BMW MUSEUM OPENS ON JUNE 19, 2008

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 BMW MUSEUM OPENS ON JUNE 19, 2008

05/03/2008

Munich. After a construction period of around two and a half years, BMW will once again be opening the doors to the BMW Museum on 19 th June 2008. A major architectural and design redevelopment has extended the exhibition space fivefold to more than 5,000 sq. m. Following this new-concept rebuild, its trademark remains the so-called "museum bowl" - the unique, world-famous construction by Viennese architect Karl Schwanzer that dates back to 1973. Along with the BMW Welt Experience and Delivery Centre and the BMW plant tour, the BMW Museum adjacent to the Group's headquarters provides a unique brand experience at the Munich location. Two days after its ceremonial inauguration, the Museum will be open to the public again from 21st June.

Brand museum
The New BMW Museum is a brand museum that showcases the historical evolution of the brand's competence and innovative strength, along with its achievements and sporting successes. The development of the BMW brand is traced from the past to the present and on into the future. At the core of the exhibition material are such icons of BMW's product history as the BMW R 32, the BMW 507 and the legendary BMW 2002. Some 120 exhibits, encompassing production and racing models as well as concept vehicles, bear eloquent testimony to the thrilling history of the BMW brand. Featured themes range from design and engine construction to advertising, aerodynamics and motorsport. Exceptional exhibition technology underlines the aspiration of the Museum's new concept: "Once again BMW is setting new trends and embarking on untrodden paths to link up the history of its vehicles with that of the company in an exciting and surprising way. Quite simply, fascination and passion is what it's all about," says Karl Baumer, Director of BMW Group Mobile Tradition.

Architecture
The extension of the BMW Museum into the neighbouring low-rise building has allowed the exhibition area to swell to five times its former size. Karl Schwanzer's architectural philosophy is further pursued in the newly claimed spaces: in addition to streets and squares, bridges and houses appear within a built-up space. The upshot is an urban architecture, a kind of "traffic complex" composed of the fundamental constituents of the automotive environment. Visitors will discover enclosed and open exhibition spaces, a configuration of ramps, numerous detailed views and broad vistas, and a series of ever-changing perspectives that will take them by surprise.