Since I had to be in Munich for work, it was the perfect opportunity to finally visit the BMW Museum.
If you ever find yourself in Munich, be sure to take some time to visit the city; it’s more than worth it. Stop at a terrace and try one of the local specialities called obazda.
BMW Welt
The BMW Museum is actually connected to BMW Welt. While you have to pay to enter the museum, BMW Welt is free to visit. You can think of this building as a giant showroom for the brand.
You will also find a section dedicated to both Mini and motorcycles. There are even a number of classic Minis on display.
BMW Motorrad
Almost every engine from the current range is on display.
Rolls-Royce
Most people know this, but I didn’t expect to see it here. BMW has owned the prestigious Rolls Royce brand for many years. Two models were on display and there is a separate area where Rolls Royce customers can be welcomed in peace and quiet.
BMW Museum
I would like to clear up a misconception right away. Before visiting the museum, I had heard here and there that it was small and not really worth the effort. With this article, I really want to prove the opposite. The museum is more than worth a visit!
Above you can see one of the more beautiful pre-war BMW models, the 328 Touring Coupe Superleggera from 1939. It is an exceptionally beautiful replica that we saw earlier at Techno Classica.
Upon entering the museum, you walk past the various segments in which BMW was once active. The first car you encounter is this Dixie BMW. When BMW took over the manufacturer Dixi from Eisenach in 1928, this was the first car to bear the BMW logo.
The actual start was in 1913, when Karl Friedrich Rapp founded a factory for aircraft engines under the name Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke. In 1922, this factory was taken over by Bayerische Motoren Werke, or BMW, which had been founded in 1916. The official start date of the brand is therefore considered to be March 1916. After the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles prohibited German companies from building aircraft. This was one of the reasons why BMW bought the Dixie factory.
However, even before BMW started producing cars, they began building engines in 1923. The R32 was the first model and was developed by Max Fritz. This engine was already equipped with a boxer engine, which remains the most important feature of BMW engines to this day.
A huge display case takes you on a journey through the history of BMW motorcycles. Each motorcycle is accompanied by a brief description highlighting its most important features.
You will then enter a room where the evolution of the chassis is explained.
The 1939 328 Touring Coupe Superleggera is the first gem you encounter. The car turns out to be a replica, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.
BMW F1
BMW’s brief F1 adventure is also on display. They embarked on this adventure after acquiring Sauber in 2006, but withdrew in 2009 without any notable successes.
BMW Motoren
This is followed by a long corridor lined with a considerable number of engines. These range from the V10 F1 engine to a large number of other competition engines, ending with aircraft engines and even a jet engine.
This radial engine undoubtedly steals the show. The nine-cylinder engine is derived from the Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet. BMW significantly improved the engine in 1933, resulting in a 27.7-litre engine with an output of 725 hp, later even reaching 1200 hp. The engine was most commonly used in the Junkers JU52.
Convertibles
We pass another BMW 328 flanked by a 502 and, in the background, a beautiful 327 convertible.
In the same room, we also found this stunning prototype of an 8 Series. Like the one-off BMW M8, it never went into production. In the background, we can see the equally beautiful Z8. Both convertibles were only produced in small numbers. A total of 30,621 BMW 8 Series were produced over a period of ten years. The BMW Z8 was produced in a period of six years, with a total of 5,703 units.
5 series
For most car manufacturers, there are only a few models that really bring in the cash. BMW is no different; it is the three and five series that generate the revenue. One series may sell well in terms of numbers, but the margins are too small, and the 7 and 8 series do not achieve sufficient production volumes to really earn a lot of money.
It was therefore interesting to see the entire line-up from the first to the most recent five series side by side. Quite impressive to see that they have been making this series for 53 years.
BMW Motorsport
BMW is one of the brands that has always been involved in motorsport in one way or another.
Above you can see the BMW 3.0 CSL in IMSA livery with a BMW M3 Group A DTM 2.3 in the background.
The Jagermeister models are always beautiful to see. Here is a 1979 BMW 320 Group 5. At the time, BMW managed to get no less than 450 hp at 9000 rpm from an engine with a displacement of only 1422 cc.
The BMW M3 GTR “Most Wanted” shown above was built to celebrate the 30th anniversary of EA games Need For Speed. The car was built by BMW M in 2001 and is a 100% authentic version of what is perhaps one of the most famous virtual racing cars in the world. This M3 is based on the BMW M3 E46 and was developed by the M Motorsport department for the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
M1
One of the BMWs that most captures the imagination is undoubtedly the M1.
The BMW M1 was the first car developed by the former BMW Motorsport GmbH division. For its time, it was a super sports car with a mid-engine. The 3.5-litre inline 6-cylinder engine delivered 278 hp in the road-going version and reached a top speed of over 260 km/h. Production ran from 1979 to 1981, and only 460 units were built by hand.
Elvis Presley’s BMW 507
One of the highlights of the museum is undoubtedly Elvis Presley’s BMW 507. Elvis bought the 507 in 1958 while he was serving in the military in Germany. The car was second-hand and had previously been used by Hans Stuck to compete in a hill climb race, which he won. Only 254 BMW 507s were produced between 1956 and 1959.
A vintage microphone has been set up in front of Elvis’ BMW 507. As I’m standing there looking at the car, a young guy suddenly jumps behind the microphone and starts singing. I thought it was quite fitting.
We conclude our museum visit at the BMW Hydrogen car. Back in 1979, BMW converted an old 5 Series (built in 1975) to run on hydrogen. Above, we see the chassis with the various tanks of a BMW 7 Hydrogen.
In May 2000, we saw the first series-built hydrogen-powered 7 Series cars on the streets of Berlin during the Expo 2000 event.
Conclusie
Visiting the BMW Museum had been on our to-do list for a long time. By chance, I had to be in Munich for work, so a visit was almost inevitable.
However, both the museum and the city of Munich are well worth a visit in their own right. So don’t let anything stop you from taking a trip to Munich.
