The Nürburgring belonged to the classics this weekend: the 53rd Oldtimer Grand Prix ran from 7 to 9 August 2026, under title sponsor BELMOT for this edition. The event is organised by AvD-Oldtimer-Grand-Prix GmbH und Co OHG of Frankfurt. For BMW fans, the 2026 edition was all about one anniversary: 40 years of BMW M3.
Update: The weekend has been raced – our post-event report on the 53rd OGP with all BMW results is online.
What was in it for BMW fans
The programme item that belongs here: the “40 Years BMW M3 Drivers Meeting” — four decades after the start of production of the M3 E30 in 1986, its drivers met at the Ring. They were joined by grids in which BMW is traditionally strongly represented: the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft Revival, the CLASS ONE Revival with the last DTM generation, and the “Tourenwagen Golden Era” with DTM cars from the 1990s and 2000s.
The weekend was rounded off by the historic Grand Prix cars of the HGPCA (up to 1965), the Formula Heritage, the Porsche one-make Golden Era cup, the Vintage Sportscar Trophy for pre-war cars up to 1948, historic motorcycles, and the traditional Saturday evening race.
Why this anniversary belongs at the Ring
No car is more closely tied to the history of touring cars at the Nürburgring than the M3 of the E30 model line. Launched in 1986 as a homologation model for Group A, it took titles in the DTM, the Tourenwagen European Championship and the 24-hour races in the Eifel — powered by the high-revving four-cylinder that gave this site its name. We will tell the story of this engine, and the prehistory of the BMW touring car era — from the 3.0 CSL to the 635 CSi — in detail here in the magazine over the coming weeks.
That the Oldtimer Grand Prix gave the M3 its own stage for its fortieth anniversary is fitting in two ways: the Ring was its most important home turf — and remains, to this day, the place where Group A history feels closest.
Keeping an eye on upcoming events
Which classic car events are coming up next — from the Ring to the major shows — we collect continuously in our 2026/2027 events overview.
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Source: oldtimergrandprix.com (programme, as of 8 August 2026). Photo: MOTORSPORT24.
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- Eigenes Foto · MOTORSPORT24