A day between myth and future: Journey through the Bmw Museum

Marcello Gandini

It is no coincidence that BMW has looked up to Italy since the 1930s. Walking along the ramps of the 'Bowl', among original sketches and extremely rare prototypes, one comes across works signed by Gandini, Giugiaro, Michelotti. Cars such as the BMW Garmisch, the Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé and the spectacular Nazca M12 spark an aesthetic dialogue between German rigour and Italian sensuality. An emotional journey that culminates in the Vision Neue Klasse presented in an immersive room with 360 degree projections and visual references to the art of Giorgio de Chirico. But what is most striking is the perfect balance between past and future. The museum succeeds in recounting the technical and sporting glory of the marque, from the triumphs of the 1800 TI/SA to the legendary races with Hubert Hahne, but also its ability to reinvent itself, to evolve without ever distorting itself. The tour closes in the 'Meeting' room, where three symbolic models (including the irresistible Isetta) dialogue with the stories of their owners. Here, Bmw is no longer just a car, but memory, emotion, belonging.

Mostra Belle Macchine Museo BMW

The reflection of the Bmw Vision Neue Klasse on the museum's stained glass windows summarises in one image the fusion of past and future in one fluid and coherent form: the entire BMW identity of engineering precision, but also creative courage, shines through. If you are a true enthusiast, you can take the opportunity to book one of the three weekly visits to the nearby Bmw Classic. The rotating propeller workshop is based right where the first aircraft and motorbike engines were built at the beginning of the last century. In its hangars, in addition to several cars from private customers waiting to be restored, it houses around a hundred cars from the BMW collection: from models that have made history, such as the McLaren F1, to prototypes that have never seen the production line, such as the 5 Series with 16-cylinder engine or the Z3 V12. A private test drive of an old timer can also be arranged: driving a 1500 produced in the same year we were born makes quite an impression. Four two-litre cylinders with 100 horsepower, no power steering, original Blaupunkt radio and crank windows. It was she who allowed BMW to relaunch itself after coming so close to being bought by Mercedes. Half a century after the Bavarian resurgence, now comes the Neue Klasse of the third millennium.

50 anni di BMW New Class, BMW

The pilgrimage to Munich is an immersion in the history of the automobile, a close encounter with an idea of mobility that has been able to cross the decades renewing itself without ever betraying itself. And this, today more than ever, is a message to be told and cherished.