Jalopnik: munich

BMW Partially Reveals The GINA Light Visionary Model Concept In Web Video

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:40:00 EDT

Though it isn't set to be revealed to the motoring press until tomorrow, we have this exclusive video of a new concept car from Bayerische Motoren Werke AG. It's called the GINA Light Visionary Model, and it's being transported to the BMW Museum in Munich. You can just see the edges of the new concept in the footage, as well as a Knight Rider-esque lightbar in the tail. We're gathering details on what it actually is, other than a two-seater roadster (or maybe even a one-seater, who can tell with all that camouflage?) we're told is both visionary and light. Also, it'll be fully revealed on June 10th. We'll be watching, if only to see BMW's GINA first-hand and up close and to see if it's as tight as other BMW concepts we've come to know and love.

[ Veoh.com]

Nick Heidfeld Shows Us What NOT To Do While Demonstrating The BMW Sauber F1 Car

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:40:00 EDT

BMW thought it would be a good idea to bring out the new Sauber F1 car for a bit of fun at the BMW plant in Munich. Why not halt ze making of ze Bimmers for a few minutes and give the 5,000 or so workers a little entertainment? Well, we can think of a reason. BMW's driver Nick Heidfeld zooms down the strasse and does a donut for the crowd yesterday without incident. Apparently pleased with himself, he guns that big engine and heads down the street for an encore. This is where things start to fall apart. Literally. Overcome with the joy of a well executed donut, Heidfeld loses track of where the barrier is. Oops. At least he missed the medical car. Thankfully, someone made a video of it because the official F1 press release was typically mum about the incident. We tell ya, Bernie's yet to find a problem he can't ignore. [via Formula1.com, YouTube]

Welcome to BMW Welt, Where Corporate Whoring Meets Pretty Architecture

Travis Hudson — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:15:00 EST

I used to believe that there was a fine line between automobiles and architecture, but BMW has come along and shattered those preconceived notions with BMW Welt, or BMW World, a ~~showroom~~, ~~mall~~ "delivery center." This industrial- and futuristic-looking building holds all things BMW. Most importantly it is where Germans can go pick up their shiny new toys while enjoying other necessities, such as lattes, digital vehicle simulations, mall-like stores and more (What? No Weizenbock?). The experience is topped off by a staircase that leads to a showroom, where a BMW can be presented like it's the f'ing Nobel Prize—complete with special spotlighting and a fake paparazzi-style photographer.

The delivery center was designed by Wolf Prix of Coop Himmelb(l)au, a extremely famous architectural firm. The obvious justification for a building like this is to enhance the car-buying experience. Allowing users to test out vehicle features in a virtual reality simulator, having rotating platforms, driving the car off the showroom floor and more all make consumers feel like they bought something really special (and not necessarily a BMW).

The center is located in Mun and took six years to construct. If you have an eye for architecture, give this so-called delivery center a shot. If, however, you just want to pick up your BMW, go with the run-down BMW dealership off the interstate. You're getting the same car, minus all of the bullshit. [NY Times, BMW Welt, Coop Himmelb(l)au]
(Images via NY Times)

Gaddafi's Offspring's Ferrari Seized In Germany For Being Too Loud

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:45:00 EST

The War on Terror-izingly Loud Autos claimed another victim as German police towed away Muammar Gaddafi's son's Ferrari 430. Seif al-Arab, son of the Libyan leader, is studying something in Munich and, like most students, gets by on a mixture of Ramen Noodles, Ultimate Frisbee and Italian sports cars. Police report that the car's exhaust emitted 110.5 decibels, over the 98 decibel limit.

Somehow, Seif is going to have to get together 100 pounds or else be forced to take the bus. He also may be driving on an invalid international license. This comes at a time when Libya has taken a more open stance towards its relations with Europe, including forking over $35 million in a settlement related to the Berlin Disco Bombings. Maybe he should have had them thrown in any future offspring's automotive crimes. [Telegraph]

Spy Photos: 2007 BMW 335i Sedan, M-Sport Package

Mike Spinelli — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 12:54:55 EDT

Our buddy Jason points us to new photos of what's likely the 2007 BMW 335i sedan, naked to the world, somewhere in Munich, clad in the M-Sport appearance package. An interior shot indicates some factory tomfoolery regarding some of the controls, along with a few cosmetic tweaks. You already know the 335i gets BMW's new turbocharged six-banger, producing 306 hp and 295 lbs.-ft of torque. You do now. We'll see it in Paris later this year.

Pics from Munich - E90 335i sedan spotted? [e90 Post]

Related:
More on the BMW 335i [internal]

BMW Building an Original 2002tii from Scratch for Public Viewing

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 08:51:15 EST

Call it performance art or a really slow-progressing media event, but BMW's building an original 1973 2002tii from the ground up — behind a glass wall at a temporary BMW Museum facility in Munich. Supported by BMW's in-house historians, BMW Mobile Tradition, which maintains a vast inventory of vintage parts, two Bimmer artisans are working in full view of the adoring public (well, we'd be adoring) to complete the all-original 2002 to be auctioned for charity in 2006.

New Into Old: BMW Reproduces The Cult Car Of The 1970s [Autointell via AutoWeek]

Related:
The BMW 2002: Birth of the Modern Sports Sedan [internal]