Now Five Times Larger, Renovated BMW Museum Opens in June

Filed in archive BMW , German Cars , Museums on May 19, 2008

A couple of centuries ago (or so it feels) my then employer, Trans Global Films, sent me to Munich to unearth old film footage for a BMW infomercial. I spent many hours in the basement of BMW headquarters, many more with my delightful editors, two very attractive young German ladies (both, alas, married). But the real highlight of the trip was an escorted tour of the company museum. Its classic "bowl" design allowed for a curving ramp on which cars and motorcycles were displayed in a timeline of BMW history. The only drawback was its relatively small size. For the past two-and-a-half years BMW has been expanding and renovating the museum, adding more than 50,000 square feet and increasing display space fivefold. The idea, says the company, is to "fascinate visitors with exciting topics about mobility, communication and society." The new museum opens to the public June 21st so if you're touring Germany this summer consider a side-trip to Munich. A lovely city, it celebrates its 850th anniversary this year. Now that's history.