pay homage to five decades of the division and showcase some of its most iconic models’, with models such as the original M1 supercar and well-renowned M3 likely to be on display.

The Duke of Richmond, who is in charge of the Goodwood Estate, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating 50 years of BMW’s hugely successful Motorsport division at this year’s Festival of Speed.

“BMW M’s success can of course be attributed to half a century of innovation and we look forward to honouring the marque’s past, present and future achievements at Goodwood in June.”

BMW is yet to announce full details about its presence at this year’s event, which takes place between June 23 and 26. However, it’s thought the long-awaited M3 Touring is set to make its debut there, something the firm says it’s been ‘waiting a long time for’. A more hardcore version of the M4 – the CSL – will also be on show, following its unveil a month earlier.