BMW.SG in Munich: A quick tour through the BMW Museum

Having already visited the BMW Museum a couple of months back, it wouldn’t make much sense to once again run through the halls for another full tour, given that most of the exhibits have remained pretty much the same. That is not to say it was an uneventful visit though because this time around, we had with us a proper guide to provide us with that added bit of insight into the more iconic pieces of the museum.

Given that there is no way for me to translate that experience to you via the written word, I have chosen to instead take pictures of our brief walk-through.

An exhibit that does seem to get regularly rotated around is the Art Car showcase, now featuring Jeff Koon’s M3 GT2. The 17th model in the Art Car series, now bearing the racing number 79 as a tribute to the BMW M1 presented by Andy Warhol in 1979.

While this M3 GT2 did manage to race at the 78th staging of the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2010, it sadly had to retire early and did not manage to finish the race.

It might not have won the race, but it did manage to win plenty of hearts and continues to do so even today. On a similar note, it was rather disappointing that the Jeff Koon’s 8-Series was nowhere in sight, even at the Welt. A car I was somewhat hoping to see.

Moving on into the actual museum halls, our tour’s added information behind BMW’s bikes has also given me an added appreciation for these lovely machines. Just a pity I don’t have a rider’s license.

With a slightly more relaxed walk through the halls, I also took the time to take in and appreciate the details I had glanced over on my previous visits.

Having a guide with us also allowed us to take a peek into the cars themselves. Like into the cabin of a precious 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupé, winner of the 1940 Mille Miglia.

While it might not be much to some, a 335i Wagon is definitely something special to me. It also looks like they have shuffled all the cars around to make space for an F-series 3. It might be a little tight to squeeze in the new G-Series variant though.

In addition to the cockpits, we were also privy to the engine bay of a select few autos, allowing us to gaze at some lovely powerplants, like the juicy 4.9-litre 494 hp V8 from an E39 M5 under the bonnet of BMW’s beautiful Z8.

Or its just as, if not more stunning, vintage predecessor’s less well-endowed 3.9-litre engine. Still a V8, but generating a much more modest 150 hp.

Would you prefer a straight-6? How about this 2-litre unit fed by 3 Solex 30 JF downdraft carburettors and pumping out an at-the-time sufficient 79 horses. That’s 1 less horse than what 660cc Kei cars produce today. They even weigh roughly the same too! This one’s worth quite a bit more money though.

Further down the power output level is this BMW 700 LS Coupe with all of its 40 horsepower (initially 30) on display. Powered by an air-cooled naturally-aspirated Boxer engine located in the back, it is almost like a Porsche 911. Almost.

The 700’s ridiculously low power output doesn’t dampen my lust to have one though. It is such a quirky yet lovely little machine.

No visit to the museum is complete without a paying a visit to these beautiful ladies, now sitting dormant even under the occasional red mist. Hello ladies.

I’ve rarely seen a Z1 with both doors in their “up” position. I wonder if it’s to avoid having any trouble getting in if the electrics play up.

One last look at the always beautiful M1 before we headed off to the museum shop which sadly, is still rather disappointing and a missed opportunity for a company with such a rich history.

Little trinkets, toys and the occasional T-shirt doesn’t quite cut it. The BMW museum should take a leaf from Porsche and do some reprints of their historical racing posters or even reproduce some of their period catalogues or brochures. I’m sure many BMW fans would love to have ’em. I know I would.