Autoblog

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.

Continue reading BMW highlights factory tour experience in Munich

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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

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]

Continue reading BMW offering chauffered tours of Munich in classic cabrios

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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Spy Shots: BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept snagged at Munich photo shoot

Noah Joseph — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:37:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Spy Photos, Hybrid, Performance, Europe, BMW

Excited by BMW's new Vision EfficientDynamics concept car? So are we. But while the rest of us have to wait another couple of weeks to see the future-think show car at the Bavarian automaker's show stand in Frankfurt, one lucky enthusiast got an early glimpse while visiting the company's flagship BMW Welt in Munich.

Looks like he got quite an eyeful too, as Car and Driver has a comprehensive gallery of the car shot from every angle while BMW was apparently doing some photography and video work itself. Follow the link to check it out.

[Source: Car and Driver]

Spy Shots: BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept snagged at Munich photo shoot originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

VIDEO: German man takes delivery of his 135th BMW

Noah Joseph — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:50:00 EST

Filed under: BMW

Klaus Hammerschmidt picks up his new BMW M6 - Click above to watch video after the jump

How many cars have you owned over the course of your life? Three? Five? Ten? How about 135, and all from the same company? It may seem like unfathomable customer loyalty, but that's just what one Herr Klaus Hammerschmidt has done in taking delivery of his latest Bavarian motor work. You might think he'd mark the occasion with a new 135i, but instead the 73-year-old retiree picked up a brand-new M6 coupe, complete with the Competition Package, from the flagship BMW Welt showroom in Munich.

Hammerschmidt says he began driving when he was just 12, taking the wheel of his dad's car while papa worked the pedals. His first car was a 1800ti in 1963, and since then he's had 26 M cars, 29 Alpinas and another 80 standard BMWs. Before you go pulling out the calculator, that works out to an average of nearly 3 new cars every year. Not a bad way to spend a lifetime's earnings if you have the means. And at just 73, he's likely to go through a few more before his days are up. Follow the jump for the video.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading VIDEO: German man takes delivery of his 135th BMW

VIDEO: German man takes delivery of his 135th BMW originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

BMW Welt: If St. Peter bought a bimmer, he'd take delivery here

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:33:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., BMW

Mercedes has been offering factory delivery of its cars since the fifties, and today more than 80,000 folks are handed their new Mercedes fobs right at the plant. One of the top tourist attractions in Germany is VW's Autostadt, which gets more than a million visitors per year. Now BMW has joined the factory delivery crowd with its BMW Welt, built next to the BMW campus at a cost in excess of $275 million.

Looking like a breakaway chunk from the Guggenheim in Bilbao, it contains a gallery showcasing the roundel's complete line, a conference center, a kiddie center, and exhibits. BMW expects 800,000 visitors per year. Of those, 45,000 of them will be coming to collect their new ultimate driving machine. After a tour of the BMW factory, in a separate building, new owners will collect their cars, which will be waiting for them on a revolving turntable... atop a plinth... bathed in the spotlight. Indeed, it will be a dramatic way to collect your 1-Series.

The creation of such a building was inspired by marketing. With relative tadpoles in the auto business muscling their way into the top tier, one of the last battlegrounds for distinction is age. With the BMW Welt, the company that was winning races before Toyota had made its first car wants to show that old girls still have a lot of fight left in them. Porsche is expected to join the party next year with its own specially designed factory delivery monument.

[Source: New York Times]

BMW Welt: If St. Peter bought a bimmer, he'd take delivery here originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments