Autoblog

The List #0414: Buy A Car For European Delivery

John Neff — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:57:00 EST

Let's face it, the dealership experience when buying a new car is not very special. But when you're handing over serious stacks of cash for a car that you've dreamed of owning, the occasion calls for something more than a free car wash before you drive off the lot. That's where something like the European Delivery program offered by BMW comes in. Instead of picking up your new M3 at the local dealer, BMW builds it in Munich and has it waiting for you to come get it. And while you're there, why not tour the factory where your car was built, visit the BMW Museum and world headquarters, and then go off on your own and explore what Germany has to offer a new BMW owner. And did we mention you actually save money by taking possession of your BMW this way?

Taking an international pilgrimage to pick up your new car is an experience that easily makes The List, so we sent Jessi and Patrick to Germany to walk us through what it's like for a new owner who goes this route, including the special treatment and various places one gets to go during the visit to BMW's campus in Munich.

The experience also afforded Jessi and Patrick the opportunity to complete a couple of other items on The List that could only be done in Germany. Can you guess which two they chose? What would be on your German edition of The List? If you haven't already guessed, you'll find out when we publish the next two episodes in the coming weeks.

Scroll down to watch The List #0414: Buy A Car For European Delivery.

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Click here to learn more about our hosts, Jessi and Patrick.

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The List #0414: Buy A Car For European Delivery originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW highlights factory tour experience in Munich

Noah Joseph — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:59:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, BMW

Like other European automakers, BMW is keen to welcome visitors at its headquarters in Munich, and you don't even have to buy a car to see it.

The Bavarian automaker's principal visitors center is BMW Welt, a dynamic attraction that has welcomed some two million visitors every year since opening in 2007. BMW Welt (from the German for "world") includes a delivery center where as many as 100 new customers pick up their new cars every day, as well as interactive exhibits showcasing the company's operations in R&D, design and production, as well as concert venues and conference rooms and even a Junior Campus for younger guests.

Visitors to BMW Welt can also stop by the neighboring BMW Museum to check out the 120 original exhibits covering 90 years of BMW history laid out on a virtual roadway across 25 exhibition areas that some 400,000 visitors see each year. Finally, visitors can also tour the company's main plant in Munich where BMW produces the 3 Series sedan and wagon as well as the bulk of its engines.

Planning a trip to Germany sometime soon? Follow the jump to read more in the full press release and scope out the enormous gallery of high-res images for an idea of what to expect.

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BMW highlights factory tour experience in Munich originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bonhams auctions one-of-a-kind Bertone Spicup concept at BMW Museum

Noah Joseph — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:29:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Classics, Auctions, BMW

It's not every day that concept cars go up for grabs. The automakers and design studios that craft them typically hold on to their show cars for posterity, putting them away in archives that we'd imagine resemble the end scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark or else putting them in their own museums for visitors to their headquarters to see. That's what makes this particular item such a rare opportunity.

Bertone unveiled this BMW Spicup concept at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show. But unlike some of today's concept cars, this one was actually made to be driven, taking its chassis from a BMW 2000 CS, complete with its 2.5-liter inline-six engine. Sometime after the show, it was acquired by a Dutch individual who drove it regularly, but then the car disappeared into obscurity for a couple of decades.

Now restored to concours condition, the Spicup concept has been showcased at Villa d'Este and at the BMW Museum in Munich. That's where Bonhams just auctioned it off at its POWER by BMW event, where it sold for a high bid of €460,000 (~$600k). Other highlights of the event included a Le Mans and Spa-winning '75 3.0 CSL (est. €350,000/$460k), a '79 M1 Pro-Car (€500k/$660k), a '37 328 Roadster (€500k/$660k) and even a BMW-powered Abbatte wooden speedboat (€150k/$200k).

Follow the jump for more info on the Spicup show car, head over to this link for more on the POWER by BMW event and check out the high-resolution images in our gallery for a closer look.

Continue reading Bonhams auctions one-of-a-kind Bertone Spicup concept at BMW Museum

Bonhams auctions one-of-a-kind Bertone Spicup concept at BMW Museum originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A behind-the-scenes look inside the BMW Classic warehouse

Michael Harley — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Classics, Europe, BMW

BMW Classic in Munich - Click above for high-res image gallery

Located just a short distance from the BMW Museum and Welt (famous as the company's European delivery center) in Munich, Germany, is BMW Classic. According to the German automaker, "BMW Classic coordinates all activities that are connected with the company's varied and successful history covering everything from the historical archives, assortment of aeroplanes, communication, the museum and BMW's role in the international club scene." In a nutshell, BMW Classic is tasked with archiving, restoring and preserving the company's ninety-year manufacturing history.

Earlier this year, the BMW Classic Center opened its doors to the public offering a full range of classic parts, restoration services and vehicle authentication. While local dealerships will continue to stock late model parts and accessories, BMW Classic is tasked with keeping an inventory part supply for vehicles (including motorcycles) that are generally more than fifteen years old. Not only are 30,000-plus components kept on hand, but the tooling that is relevant for subsequent fabrication is held at the facility as well. In addition, there are on-site restoration services, using 100 percent original parts, upholstery and paint, at prices that are very competitive to local shops (especially when you consider that BMW Classic Center is a one-stop shop for a turn-key restoration process).

While the downstairs shop area is in a constant flurry of activity, the multi-story warehouse - where much of the really good stuff is stored - is unfortunately closed to the public. However, thanks to a special invite, Autoblog was recently escorted on a private behind-the-scenes tour of the facility.

Viewed from the outside, the building is nothing spectacular. Yet, hidden inside its concrete walls are several floors of immaculately restored and preserved engines, motorcycles and automobiles. In addition to some of the company's most classic offerings, such as the BMW 507 and BMW 328, we stumbled over Isetta microcars and mint-condition 2002 race cars. We found the famed E53 X5 fitted with a V12 LMR powerplant (the 700 horsepower SUV clocked a record-setting 7:49 lap around Nürburgring at the hands of Hans Stuck nearly a decade ago) and a pristine street-ready McLaren F1 (parked yards away from its race-ready F1 GTR siblings). Look past the James Bond's genuine E38 7 Series (with highly-custom rear-seat driving controls), and you will see the fluorescent orange nose of the 1972 BMW Turbo Concept - the vehicle that inspired the BMW M1, arriving just five years later.

Our favorite has got to be an unassuming 1987 E32 7 Series, (aka the "Goldfish" 767), fitted with a prototype 6.7-liter V16 rated at 408 horsepower. The only hint to its potency are custom gill-like air intakes on each rear quarter panel - its massive engine is so long that the engineers were forced to move its cooling system to the trunk.

Take a long look through our extensive gallery, and let us know which ones are your favorites.

Gallery: BMW Classic Warehouse

A behind-the-scenes look inside the BMW Classic warehouse originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW offering chauffered tours of Munich in classic cabrios

Noah Joseph — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 09:03:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Europe, BMW

BMW Classic tour of Munich - Click above for high-res image gallery

The pilsner-swilling Bavarians in charge of BMW's classics sure have been keeping busy lately. With Oktoberfest half a year away, they've launched a new vintage racing division and opened up their restoration garage to private owners. Now they're offering tours around Munich, chauffeured in some very rare classic Bimmers from the company's private collection.

The tours begin and end at the BMW Museum, and visit BMW Tower, BMW Welt, and the 3 Series assembly plant as well as various historic sites around the city. The roster of cars used for the tours includes 326 and 335 Cabriolets from the 1930s, the 50s-era 502 "Baroque Angel" Cabriolet, and a one-of-a-kind 3200 CS Cabriolet. The tour will cost a not-insubstantial 90 euros per person (about $120 USD), but if you're planning a trip to Germany between now and October, it looks well worth checking out. Details in the press release after the jump.

Gallery: BMW Classic tour of Munich

[Source: BMW]

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BMW offering chauffered tours of Munich in classic cabrios originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Apr 2010 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW gets back into the leaning trike thing with SIMPLE concept [w/VIDEO]

Chris Paukert — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:32:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Hybrid, Technology, Videos, BMW, Motorcycle, Electric

BMW SIMPLE concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

BMW has been rumored as of late to be pursuing everything from a so-called "0 Series" range of cars to a revival of its Isetta microcar brand, but the Bavarian automaker remains essentially mum on plans to diversify into the microcar market. Stoking the fires, however, is the new Simple concept, a leaning trike that is geared toward the "professional commuter" - that is, an urban dweller who travels alone.

From the start, the SIMPLE (which stands for: "Sustainable and Innovative Mobility Product for Low Energy consumption") was designed to minimize resources both in use and in production. The leaning concept is tall as a 5 Series, yet shorter than a Mini Cooper, and it offers seating space similar to that of a 3 Series coupe.

That tidy footprint and a slick drag coefficient of just 0.18 means that the Simple figures to be around 450 kilograms (under 1,000 pounds), so it only needs a small internal-combustion engine and an electric motor to power it. BMW says the Simple is capable of hitting 100 km/h - 62 mph - in under ten seconds and it tops out at over 200 km/h (124 mph), yet it needs a miserly 2 liters of gas over 100 km (62 miles), or around 118 mpg.

This isn't the first time BMW has investigated thrifty trikes - it actually began working on its CLEVER ("Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport") concept back in 2002 in conjunction with the Berlin's Technical University, a project that took the form of a compressed natural gas trike with a CVT.

While there are no plans for production of either the SIMPLE or the CLEVER, BMW's expertise in motorcycles and its increasingly prominent Efficient Dynamics initiative doesn't have us ruling out a similar vehicle sometime down the road. In the meantime, you'll have to make the pilgrimage to the BMW Museum to check out BMW's SIMPLE and CLEVER contraptions. Check out the high-res gallery below and a video and press release after the jump.

Gallery: BMW SIMPLE Concept

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading BMW gets back into the leaning trike thing with SIMPLE concept [w/VIDEO]

BMW gets back into the leaning trike thing with SIMPLE concept [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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