Mecca For Car Fans Bmw Opens Zentrum To Show Off Its Products

Deep in Dixie, where stock cars are revered, Germany’s BMW is opening a monument to its luxury sports cars on the Fourth of July.

BMW’s only U.S. plant is nestled in the heart of South Carolina’s Upstate, where high-tech and international companies are popping up down the highway from barbecue stands.

The South’s car enthusiasts know well the lure of NASCAR and stock car racing, but in response to those thirsty for details about BMW’s sleek sports cars, the company has built itself a gleaming showcase.

The $1 million crescent-shaped Zentrum - German for “center” - opens today.

“It’s come to mean ‘open arms … welcome,”’ communications manager Walt Behnke said of the 30,000-square-foot building. “That’s what its purpose is.”

Herman Leonard of nearby Reidville used to own a race car and said he plans to visit the Zentrum.

The stretch from NASCAR to Formula 2 may be too great to draw a lot of die-hard Southern race fans, but Leonard said car fans in general should be attracted.

In any case, he’s pleased that BMW Manufacturing has moved in. “I think it’s going to do wonders for us,” he said. “Things are really booming in this area right now.”

The displays at the Zentrum offer images that are a long way from Dixie. An elegant oxblood-colored 1930s limousine sits next to the Isetta 300, BMW’s 1950s version of the Volkswagen Beetle.

Modern enthusiasts can feast on the same Z3 James Bond drove in last year’s “GoldenEye” and the not-yet-available Z13, a three-passenger economy car.

The Zentrum is more than just cars. Classic BMW motorcycles, racing cars, aircraft and boat engines are all on exhibit.

Behnke said the center will educate the public about BMW but also serve as a listening post for the company.