BMW & Bretzels Cruise-In Takes Over Petersen Automotive Museum

For BMW fans, the Petersen Automotive Museum was the ultimate place to be as it turned into a veritable Disney World for the brand.

Right in the heart of Southern California – the birthplace of American automotive culture, arguably – lies the Petersen Automotive Museum, a place that any gearhead worth their salt has to visit at least once in their lifetime.

The Petersen is truly a Disney World of sorts for car people of all kinds, offering up rotating displays of all kinds of concepts, production vehicles, and some of the rarest and coolest machines to ever grace this earth. Recently, those offerings included many from the world of BMW.

That’s because the Petersen Automotive Museum played host to the BMW & Bretzels Cruise-In, a collaboration between BMW North America itself and Hagerty’s RADWood.

There were plenty of notable names on hand to celebrate this special occasion, including the winningest BMW racer on the planet – Bill Auberlen – and Tom Plucinsky, head of BMW Group Classic USA, who joined for a fascinating fireside chat.

RADwood brought along eight iconic BMW models from the glory days of the ’80s and ’90s, joined by hundreds of other models from the German manufacturer – both of the two- and four-wheel variety.

Spectators were able to check out all the action for free, and even score a pretzel and a coffee, while others that ponied up $25 got a ticket to the museum as well. Those that wanted to enter the show itself could get all that, plus a poster, for $36.

For a BMW fan, it’s hard to imagine a better way to spend a few bucks with that, as we here at 6SpeedOnline can attest to, since we were able to attend the BMW & Bretzels Cruise-In ourselves. The Petersen’s picturesque parking structure was loaded with Bimmers of all ages and types, including some incredible rare and historic rides.

Truthfully, it was a bit overwhelming at first, and difficult to figure out which way to go – but once we settled in, it was clear that this was the place to be for BMW fans, in general.

Ultimately, more than 200 models populated the Petersen’s roof, going far beyond the typical cars and coffee sort of meet, in spite of its general theme. Seats for the fireside chat with Auberlen and Plucinsky were full from the get-go, and it proved to be worth the wait, as both provided some fascinating commentary and lots of memories from a man who racked up 65 IMSA wins in his historic career.

Overall, it was an incredible and memorable event for BMW fans and automotive enthusiasts in general, and we certainly can’t wait to see what the Petersen has in store for its next such outing.

Photos for 6SpeedOnline by Editor Derin Richardson

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.
Foote has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles and every other type of automobile, Foote had spent several years running parts for local dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.