BMW Series: Ultimate Euro Road Trip

Disclaimer: I apologize in advance for this super long post but I felt every detail needed to be included to conclude the story.

Before purchasing my F80, I had planned on doing a European delivery for quit some time but due to my impatience, I bought the launch car at my local dealer as an impulse buy. Being that I will be keeping my F80 for a few years, all of the wonderful Euro delivery posts on here had me yearning for the chance to plan a road trip through southern Germany. I decided that I would plan a road trip after finishing up work in Germany and visit the plants, museums, and headquarters of BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz. My significant other always dreamed of going to Salzburg and I also wanted to include Switzerland so we decided to fly into Munich and make our way through Salzburg, the Swiss Alps, Zürich, up through Stuttgart, and back to Munich. This is a reasonable route for anyone who wants to pick and drop off his or her car from the Welt in Munich.

Unfortunately, I didn't pick up a shiny new F80 from the Welt so instead we rented a Merc GLC220 cdi from Sixt. At first, I was a little hesitant about driving a SUV on somewhat tiny European streets but it turned out to be a great companion and relatively fuel-efficient.

The first few days we were in Munich without a car being that Munich has a great S-Bahn system that is very easy to navigate and will get you all over. We did the traditional tourist traps including Marienplatz, Hofbräuhaus, Augustiner Kelly Biergarten, and consumed a lot of beer. The most interesting part about this trip is that when we arrived, it was not only Labor Day but also Father's Day. Most of the shops were closed and every single Bavarian was dressed in full Lederhosen and day drinking to the fullest. It somewhat fed into the stereotypical German idea of beer drinking lederhosen wearing Germans but in actuality that is a Bavarian only thing.

New City Hall

Old City Hall

Random E46 coupe with a little Bavarian/Southern Pride

The flip side to this holiday was that the BMW Munich plant was closed so I unfortunately was not able to get a plant tour as intended. We did enjoy some time at the Welt and took in everything that is BMW.

The excitement of it all

The Welt itself is an amazing marketing move on BMW's part allowing consumers to really experience the brand in its entirety. The Welt was packed with tourists from all over the world the entire line-up of BMW, Rolls-Royce, and Mini are displayed.

In the M section, I was able to see the M2 for the first time in person and I must say that it looked amazing in Long Beach blue. It's so much more aggressive in body stance than the M235i but seems to be quit a bit smaller than the M4. Nonetheless, I'm sure all you M2 owners will be extremely as it’s no doubt a good looking car.

Side note, there are tons of M4s in Germany and Switzerland. I only saw one M3 in Switzerland, one M5 in Munich, a few X6 Ms, and one or two M6 convertibles.

After walking through the Welt, we toured the BMW museum. What's special about the museum right now is that there is a special exhibition in the dome of the museum that highlights all 100 years of BMW and extensively covers its aircraft past. The BMW museum does a great job of highlighting key points throughout its history and the special 100 anniversary exhibit covers every aspect of the company including its financial issues, it's dedication to employees, and how dedicated BMW is to training and employing newly arrived refugees in Germany. My particular favorite was the M section with a beautifully preserved E30 M3 Sport Evo and E46 CSL M3.

Original pillars of the Rapp Motor Werke

BMW's explanation for forced labor during WWII

Random things BMW made to survive after the war

Evolution of technology used in BMW's offices.

BMW's research on plants in the workspace

Evolution of the kidney grill

Early aircraft engine

The next day we picked up the rental car from Sixt in Munich's Central Station and hit the road to Austria. I'm truly in love with driving in Germany. It's so orderly and organized with roads so smooth they're like glass. As a reminder, there are speed limits in all metro areas and wherever there's construction. Construction is constantly going on to keep their roads in top shape. When there's a speed limit, some Germans do speed as they know where the speed cameras are but never more than 10-15 km/h. Once the speed limit restrictions end, people start to fly. I would average 190 km/h or about 118 mph and others in 5er wagons and big body Mercs would fly right pass me.

As well, gas stations are clearly marked and are always right off the Autobahn unlike in the US where sometimes you have to drive a bit away from the exit to get gas. Most stations charge 0.70€ to use the toilets and you always pump first and pay inside afterwards. It would be good to brush up on numbers to tell the attendant which pump you're paying for.

The drive to Austria is beautiful with scenic Alpine villages and snow capped mountains. Salzburg itself is deeply dedicated to tourism and it is well preserved and extremely clean. The Altstadt felt a little "too" clean and almost Disney like in its execution. There were reenactments going on all over and a live Austrian band was playing classic Mozart pieces in front of a beer garden. Mozart is very well represented throughout the city and the Sound of Music has definitely left its mark for American tourists.

Our rental car from Sixt

We spent a short time in Salzburg and headed over to Switzerland. Instead of driving completely through speed-limited Austria, we decided to drive back through Germany to take advantage of some of the no speed limit zones. Switzerland is probably one of the most beautiful countries I've ever been to with postcard like scenery and picturesque villages.

Zürich itself is very beautiful and very wealthy. Tons of Porsches, Ferraris, AMGs, Lambos driving around but on the flip side it can get pricey for food and drinks. I loved how various neighborhoods offered various things with its Alstadt being very wealthy and conservative while places like West Zürich offered and "hipster" alternative with amazing architecture and really cool use of former industrial spaces. I also learned on this trip that cheese fondue is a Swiss dish and Zurich offered plenty of options to try. I really enjoyed Zürich for its beautiful architecture, scenery, and high quality of life. The Swiss really have it good.

One of many 458 Italias around (I still think Beverly Hills has maybe more)

After two days in Zürich, we head back to Germany to Stuttgart. Most of the roads after crossing the border were speed limitless so the trip took no time at all. Once we got to Stuttgart we headed straight to Zuffenhausen to Porsche to take the factory tour and tour the museum.

The first thought that comes to mind is how small the factory is compared to BMW and Merc and how much less flashy the whole presentation is overall. It's sort "technical" and straight to point.

We first started off in the parts picking area and engine plant. There are two lines, one for boxer engines and one for V engines. The whole processed is streamlined with workers getting a 5 min break every hour and a 35 min lunch break. I also confirmed that the new turbo flat six engines do not use the same turbo chargers and the 911 turbo, lacking the variable vain technology.

The second part of the tour included a tour of the workshop. On the very top floor is where the used to assemble the 918 super but our guide was not "allowed" to discuss what the space will be used for now. The second to top level included areas were the dashboards were assembled and we were able to see the workers cut, sew, and apply the leather by hand. All of Porsche's hides come from Austria and only one hide is used per car with 57% of the hide being resold to the fashion industry.

The next level down is where the bodies come in from across the street through a suspended bridge. There were TONS of GT3 RS' and the run of the mill Carreras with a few Boxsters here and there. All are made on the same line and the Cayman will be joining sometime during the second half of the year. The workshop is surprisingly small and was totally different from what I expected. It felt almost like a bespoke workshop, which gave it a special quality. In total the line covers two floors and there are elevators that lift and bring the cars from floor to floor. We weren't allowed to see the marriage section since there was a new unseen model being built as well as the body shop.

The museum is a lot smaller than BMW's with a full display covering Porsche's history from the creation of the Beetle to the current line-up. Overall, I fell even more in love with Porsche and I am looking forward to purchasing a 911 in the near future. You definitely got a sense that the workers take pride in working for the company.

Porsche's first foray into electric vehicles