BMW Car Club of America

History and structure

The BMW CCA was founded in Boston in 1969 as an owner-support network and operates independently from BMW AG and its North American subsidiary, though it maintains a close working relationship that includes discounts on vehicles and parts for members. The club is a not-for-profit corporation governed by an elected board of directors that meets quarterly, with five Regional Vice Presidents on the board representing chapter interests. Each chapter is an independent corporation chartered by BMW CCA and operates under minimum service standards; all chapters are geographically based except the E30 and E31 model-specific chapters.

The club's headquarters moved from Boston to Cambridge, Massachusetts, then to Greenville, South Carolina, and currently resides in Greer, South Carolina. The Foundation operates a car museum and archive building adjacent to the BMW Manufacturing Plant and BMW Performance Center in Greer. Street Survival teaches young drivers aged 15–21 emergency and accident avoidance training in their own cars; since 2002, over 1,000 schools have been conducted in the United States and Canada.

Publications

The club's national monthly magazine is Roundel, which covers BMW history, model reviews, modification and maintenance articles, club race coverage, and columns by notable authors, racing drivers, and club officials. Local chapters publish newsletters for upcoming events. BimmerLife is the public-facing online news site featuring BMW community stories, news, motorsports, and events, with recurring columns such as The Hack Mechanic by Rob Siegel.

National programs

Each year the club hosts Oktoberfest, a week-long national gathering that includes non-speed competitive driving events, technical sessions, vendor displays, and social activities. The first Oktoberfest was held in 1970 in Concord, Massachusetts, and the event has been held annually since, with locations including Concord, Washington D.C., Virginia Beach, Atlantic City, Monterey, Orlando, Keystone, and Greenville, among others. The BMW CCA also organizes the BMW CCA Club Racing series, one of the largest single-marque amateur racing series in the United States. Begun in 1995, it has grown to nearly 50 races annually, organized by region, with more than a dozen classes for different models and modification levels.