BMW FIZ-zy, museums of cars & art

Create 2010 winners guest blog about their travels to BMW headquarters in Munich.
This trip is generously sponsored by BMW.

Day two: The FIZ, car models, modern art, and loads of food.

What we really want too…

BMW FIZ… where cars dream of reality

The FIZ* (aka Forschungs- und Innovationszentrum) is BMW’s research and development nerve centre. It’s here where engineers, researchers, scientists and model builders create the next big BMW car or jet or Formula One racecar.

Unlike yesterday’s visit to the production plant, it’s a sloooow process:

From the birth of its initial concept to the final stage of production, a car spends more than 4.5 years in FIZ fine-tuning its every minute detail to better suite the taste of its owner. In contrast, it only takes 40 hours for sheets of aluminum to exit the assembly line in the form of a Sedan or a Touring.

 

4.5 years may seem to be a long time but given the amount of design thoughts and quality control tests, such as electromagnetic stability test, collision test, etc, a prototype has to go through before entering mass production, it is really not a lot of time actually. For instance, there is even an acoustics department that engineers the very sound a door makes when it is slammed shut!

(BMW Trip)

It’s all about tests and tests and more tests at the FIZ. We saw so many über-cool tests like the…

…stopping-impact test. However, unlike conventional tests which are done by smashing a car into a wall (bringing it to 0 km/h from 60 km/h in a split second), the car was put on a sled which accelerated it from 0 km/h to 60 km/h in a split second (then gradually slowed down afterwards).

 

This allowed BMW engineers to see the effect of sudden acceleration/deceleration on their cars without having to sacrifice valuable prototypes.

(wanderlust)

* We didn’t take photos in FIZ because of the sensitive nature of the research.

BMW Museum… only originals need apply

It’s full of cars that date back to BMW’s beginnings until now. And if it’s not original, it ain’t in the museum. This museum isn’t just about cars present and past. It’s also about the cars of the future:

To me, GINA is a piece of Art. Only a designer with a truly artistic mind like Chris Bangle can think about giving a "skin" to a car.

(Just for Fun)

Check out this short YouTube clip on GINA:

 

GINA’s not the only highlight at the museum. Did you know that they make car prototypes from a mundane and putty material like…

…faber clay to model life sized prototypes which helps to render a realistic sensation for the car designers. This technique is still being practiced in BMW today.

(BMW Trip)

Oh, if you make it to BMW Museum, don’t miss out on the Kinetic Sculpture. Watching the balls spin and float in mid air is magic!

Pinakothek der Moderne… the Bavarian version of MOMA

This museum’s full of modern art, design, architecture and paintings. Best for art & design buffs. They change exhibitions every month, so there’s always something to visit, month in and month out.

An example is the first chair to be made out of steel rods, breaking away from the tradition of using purely wood. This particular chair was inspired by bicycle design.

 

Today, chairs with metal legs are commonplace in the classrooms of Singaporean schools, and it is certainly interesting to imagine that this chair was their great-great ancestor.

(wanderlust)

Interestingly Pinakothek der Moderne’s exhibits aren’t the best parts.

It was our guide (the dude in the middle). He must have an art bible in his head ‘cause he was explaining where that came from, why the artist did that, how much it’s worth… He helped us understand the exhibits and gave them a personality to go with it.

When hungry…

…we recommend the Restaurant International in BMW Welt for fusion food (€20) or get the best pastas that we've ever tasted at L'Osteria.

Onwards…

More @ Just for Fun | wanderlust! | BMW Trip

About Letters from Munich series…

These blog posts are written by our Create2010 winners: Great Idea Association. It charts their journey as they reap their reward: an all-expenses paid trip to BMW Welt in Munich.

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