Since its opening, it has been a must for many car enthusiasts: the BMW Museum in Munich, which opened in 1973 and was thoroughly renovated from 2004-2008. In Munich, enthusiasts with a heart for contemporary BMW and the history of the Bavarian brand can enjoy a day in the shadow of the cylindrical BMW headquarters and under the smoke of BMW Werk München.
We start at BMW Welt. It houses the contemporary model series of all brands housed in the BMW Group. It is impressive to tour the futuristic and spacious building. The new 8-series, for example, passes by, but we also see impressive Rolls Royce copies, a slick Mini department and the most up-to-date engine range. And of course we also see various other current models from the BMW Group. It is also the place where customers receive their new BMW, under the watchful eye of various interested parties. A pretty face.
Promising start of tour
But the main goal is our visit to the BMW Museum. And the time travel actually starts with the BMW 3/15, the first car to bear the BMW logo. The Dixi is followed by BMW's first motorcycle, the R32. This is displayed to the public in a colorful way. The beginning is there, and that's enough to make you rubbing your hands looking forward to the sequel.
Multiple fixed themes
You will be guided along a set route along beautiful BMW heritage. In the Flachbau section of the museum, this is done via seven themed houses. There the topics design, company, two-wheelers, technology, sports, brand and series are discussed. Within these topics you will come across sub-themes. An example of this is Das Haus der Technik, which includes an overview of power sources and attention to lightweight constructions. The power source overview is a nice cross section of engines for series and competition models from BMW, but we also see impressive aircraft engines, for example. That is not surprising, because in 1916 the history of BMW started with that. And the Haus der Baureihe shows, among other things, a number of 3-series models, preceded by the patriarch of the bunch: the 1600-2.
Part of the sixties :missing link
In 2020, the BMW Museum expanded the permanent exhibitions with a black page from history: the period of forced labor during the Second World War. But during our visit, the years in which BMW regained color seem to have been forgotten. We search in vain for the Neue Klasse, 700, 2000 CS, 1600 GT and the E3, just like the wonderful Bertone 3200 CS . The absence of these cars is a loss. Later we learn that BMW also changes from time to time within the permanent exhibition. And that some themes will return or have already been shown within a temporary exhibition.
Beautiful showpieces
Yet there is more than enough to see, the glass in Munich is more than half full. The heritage that those responsible exhibit during our visit, yes, that is impressive. And as far as we're concerned, the BMW 328 (which was used in the Mille Miglia in 1940), BMW's first motorcycle (the R32) and the BMW 2002 Turbo stand out during our visit.
Sonderausstellung: 50 Jahre M-Gmbh
And speaking of the latter: the 2002 Turbo, together with the BMW 3.0 CSL, opened the temporary exhibition dedicated to 50 years of BMW M GmbH. We were in the museum during the last weekend of this exhibition. The journey through the fifty-year M history took place via a route line laid out in the M colours. This led visitors from history to the present, including the BMW E30 M3, the first 5-series with M specifications (M535i), the first BMW M5 (E12) and the BMW M1. In total, the already past exhibition consisted of more than twenty copies, which provided a fascinating spectacle.
Various themes in dish.
In the round building (the saucer) you can see a number of other themes. Nice: the Isetta headlights regularly return as design tricks. In this part of the museum you will also see a clear vision of the future of the Bavarian concern. This section of the BMW Museum also offers space for temporary (smaller) exhibitions. For example, Elvis's BMW 507 was on display there a few years ago. The image of a beautiful experience lasts, with the minus point being the absence of a number of sixties models. If you want to see even more Bavarian heritage, you can plan a tour at BMW Group Classic. This is located in a different location than the museum, at 66 Moosacher Strasse in Munich.
Apparently the displayed collection is sometimes changed. I was there in 2017 and then there was a 3200CS. The E3, in the form of the 3.3Li, was lined up together with a 3200 V8 Barockengel and a 733i at the exit. The 1500 was there 2 times including an overview of the 5 series. Afterwards we walked to the building where BMW classic is located. At the time they were still working on the renovation. There were already several Isetta's, 600 and 700's.
The BMW R90S, in the most beautiful color, Daytona Orange.
And parts, can you also get them from the museum? Or make your own ;)
Been there in 2019. Recommended .. even though it was being renovated at the time.