The Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) Museum is designed to drool. A trip to the museum is sure to make you swivel your head
Officially opened on 18th May 1973, this silver-grey bowl structure was built by the Viennese architect Professor Karl Schwanzer; it was redeveloped in 2004 and finally reopened in 2008. The permanent exhibition is located in a low-rise building, which was connected to the ‘Museum Bowl’ during the reconstruction work. Divided into seven thematic blocks, the museum is spread over an area of 5,000 sq m. The exhibition area comprises more than 120 original exhibits from over 90 years of the company’s history. Presenting the seven awe-inspiring Houses of BMW...
House of Design
Inside the Inspiration Room
The first room, titled ‘Inspiration’, sets the scene for the brand, the museum and the design. Once you step in, feast your eyes on the silver balls, which take several shapes and forms to showcase different BMW car models. The design process is presented in the section titled ‘Studio’, where prototypes are used to explain the design and mechanics of building premier vehicles. Next, stop by the section, ‘Treasury’, to gaze at some of the most-expensive and uniquely designed cars and bikes, which are on display.
House of The Company
One of the first automobiles
This section is focussed on the company's history, which is displayed in three rooms—'First Steps', which presents the journey of BMW's success which began with the first aircraft enginein 1916, the firts motorcycle in 1923 and the first automobile in 1928. 'Aspects' documents the people, who play a key role for the BMW group in and around the company. 'Compnay Sculpture', a sculpture in the 'Chronology' area presents an interactive 'Journey Through Time' showing the company history.
House of The Motorcycle
1929 BMW R63
Here you can catch the highlights of motorcycle production, which can be traced to more than 80 years. Don’t miss the large number of exhibits, including those used by the police and others used at the time of war, which describe the development of the BMW motorcycle, in Munich (1923-1969) and Berlin-Spandau (1969-today). You can also catch sight of the most important innovations in motorcycle construction from the 1920s up to today.
House of The Series
M Series models
BMW car models have been identifiable since the 1960s by a combination of numbers and letters on the boot lid or tailgate. BMW cars were designated in a way so as to indicate the model line to which they belonged: BMW 3 Series indicated midsize cars, 5 Series indicated the upper midsize category, 6 for the large coupés and 7 for luxury cars. Later Z, X and M models were added to convey the character of the BMW car and the size of the engine. Since the 1970s, BMW has marketed extraordinary sports cars for road use with the M models. The trademark M of this segment also appeared on coupes, convertibles, saloons and touring models. During the 1970s, BMW introduced the type designation that continues to be used today.
House of The Brand
The Lovable Bubble Car
This section focuses on the brand as reflected in advertising and the relationship between the customers and their cars. The exhibition ‘Encounters’, highlights the link between customers and their BMW vehicles as well as their memories. On display here, is the Isetta or ‘The lovable bubble car’, a one-door car, which as the placard describes “was a motorcyclist’s dream of a simple ‘driving machine’ that nonetheless provided full weather protection”, and the BMW 2002 TI, which could reach 100km/hr from a standing start in 9.1 seconds making it one of the fastest cars in its class. Photographs of the two cars used at weddings, long trips and more capture how these cars have conquered people’s hearts with their striking character and the spirit of the times.
House of Motor Sports
BMW328 Kamm Racing Saloon
This part of the museum showcases the major, unforgettable successes of BMW through exhibits, trophies and display of cars, the victory trophy by the BMW 328, which is not only the best-looking, but also one of the most important sports cars of the 1930s; the commitment to Formula 1 (24th April 1980); the racing heritage of BMW motorcycles and BMW touring cars.
House of Technology
Lightweight Construction principle in application
In this section, you can find themes like ‘Lightweight Construction’, where the first lightweight design principles were used and then applied to later products like cars. Today, intelligent lightweight construction makes a key contribution to technology leadership for the BMW brand. The ‘Engines’ exhibition boasts aircraft engines, boat engines, the inline six-cylinder engine as a typical BMW power unit and more. The third exhibition area is dedicated to aerodynamics, which plays a key role in handling, design and consumption in the development of BMW automobiles.
Also Watch Out For
1995 BMW Z3
Among the impressive cars is the 1995 BMW Z3, which gained popularity as the ‘company car’ of secret agent James Bond in the film Goldeneye; the BMW 328, of which only 403 cars were built to standard roadgoing specifications, the BMW 335, the company’s first luxury saloon and the BMW 327/28, the most elegant car to leave the Eisenach factory, before the Second World War and one of the fastest cars of its day on Germany’s new autobahn motorways.
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