Revisiting icons in Munich

Following last week’s theme of admiring motoring history and revisiting icons, this week I’m sharing more of my motoring adventures during a trip to Munich in the Bavarian state of Germany.

Bavaria is the home of fabled manufacturer BMW, but nobody seemed to tell their rivals that. Stepping out of the Franz Josef Strauss International Airport Terminal, the massive Audi Forum greets travelers. Audi Forum is a technical training center, convention center and a gallery that sells and displays choice Audi vehicles, lifestyle merchandise and usually displays rare, motorsports or historic items.

Of course, since this BMW Country, a trip to BMW Museum and BMW Welt (World in German) is a must. Being a short hop and skip away from the famous 1972 Munich Olympic Park (for all its sporting magnificence, will always be remembered  for the death of 11 Israeli Olympians), I was quite sad my wife Erica couldn’t join me here because the experience really took my breath away.

Last stop was the Mercedes-Benz Autozentrum Munich, which is one of, if not the, biggest Mercedes-Benz dealerships in the world. It has storage space for almost a thousand cars, has a gallery of all the Mercedes-Benz models plus a few historic ones and a car or two hanging from the ceiling.

Lastly, since Lamborghini Munich, Germany’s biggest (in terms of sales per annum) was just around the block from my hotel, a customary stopover was a must!

As always, enjoy the pictures!

AUDI R18 3.7 V6 TDI Based on Audi’s 3.0 TDI block that powers the A4, A6, A8 and Q7 passenger cars, this engine, which features a large VGT-equipped Garret TR30R  hot-side-inside turbocharger, produces 542 HP with impressive (for a race car) fuel economy.

AUDI S7Twin turbo V8 has a nice ring to it, eh? The stylish coupe looks like a sports car at a quick glance. With 420 HP and 550 Newton-meters of torque running all four wheels through Quattro AWD and seven-speed S-Tronic transmission, it drives like one too!

LAMBORGHINI MUNICH The busiest Lamborghini dealership in Germany is also the most efficient: Three people man the showroom and three mechanics man the four-car service bays. And the friendly staff really took the time to entertain me, show me the cars and, more importantly for me,  their on-sale, on-clearance lifestyle products!

BMW WELT AND MUSEUM The headquarters of BMW, along with its main production facility and the BMW Welt and Museum, occupy a space big enough to fit a small city. BMW Museum looks back to BMW’s glorious past, while BMW Welt houses BMW’s latest technological offerings, along with MINI and Rolls-Royce.

E9 BMW 3.0CSI The coupé that started a legend, BMW’s reputation for production-based saloon car racing started with the E9 series, particularly the 3.0 CSL which was a homologation special and with its aerodynamic aids, earned it the nickname of the “Batmobile” as it tore up and dominated the touring car series.

BMW 507 ROADSTER If Sean Connery were German, he’d have driven this 507 instead of an Aston. Pierce Brosnan thought he was and drove the Z8, the 507’s spiritual successor. Über-cool personified.

BMW M3 DTM RACE CAR Swan-neck GT wing, vents, louvers, the 2012 spec M3 produces almost zero lift without requiring massive wings, splitters and flat-bottom diffusers because of careful airflow management and clever leveraging of the aerodynamic aids. The year 2012 marked the return of BMW, having taken a hiatus since 2006. It won the championship that year.

SEVEN GENERATIONS OF BMW 3ER With seven generations displayed (two of the later generations were missing here), BMW’s 3-Series is the most popular compact RWD executive sports sedan in the world. It is THE poster boy for its segment and has sold the most number of units worldwide. Yuppies and rich housewives dream of owning a BMW 3-Series.

EVOLUTION BMW’s nomenclature has evolved through the years, in terms of font style and the addition of new models, engines and drive trains.

BMW S1000 RR I don’t ride bikes, but I love ’em! BMW’s highly acclaimed S1000 RR took the world by storm and outperformed a whole slew of manufacturers.

PRINCE LEOPOLD OF BAVARIA’S M1 PROCAR BMW unveiled the M1 race car as a support series for the 1979 and 1980 F1 Season. When BMW met the requirements for GT4 eligibility for the World Championship for Makes, the M1 drew a lot of high-profile drivers such as current and former F1 drivers of that time and Prince Leopold of Bavaria, heir to the 800-year-old Wittelsbach Dynasty of Bavaria and a former BMW Works driver and now BMW brand ambassador.

BMW’S CORPORATE HQ  Looming over the Munich skyline is BMW’s corporate HQ.