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BMW
AG Germany
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For a BMW enthusiast, the BMW AG Museum in Munich is one of the highlights of
a visit to Germany.
Since its
opening in 1973, the BMW Museum has been a place that documents the history of
BMW AG and places it in the context of the present and future. The stated aim of
the museum is to fascinate visitors with exciting topics about mobility,
communication and society.
BMW is eight decades of innovation, power, quality, consciousness and motivation.
As a company, BMW does not just stand by its history, but deliberately preserves it as a vital element of its identity.
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Located next to the 1972 Olympic village in Munich,
the BMW Museum building is shaped like a mushroom and has a spiral ramp that winds its way up to the top. |
Each area along the way is filled with race and prototype cars along with video presentations available in different languages to explain BMW's philosophies and technical accomplishments.
 Take a virtual tour of the BMW museum!
These links
contain QuickTime videos that allow you to travel around each of the
floors in the museum. Requires a browser with the QuickTime plug-in.
Movies made in 1999.
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BMW
Zentrum USA
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The
BMW Zentrum is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the United States home for assembling the
BMW Z3 roadster and the BMW
X5 SAV.
Zentrum showcases the engineering excellence that has always been the hallmark of BMW.
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The architecture of the
Zentrum is a crescent shaped, floor-to- ceiling glass building.
The
facilities feature a 15-minute, high-tech video on the production of
an automobile, as well as numerous displays that illustrate BMW's rich
heritage in aircraft, motorcycles and automobiles. Exhibits feature
unique prototypes, design concepts and kinetic art cars. |
The display of BMW's involvement in automotive history is presented in small but informative doses.
BMW's involvement in the development of motorcycle, aircraft and automotive powerplants is
arranged in a chronological fashion.
The centerpiece of the visit is the 15 minute virtual factory tour of the production assembly line of the Z3
roadster and X5 SAV. The three screen movie theater is strategically placed so that upon exiting the area you walk
directly to fully assembled vehicles.
The original Z3 (chassis 001)
from the James Bond movie Golden Eye that Pierce Brosnan
drove is proudly displayed along with the license plate "007."
The BMW engine display
chronicles BMW engines from the past. Each powerplant is displayed with the intended purpose as well the designer's history and
the evolutionary progress of the powerplant.
Directions
and Tour Info
The BMW Zentrum is located at 1400 Highway 101 South and Interstate 85 in Greer, S.C. on the grounds of the BMW Assembly Plant. To reach the museum traveling either north or south through South Carolina on Interstate 85, take Exit 60 and follow the signs to the main plant entrance. The building is visible from the interstate if you are approaching it from the south.
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Links
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AutoMuseum
has a listing of
automotive museums. Click
here for a listing of German auto museums. By the way, the BMW 7 Series
is AutoMuseum's Luxury Car of the Year for 2000.
Blackhawk Automotive Museum,
in the San Francisco area, preserves and displays historically significant
and artistically inspired automobiles, automotive art and related
artifacts from the very earliest to the contemporary for public enjoyment
and educational enrichment. Over 120 cars.
Founded in 1903, the
Deutsches Museum is the national museum of Germany with displays from natural science and technology.
Click
here for the motor vehicles page. BMW's on display include:
- BMW DA 2 Kleinwagen Fahrwerk
(1931)
- BMW 328 Wendler-Stromliniencoupé
(1938)
- BMW Isetta 250 Kleinwagen Fahrwerk
(1956)
- BMW 501 V8 Fahrwerk
(1956)
- BMW 520 Crash-Testwagen
(1972)
- BMW 320 i im Montagezustand
(1986)
- BMW 325 iX Allrad im Montagezustand
(1986)
Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, the USA's largest
indoor/outdoor museum complex, was founded by Henry Ford in 1929 in
Dearborn, Michigan. The museum provides unique educational experiences based on authentic objects,
stories, and lives from America's traditions of ingenuity,
resourcefulness, and innovation. Even has a few bimmers!
Petersen
Automotive Museum in L.A.
features a slide show of the 1957 BMW
507 styled by noted industrial designer Raymond Loewy and donated to
the museum by Mr. Loewy in 1962.
Svedino's Automobile and Aviation Museum
is one of the biggest collections
in Europe of vintage cars and aircraft. The collection comprises around
140 cars, 30 aircraft, motorcycles, engines etc.
Toyota Automobile Museum exhibits one hundred years of
automobile development (mainly involving the history of practical cars) from the late 19th century when the gasoline automobile was invented.
European cars are on the second floor.
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