BMW Magazine

BMW Magazine 1|2007 USA

THE NEW 3 SERIES CONVERTIBLE

INNOVATIONS THAT DELIGHT 365 DAYS A YEAR

1 | 2007

$ 5.00
bmwusa.com
TRAVEL Sweden’s storybook islands
TECHNOLOGY Looking into Adaptive Headlights
ARCHITECTURE Rem Koolhaas retrospective
 Letter from the Chairman

MESSAGE FROM
BMW OF
NORTH AMERICA, LLC

Tom Purves, Chairman,

BMW (US) Holding Corp.

Dear Reader,
,ERHIRKVEZMRK SJ XLI FYXXIVJP] FVMHKI JSV XLI 'EPMFIV 
I welcome you to the first issue of BMW Magazine for 2007.
Reviewing this issue’s various articles on our newest offerings and what it takes to bring them to market,
reminds me of the phrase, “With power comes responsibility.”
8LI 4ERS1EXMG0YREV Take the “power” half of this saying – especially as it applies to the new 3 Series Convertible, the subject
(IPMGEXI JMPMKVII HIXEMPW LERHIRKVEZIH [MXL of our cover story. Propelled by BMW’s potent twin-turbo engine with direct fuel injectors, the 300-hp 335i
EVXMWXMG TVIGMWMSR KMZI XLMW YRMUYI XMQI TMIGI can accelerate from 0 to 60 in just 5.5 seconds – that’s 1.4 seconds faster than its predecessor. Yet even
MXW YRQMWXEOEFPI GLEVEGXIV -XW 'EPMFIV  more amazing is that it accomplishes this without sacrificing fuel efficiency. That’s the “responsibility” part.
EYXSQEXMG QSZIQIRX FSEWXW XLI JMRIWX In our story on the development of the 6 Series Coupe and Convertible, we show how prototypes were
QIGLERMGW LERHGVEJXIH MR +PEWL‚XXI 3VMKMREPªW subjected to grueling tests in extreme ice and heat, at high speeds and in stop-and-go traffic. For over
XMQI LSRSVIH [EXGLQEOMRK XVEHMXMSR *MRH SYX 100,000 miles, they were tested not just for their power, but for their grace and grit under pressure. After all,
QSVI EFSYX YW EX [[[KPEWLYIXXISVMKMREPGSQ it is our responsibility to create vehicles that are not only thoroughly enjoyable to drive, but reliable to own.
SV XIPITLSRI  Responsibility often means taking a leadership position. BMW is a key benefactor in Clemson University’s
new International Center for Automotive Research, or ICAR. Offering Masters and Ph.D. programs, this
innovative school will advance the future of automotive engineering, ultimately benefitting not just BMW, but
the entire automotive industry. Meanwhile, current BMW engineers are also learning new concepts – not just
on land, but at sea. By developing more dynamic sailboats for BMW ORACLE Racing, they are also learning
how to create more aerodynamic cars. You can read about both these programs in this issue.
Of course, all this effort spent learning and innovating is useless if it doesn’t result in a vehicle that is
immensely gratifying to drive. That’s why you’ll find an article on our amazing Adaptive Headlights technology,

8LIEVXSJGVEJX as well as “Favorite Roads” – a new feature in which BMW drivers tell us about local fun-to-drive routes that
reveal the beauty of our country.

8LIGVEJXSJEVX
Sincerely,

PHOTO: JIM SULLEY – NEWSCAST U.S.

Tom Purves, Chairman

BMW (US) Holding Corp.

BMW Magazine
 1| 2007 CONTENTS

COVER STORY REGULARS

8 3 SERIES CONVERTIBLE 31 TRIED, TESTED AND TORTURED 2 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN
The new 3 Series Convertible visits the BMW ORACLE yacht Deep chill at the Arctic circle, blistering heat in the desert,
in Valencia, Spain. With an innovative hardtop and twin-turbo stop-and-go traffic in gridlocked Tokyo: how BMW put its 4 NEWS
engine, it is just as high-tech as the America’s Cup contender. 6 Series prototypes through the most extreme tests. Renovating BMW’s famous “Four Cylinders” tower in Munich /
Interview with Peter P. Schweger / Market Leader in Sales /
FEATURES 36 CALL OF THE ROAD: FAVORITE DRIVES Ski Training / iPod your BMW / BMW at the 100-year-old
Just north of San Francisco lies a beautiful stretch of scenic Detroit Auto Show / BMW ORACLE Racing Trip / Art Basel
14 HOW DO ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHTS REALLY WORK? coastal land. A look at Karen A. Jones’ favorite drive. Art Cars Retrospective / Awards / Figures / BMW Clubs /
A look at this fascinating technology that projects light Groundbreaking at Woodcliff Lake / Five New BMW
along the contours of the road. 39 BMW’S SPORTY SIDE Motorcycles / BMW Donates Robots for Training
There’s good reason why BMW sponsors sporting events from
16 DREAM JOBS: A DAY WITH… motorsports to golf and even sailing for the America’s Cup. 30 DRIVING SKILLS
Carlos Prátola, driver of the M6 safety car at the Winter challenges: some tips for driving on slippery slopes.
motorcycle world championships. PHOTOS: SIMON PUSCHMANN; PHILIPPE RUAULT; MAREIKE FOECKING
40 FIELD OF DREAMS
Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive 35 I LOVE MY BMW
17 KEEP YOUR NERVES IN THE CURVES Research (ICAR) is building the technology campus of the Brenden Bartol has a long (500,000 miles) and meaningful
Advanced BMW Driver Training on the infamous Nordschleife future in Greenville, SC. relationship with his 740i.
of Germany’s legendary Nürburgring racetrack.
42 BMW AT YOUR SERVICE 35 LETTERS
21 THE FIVE SERIES: SUBTLY SUPERB More than a dealership, your local authorized BMW center
The 2008 BMW 5 Series is a subtle yet stunning example is literally the center for all things BMW. 38 PRESS
of automotive innovation and balance.
43 THE PEAK OF PERFORMANCE 44 WHO BUT BMW COULD…
24 DELIRIUM BY DESIGN The BMW Mountain Driving Experience puts you behind the Build its 20,000th award-winning V-10 engine?
A retrospective on the famous Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. wheel of a BMW with xDrive all-wheel-drive system.
50 CALENDAR
28 BMW ALPINA B7 – A BLUE STREAK FROM BAVARIA 45 ISLAND-HOPPING FOR YOUNG AND OLD
ALPINA, the performance-tuning experts, create an even Touring Sweden with kids in tow – from the fashion center
Cover photo: BMW Magazine is printed on recycled paper
BMW 335i Convertible. more high-powered and luxurious 7 Series Sedan. of Stockholm to the magical offshore islands.
Photographed by
Emir Haveric.

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

News
Q1/07

MAKEOVER

Relaunching an Icon
Recently, 130 companies spent 28 months remodeling the world-famous “four cylinders” tower of the
BMW Group’s headquarters in Munich. Fire prevention has been updated; the office environment has
been improved; and measures have been taken to reduce future energy costs.

INTERVIEW
The tower was gutted. The air conditioning, elec-
trical network, ceiling liners and floor coverings Enhanced Safety and Well-being
were completely removed. Some 14,000 tons of Professor Peter P. Schweger on the remodeling of
the “four-cylinders”
material were hauled away for “green” disposal,
and all 2,302 windows were replaced. The BMW Tower by Karl Schwanzer is a
Under the direction of Hamburg architectural landmark structure and only 33 years old.
firm ASP Schweger, the entire inside of BMW’s Why the renovation now?
“four cylinders” tower were ripped out and Many things were no longer in compliance with
replaced. Only the façade was left unchanged. Its today’s health and safety regulations. The fire
aluminum skin was manually scrubbed with soap prevention measures, for example, were quite
and brushes. Now the building – a registered outdated. An important failing was the lack of
trademark – gleams as brightly as when it first a separate fire-service elevator. Our technical
opened 33 years ago. installations were also completely altered over
the last three decades. Today, they occupy only a
third of their original space and, of course, that
affected the fire prevention arrangements.
What were the parameters of the renovation?

The huge bearer cross, from which the 18 office

The main limitation was to leave the façade
floors are suspended, resembles a spacecraft. It unchanged, and we complied with that. Now
has been clad in aluminum for weather protection.
we can open the windows, but that isn’t visible
from the outside.
So there wasn’t much scope for creativity?

PHOTOS: FRANK AUSSIEKER/VISUM (1); ANDREAS HEDDERGOTT/SV BILDERDIENST

On the contrary. The whole interior was
redesigned from the bottom up. There is an
The creation of Austrian architect Karl
innovative double floor for all the cables, and
Schwanzer, the “four cylinders” still ranks among
we have replaced the air conditioning system
the most innovative buildings in the world. Its 18
with heating and cooling elements housed in
floors of offices do not rest on a conventional
the ceilings. A daylight-guidance system also
foundation; they are instead suspended from a
brings the offices more light.
vast load-bearing cross at the top. The tower is
now state-of-the-art: one in three windows opens But the circular offices have remained?
electrically, and shimmering silver aluminum Yes, that arrangement has proved to be a very
blinds direct the outside light across the ceilings efficient layout for team communications over
and into the office spaces. A heating/cooling the decades. Previously, though, we worked
system that is integrated with the ceilings mainly in artificial light, and air came filtered
provides a comfortable work environment. As a through an air conditioning system. The increase
result of this major renovation, energy costs will in natural daylight and fresh air makes for a far
also be significantly reduced. more pleasant and healthy office environment.

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

News
Q1/07

LIFESTYLE

iPod your BMW

CD changers are so last millennium! Almost all the new
BMW models have optional connections for Apple iPods
in the glove compartment. The MP3 player is controlled
by buttons on the steering wheel, or via the radio, or
the iDrive Controller. Tracks can be selected according to
artist, album, playlist or music genre. Now you can plug
in and play your favorite music through your BMW’s
excellent sound system.
2006 SALES
bmwusa.com/search/accessories
Market Leader
The BMW Group increased its sales in 2006 by 3.5 percent.
Throughout the world, almost 1,374,000 vehicles were
delivered to customers. This includes BMW, MINI and
Rolls-Royce.
Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of
Management of BMW AG, said at the BMW Group’s press
conference at the North American International Auto Show,
“The outstanding sales results mean that each of our three
brands is the market leader in its own segment.” The top-
selling BMW Group model series, by far, is still the BMW
3 Series in its four variants: Sedan, Sports Wagon, Coupe
and Convertible. The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and
MINI brands combined) reported its best-ever annual sales
of 313,603 vehicles, an increase of 2.1 percent. BMW brand
sales jumped 17 percent in December alone, for a total of
30,945 vehicles.

SKI TRAINING

Posturing in the Tunnel

The less air resistance, the greater the speed. Skiers from the
Austrian Skiing Association used BMW’s aero-acoustic
wind tunnel in Munich to prepare for the new season.
Among other things, they practiced the best stance for
downhill runs at wind speeds of up to 75 mph. The photo
shows skiing ace Fritz Strobl working to get it just right.
Most important: avoid air turbulence, which cuts speed.
AUTO SHOW
BMW at the 2007 Detroit NAIAS KALPA DONNA
COLLECTION
Happy birthday, NAIAS! From January 7-21, the Detroit Auto Show
celebrated its 100th anniversary, and some 800,000 visitors came to
be part of the centenary. BMW began 2007 with a treat for lovers of
outstanding cars: the all-new 3 Series Convertible (see story on page
14). The all-new BMW X5 was also presented. Like its predecessor,
the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle® is built for the world market in
HOTEL WALDORF-ASTORIA
Spartanburg, South Carolina. The BMW Hydrogen 7 – the world’s 301 PARK AVENUE
first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan for everyday use – joined these 212-751-9824

two siblings, providing show-goers with a glimpse of what individ- 509 MADISON AVENUE
AT 53RD STREET
ual mobility will be like in years to come. 212-888-0505
NEW YORK, NY 10022
TOLL-FREE: 800-CELLINI
www.CelliniJewelers.com

BMW Magazine
News
Q1/07
EVENTS
BMW ORACLE Racing Trip
Fly to Spain and experience the thrills of the 2007 America’s Cup! BMW’s
exclusive “Experience” packages include two nights in a hotel, an exciting
day of sailing competition, two gourmet dinners, complimentary gifts and
VIP shuttle service. The following Experience packages are available:
• Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals (May 14-24, 2007)
• Louis Vuitton Cup Finals (June 1-11, 2007)
• America’s Cup Finals (June 23-July 4, 2007)
Other BMW activity packages worth looking into: “Special Experience,”
which provides access to spectator boats, from which you can follow the
competition close-up; various “Driving Experiences,” including an exciting
drive in a Formula BMW racecar; “Sport Experiences,” which feature sailing,
golf, pelota and more; and “Cultural Experiences,” which take you on archi-
tectural, musical and culinary adventures. Spaces are limited. For more
information, or to reserve a space, call toll-free: 1-800-605-9BMW (9269).
CULTURE
BMW and Art Basel Miami Beach
Many art lovers attending the Art Basel Miami Beach last
December also enjoyed the convenience and comfort of a fleet
of BMW 7 Series Sedans. For the fifth year, BMW provided the
luxury cars to shuttle VIPs between the show’s locations. In the
Art Collectors Lounge, BMW showed a small-scale model,
photographs and films of the new BMW Museum in Munich
that will open at the end of this year. In the BMW Lounge, the
company also presented a retrospective on the 15 vehicles that
comprise its Art Car Collection.
BMW Magazine
W A H R E W E R T E
Wellendorff
THE FINEST GERMAN JEWELLERY SINCE 1893
AWARDS
Still among the Best
For the 16th consecutive year, Car and Driver included
the BMW 3 Series in its “10Best” list. Plant Engineering
magazine named BMW Manufacturing in South
Carolina a 2006 “Top Plant,” and made it the cover of
their December 2006 issue. The award is presented to
U.S. plants for excellence in productivity, safety and
innovation. The BMW 5 Series headed the Luxury
Vehicle category in Kelley Blue Book’s 2006 “Best
Resale Value Awards,” and was also an “Overall Top 10”
leader in projected resale value.
FIGURES
It takes 0.00025
seconds after tee-off for a golf ball to acceler-
ate from 0 - 62 mph. The K 1200 R motorcycle
hits that speed in 2.8 seconds; the BMW M5
in 4.7. These numbers are the result of an
unusual contest between a golf ball, a car and
a bike. Golfing pro Ian Poulter hit the little Rings Apricot, Red Poppy, Aubergine, Olive, Blueberry, Diamondkiss, in 18 ct. gold with diamonds
white ball a distance of 841.5 feet. While it
was in flight, race driver Hans-Joachim Stuck New York: Cellini, Madison Ave. 212-888.0505 . Greenwich: Betteridge 203-869.0124 . Boston: Royal, 978-475-3330 . Naples: Yamron 239-592.7707
covered 422 feet in the M5, and world cham- Puerto Rico: Reinhold 787-754.0528 . St. Maarten: Artistic 059-954.23456 . Newport Beach: Traditional 949-721.9010
pion stunt rider Chris Pfeiffer managed an Pittsburgh: Hardy & Hayes 412-281.4344 . Las Vegas: Ca’d’oro 702-696.0080 . Bellevue: Alvin Goldfarb 425-454.9393 . Maui: Huttons 808.669-5755
impressive 818.4 feet on the K 1200 R. Canton: John Gasser & Son 330-452.3204 . Salt Lake City: O.C. Tanner 801-532.3222 . Hilton Head: Geiss & Sons 843-842.2198 . Carmel: Hesselbein’s
831-625.2522 . Greensboro: Schiffman’s 336-294.4885 . Dallas: Bachendorf’s 972-392.9900 . Burlingame: Kerns 650-348.7557 . Vail: Betteridge
970-476.1778 . Calgary, Canada: J. Vair Anderson 403-266.1669 . Palo Alto: Shreve & Co. 650-327.2211 . San Francisco: Shreve & Co. 415-421.2600
Wellendorff, Tel. (+49) 7231-28.40.10 – www.wellendorff.com
News
Q1/07

ANNIVERSARY

25 Years of the International

Council of BMW Clubs
The first BMW Club was founded in 1928 by a
group of BMW motorcycle enthusiasts in
Düsseldorf, Germany. There are now 600 clubs
NEW BMW MOTORCYCLES
worldwide, with more than 200,000 members
who regard themselves as stewards of the BMW Gimme Five
heritage and ambassadors of the brand. In 1981,
BMW Motorrad is sending five new models onto the roads in 2007. For
the International Council of BMW Clubs was
the G650X series, available in three variants, it will be world debut. The
founded as an umbrella organization for the
Hardenduro G650Xchallenge comes with masses of off-road potential;
activities of the clubs. Last October, at its annual
the Streetmoto G650Xmoto is designed for maximum riding pleasure;
general meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, the
and the Scrambler G 650 Xcountry promises riding fun on and off
International Council of BMW Clubs celebrated
the beaten track. All bikes are driven by a single-cylinder engine with
its 25th anniversary. The BMW Car Club of
53 horsepower. The K Series welcomes the K 1200 Sport with half-
America was established in Boston in 1969 and
fairing, and the high-powered HP2 Enduro will be joined by the even
is one of the largest. Asia, South- and Central
more powerful HP2 Megamoto (pictured) with a flat-twin Boxer engine.
America currently have the fastest membership
This is a no-compromises riding machine for the road. bmw-motorrad.com
growth rates. bmw-clubs-international.com

GROUND BREAKING

BMW NA Campus
After more than two years of planning and prep-
aration, groundwork is underway for the con-
struction of two new buildings that will add
almost 200,000 square feet of space for offices,
training facilities and Automotive Engineering to
BMW’s headquarters campus in Woodcliff Lake, TRAINING
NJ. The two new buildings will allow BMW to
bring together all the departments and functions Spartanburg
currently housed in rented office space. When
complete, BMW’s U.S. headquarters will have BMW Manufacturing has donated 20 robots to South Carolina’s Center
about 550,000 square feet of office space, occu-
pying 80 acres. The architectural design will for Accelerated Technology Training (CATT). The robots, valued at
reinforce BMW’s corporate identity, while har- about $2 million, were previously used in BMW’s Spartanburg Body
monizing with the natural beauty of the site,
whose wetlands and existing fruit orchard will
Shop to weld parts for the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle.® The Center will Maxi Marine Chronograph - 356-66/354
graphic studiofunk

be preserved. distribute the robots to 10 technical colleges in the state to help train Self-winding. Water-resistant to 200 m.
South Carolina’s future workforce. This is not the first time that BMW
Manufacturing has donated robots to South Carolina: some 42 robots 18 ct rose gold. Available on rubber strap or gold bracelet.
and robot controllers were presented to the Department of Education in
2002, and they are still in use in vocational schools throughout the state.
bmwusfactory.com
W W W . U LY S S E - N A R D I N . C O M F O R A C ATA L O G , C A L L 5 61 - 9 8 8 - 8 6 0 0 O R E M A I L : U S A 9 @ U LY S S E - N A R D I N . C O M
BMW Magazine
 Cover Story 3 Series Convertible

A HARDTOP
YOU CAN STOW
AND GO
The new twin-turbo 3 Series Convertible
calls on the BMW ORACLE Racing yacht
in Valencia, Spain – and demonstrates
BMW’s first-ever retractable hardtop.

Photos: Emir Haveric

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

 Valencia Port America’s Cup BMW ORACLE Homebase

“BOAT AGAINST BOAT – IT’S LIKE

PLAYING CHESS ON THE WATER!”
– MATCH SPECIALIST STAN MOHR Beauty by the sea: the 3 Series Convertible in Valencia. Integrating aerodynamic lines
and eye-catching contours, it demonstrates elegant BMW style; a short overhang in front,
stretched hood and long wheelbase signal its focus on ready power and agile handling.

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

WIND… OR WINDOWS?
Compared to its predecessor, the all-new 3 Series Convertible’s large rear side windows
provide 30 percent more visibility. So raising the roof no longer means losing the view.

USA 87 BMW ORACLE Racing Team Wind direction SW 18 Knots

THE BMW ORACLE BOAT TOOK THREE

YEARS OF HARD WORK TO PERFECT.
BMW Magazine BMW Magazine
 Even in the hot sun, the Dakota Leather
seats stay cool – thanks to BMW’s new
Sun-Reflective Technology, which can
hold seating surface temperatures to
as low as 68 degrees.

THE UNVEILING:
A SECOND,
ENTIRELY
NEW BOAT
WILL BE
LAUNCHED.

BMW Magazine
 The low windshield enhances the
open-air feeling.
With BMW’s new retractable three-part hardtop, the new 3 Series Convert-
ible delivers a joyful driving experience all year round. And the immense
appeal of a convertible, combined with your choice of two potent new engines –
including a twin-turbo with direct injection – makes this car totally irresistible.
The three-part retractable hardtop was developed especially for this new
model. Lowering it takes just about 22 seconds; raising it, about 23. Driving with
the hardtop up, there is no annoying outside noise, even at highway speeds. In
areas where winters are harsh, this practical innovation eliminates the need to
install an optional hardtop. The new roof design also allows BMW to add larger
windows. The rear side panes are 30 percent larger than before – which, together
with the slim roof pillars, makes for better peripheral vision. Not only does this
help during parking and turning maneuvers, but the larger windows also let more
sunlight into the cabin.
The Convertible’s low, light design emphasizes the car’s distinctive shoulder
line. With the top down, this low shoulder line – as well as a low windshield and a
seating position moved further to the rear – enhance the feeling of openness. And
lowering the hardtop is as easy as pressing a button. Want it lowered? Hold
the button down, and the three roof parts stack, then stow in the trunk. Going
shopping but want to leave the top down? With the optional Comfort Access,
FAST CHANGE:
FROM HARDTOP
TO CONVERTIBLE
IN SECONDS
22 sec.
8 sec.
BMW Magazine
which includes a convenient opening and closing loading
feature, the hardtop stack can be raised up and out of the
trunk, far enough for you to stow your gear – then low-
ered back down.
With the 3 Series Convertible, BMW is the first car-
maker in the world to use Sun-Reflective Technology –
a special process developed for the leather upholstery
and interior lining. Modified, “cool” color pigments
embedded in the leather help reflect the infrared radia-
tion in sunlight, effectively preventing the buildup of
excessive temperatures. And when the mercury climbs,
Sun-Reflective Technology can hold seating surface tem-
peratures to as low as 68°F!
The new BMW 3 Series Convertible combines its
unmistakable appearance with an equally unique driving
experience. Fitted with the standard 6-speed manual,
the 300-horsepower 335i with 3.0-liter, fuel-injected
twin-turbo inline six can whisk you from stop to 60 in
just 5.5 seconds.1 The 328i Convertible delivers 230 hp at
6500 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque at just 2750 rpm, for Above: with its lightweight aluminum suspension and innovative technology that delivers agile yet stable handling,
satisfyingly muscular acceleration. the 3 Series Convertible is a joy – even when the weather isn’t.
With either engine, the new BMW 3 Series Convert- Below: in just 22 seconds, the three-part hardtop retracts, stacks and disappears into the trunk, revealing a sleek,
ible delivers smooth, fast-revving response and
refined power – and fun – at all times.
sun-loving convertible.
1 5.7 seconds with STEPTRONIC automatic transmission. BMW AG test
results. Obey local speed laws and always wear safety belts.
BMW Magazine
 BMW 335i Convertible Specs

Engine liter/type 3.0/inline 6

Displacement cc 2979
Nom. output@rpm hp 300@5800
300@
Max. torque@rpm lb-ft
1400-5000
Top speed 1 mph 130
Acceleration 2
0-60 mph sec 5.5
1 Top speed limited electronically; 150 mph with
optional Sport Package.
2 BMW AG test results, manual transmission;
5.7 seconds with automatic transmission.

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

Technology Adaptive Headlights

HOW DO
ADAPTIVE
HEADLIGHTS
ACTUALLY WORK?

Adaptive Headlights are designed to follow

the contours of a road and light up curves.
They make nighttime driving more illuminating
– and more enjoyable.

Te x t : M i c h a e l S e i t z

Many people avoid driving in the dark. At night, visibility is

diminished, and drivers are dazzled by oncoming headlights.
This calls for extra concentration, and so fatigue sets in more quickly.
Small wonder that accidents occur more frequently at night!
BMW has always given high priority to improving safety through
better lighting. For this reason, BMW introduced bright Xenon
headlights in 1991 and, 10 years later, Xenon lights for both high
and low beams. The year 2003 marked the arrival of Adaptive Head-
light technology; with the introduction of the all-new 3 Series Coupe
and X5 models and the redesigned X3 came a light for tight curves
and corkscrew roads.
Each of these developments helped improve visibility. The safety
benefits have been so clear that the number of vehicles equipped
with Xenon lights has grown steadily. Today, almost half of all BMW
PHOTO: HERIBERT SCHINDLER vehicles are delivered with Xenon headlights. Many customers also
choose the Adaptive Headlights option, since this technology further
improves visibility, particularly when taking curves quickly.
Thanks to precise and responsive swivel technology, dynamic
curve-lighting systems are able to follow the twists and turns of
the road ahead at all times. Whereas conventional headlights direct
the beams straight ahead, and thus leave a significant part of the
road dark in the curves, BMW’s Adaptive Headlight technology
improves visibility up to 90 percent. These mobile headlights have a

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

 The headlights illuminate the road ahead and through the curve (Illustration left) by means of the swiveling motion shown above.
swiveling range of approximately 15 degrees, and are synchronized
with the vehicle’s speed. Supplementing this feature is Cornering
Lights, which come on gradually when taking tight curves at lower
speeds. Additional projectors, integrated with the foglights or the
double headlights, are directed at the inside of the curve. This feature
is offered in the all-new X5, 3 Series Coupe and redesigned X3.
The BMW headlights move by means of precision step motors.
In just a fraction of a second, these motors smoothly rotate the
bearing-mounted reflectors to a precisely calculated position.
Although the mechanical aspects are hardly new, the sophisti-
cated intelligent control unit represents a considerable investment of
time by BMW engineers. Frank Bilz, the specialist responsible for
in-house software development, knows more than anyone about the
ELIMINATING THE UNPLEASANT
ASPECTS OF NIGHTTIME DRIVING
system’s finer points. “Unlike other manufacturers, we use not just
steering wheel movements to control the swiveling reflectors. We also
link these to data measuring the actual driving speed and yaw rate.”
“Yaw rate” refers to the car’s rotary movement about the vertical
axis. It precisely describes the actual vehicle dynamics, making it
possible to calculate, in advance, the radius of a curve for speeds over
18 mph. Steering angle, yaw rate and vehicle speed are transmitted by
BMW’s Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) systems to a specially
developed control unit that operates the step motors in the head-
lights. With this, BMW has created even, reliable lighting that is also
pleasing to the human eye.
Frank Bilz describes a couple of driving situations in which the
BMW system is in a class of its own. “Our system is designed to
recognize minor steering corrections when driving at highway
speeds, so the headlights don’t swivel from side to side unnecessarily.
The same applies if the driver makes continuous minor adjustments
BMW Magazine
to the steering angle when taking a curve. Occasionally, in more
extreme driving situations, the actual position of the steering wheel Girard-Perregaux for BMW ORACLE Racing
does not indicate the desired direction of travel. But our high-quality
data make it possible to avoid system malfunctions that would
distract the driver.” Thanks to the control unit, the software devel-
oped in-house, and the quality of processed data, BMW engineers
have also been able to adjust the Adaptive Headlight system to suit
individual vehicle models. After all, there’s a significant difference in
driving styles between a Z4 Roadster and a 7 Series Sedan.
In years to come, BMW engineers hope to create a system that
not only recognizes the driving situation, but will also be able to look
one or two curves ahead. This is an area of research in which Frank
Bilz and his colleague, Johannes Aulbach, are already involved.
“It should be possible to integrate data from the navigation system
and image-processing camera sensors in order to develop the system
even more,” says Aulbach.
In any case, local information supplied by the Navigation system
PHOTO: ULI HECKMANN; ILLUSTRATION: TECHNICAL ART/ S C H Ä F E R
will soon support headlight control systems. Dynamic headlights
will then provide illumination on urban and country roads and
highways. Depending on the traffic situation, the reach of the beams
would be wider and shorter in urban areas (like low beams on SEA HAWK PRO 1000m – Golden Gate Yacht Club
the country roads), and on highways they would also illuminate the Exclusive model dedicated to BMW ORACLE Racing Team’s home Club.
neighboring lane. Water resistant to 1,000 metres. Equipped with a screw-down back and a helium relief valve,
But that’s not all. BMW engineers and their development part- Girard-Perregaux GP033R0 mechanical movement, with automatic winding,
ners have set their long-term sights even higher. With “pixel light,” vulcanized rubber strap with folding buckle.
they expect to be able to either illuminate – or eliminate – all indi-
Limited and numbered edition to 1,000 pieces.
vidual objects within range of the headlights. For example, using
information from cameras and other data sources, the technology
www.girard-perregaux.com
will be able to cancel out light from oncoming traffic that comes
into a driver’s line of vision, as well as cast a bright, focused beam on
the immediate surroundings, especially on pedestrians and
road signs.
Dream job Safety car driver
A DAY WITH
CARLOS
PRÁTOLA,
M OTO GP SAFETY
CAR DRIVER
Helmet on, gloves on, eyes forward.
It’s shortly before two o’clock on
Sunday afternoon. In about a minute
the MotoGP race at the Automotodrom
Brno, Czech Republic, will begin. Carlos
Prátola focuses on the group of motor-
cycles 100 yards in front of his BMW
M6. Two, one, go: the 19 bikes, each with
the strength of 240 horses, jump to life
and propel their riders into the first
curve. Prátola hits the accelerator and
the M6 shoots off behind the pack. He is
the official BMW safety car driver for
the 17 races of the motorcycle world
championship. The Argentinean always
follows the competitors on the opening
lap of each race. “The first lap is the
most dangerous,” he says. “The riders are
still tightly bunched and just a small
mistake can result in a mass pileup.”
In the event of an accident, the for-
mer rally driver has to decide within
seconds whether to radio the stewards
and recommend they stop the race, or
allow it to continue. In an emergency, he
requests immediate medical assistance
and, with the help of co-driver Albert
Vilaró, secures the area of the accident.
BMW Magazine
THE FIRST LAP OF A MOTORCYCLE RACE IS THE MOST DANGEROUS. THE SAFETY CAR FOLLOWS
THE BIKES SO THAT IT CAN BE ON THE SCENE IMMEDIATELY IF AN ACCIDENT OCCURS.
Driving almost at top speed, Prátola
takes the white M6 through the 14
curves of the 1.33-mile track. The
BMW’s 500 hp makes it twice as power-
ful as the bikes, but the two-wheelers
still have the edge in the curves. It’s a
matter of weight: at 4,000 lbs., the safety
car is 12 times heavier than the MotoGP
machines. After about two and a half
minutes, Prátola rolls back into the pit
lane. Everything has gone smoothly so
far, but the car and its driver remain on
standby for the rest of the race.
The race day starts early for Prátola.
At 8:00 a.m., in the BMW, he is the first
man out on the track checking that it
is safe for the race to proceed. No dirt,
no leaves, no patches of oil. Before each
practice session and race, he checks the
precision of the timing systems in the
M6 one last time; the car is fitted with
the same transponders as the bikes
themselves.
Shortly after 3:00 p.m., the presenta-
tion ceremony marks the end of Carlos
Prátola’s day. Now he can step out of his
TEXT: WOLFGANG SCHNEIDER; PHOTOS: MICHAEL KAMMETER
overalls. The next races for the MotoGP
will be in Malaysia, Australia and Japan.
The teams and equipment hit the road
again. “I like driving fast. I have a great
car to work with, get to see the world,
and I’m paid to do it. That’s pretty
special,” Prátola says, but neglects to
mention the responsibility and stress
involved. While Prátola relaxes with his
family in Barcelona before the next race,
the M6 is given a thorough inspection
by BMW engineers, and made
ready for its next performance.
Ready for action: driver Carlos
Prátola and co-driver Albert
Vilaró with the BMW M6 safety
car at the MotoGP race in the
Czech Republic (above and
far left). Their job is to ensure
maximum safety in all 17 races
of the motorcycle world
championship.
Safety Driver Training The BMW Z4 M Coupe at the Galgenkopf segment of the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

KEEP YOUR
NERVES
IN THE
CURVES
The Nordschleife of the Nürburgring is one of the best known race stretches in the world.
BMW Driver Training teaches motorsport fans how to enjoy its thrills safely.

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine


Te x t : H e n r i L e s e w i t z Photos: Steffen Jagenburg
He has been projecting images onto the screen for two hours:
steering angles, curve radii, brake points. Yet the most important
concept cannot be explained by pictures or words, Karl-Heinz Müller
says. Humility is something you have to feel. Now, strapped in
behind the wheel, the instructor is in radio contact with the four cars
in his seminar group. “The Nordschleife is a beast, just waiting for
the slightest loss of concentration,” he tells the students. He adjusts
his dark aviator glasses, turns the ignition key and the 343-hp engine
under the hood of the dark-blue Z4 M Coupe springs to life. The
convoy slowly winds its way to the starting point of the first lap.
Müller leads in the pace car, the students follow in line behind
him. A few seconds later, the speedometer needles quiver at the
80-mph mark. Through the Tiergarten Passage, the twists and turns
of the Hatzenbach, then up the long, left curve to Schwedenkreuz.
BMW Magazine
As the cars tear over the asphalt, the trees in the fields dissolve into
a green blur.
This is just the warm-up. “OK – now into the crest from the right;
step on the gas. Approaching from the left gives you a tighter angle.
It would send you flying,” Müller warns. He has just enough time
to give the warning. It is a bad idea to open your mouth in the Fuchs-
röhre gully – the compression won’t let you close it again. Here’s the
Bergwerk, where Niki Lauda had that terrible crash. They take it with
a tug on the steering wheel. Next, the Mutkurve – definitely not the
place to lose your nerves.
Thrills are part of the package in BMW Driver Training on the
Nordschleife. This 13-mile rollercoaster ride is the oldest part of the
Nürburgring – and a legend in itself. A total of 73 curves mark this
historic winding stretch through the Eifel mountains. The experts
“THE SAFETY TRAINING
Facing page: Hatzenbach. Course
participants drive back leisurely and
then race through the segment again.
Right: back to Galgenkopf. To test their
own limits, the drivers run through the
last right curve before the Döttinger Höhe
several times.
SAVED ME.”
count over 30 different asphalt surfaces along the way. The track is
narrower than most country roads, and you go into most of the
curves blind. The Nordschleife was carved out of the mountains
79 years ago and was quickly recognized as one of the most unpre-
dictable, twisting and treacherous tracks anywhere. Over the decades,
hundreds of thousand of fans have flocked to this part of the track,
which drivers know as the “Green Hell.” Lauda’s crash in the 1976
Grand Prix, in which the world champion almost burned to death,
brought about the end of the Formula 1 era at the Nordschleife.
Today, the course is used only for testing and driver training pro-
grams. But the mystique remains. BMW Driver Training courses
for various levels of ability take place here several times a year. The
two-day Nordschleife seminar is sold out quickest of all.
A total of 86 enthusiasts from all over the world turned up at
the track early last September to get behind the wheel of the new
Z4 M Coupe, which was making its debut at a BMW Driver Training
course. A road-going car with a 6-speed manual transmission and
racetrack technology, the Z4 M Coupe does 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds.
The watchful eye of the DSC driver-assist system helps recognize
unstable situations right at the outset and makes the necessary cor-
rections.
With the warm-up safely concluded, Müller draws to a halt
before the Galgenkopf segment, which the group will practice on for
BMW Magazine
 “WE’RE GOING TO BLAST UP TO THE
SCHWEDENKREUZ AT 135 TO 140 MPH AND
STEER SMOOTHLY AROUND THE CURVE.”

Above: the BMW paddock at the Nürburgring.

Tire walls separate the old Grand Prix track
from the Nordschleife. Top right: racing fans
leave their words of encouragement on the
asphalt. Right: conference at Metzgesfeld.

the next hour – at first on foot. “What can you tell from the tire
marks here?” asks Müller, pointing to the rubber streaks leading into
the grass at the end of the left-hand curve. A collective shoulder
shrug. Thomas Just, a tax consultant who has completed all the
Nordschleife seminars so far this year, raises his hand: “A lot of
drivers shoot off to the left here because they turn in too late.”
“A good deduction,” says Müller, who is actually a police inspector in
daily life. The BMW driving courses fill in his free time. Now and
then he takes motorsport tourists on a tour of the track in the
famous BMW M5 Ringtaxi. Müller has 20 years of experience on the
Nordschleife and knows every foot of the Green Hell, including the
key Galgenkopf segment. “Take a look at the barriers,” he tells his
students, pointing to the rusty metal fence with fading graffiti on
the right. “Obviously no one ever crashes here. Now look over to the
left.” Gleaming silver for about 100 yards. “They’re always replacing
the barrier here, even though it’s a left-hander. You have to make
sure you’re going straight again when you come out of the curve.”
Precision pays.

Now into the cars. The students pass through the Galgenkopf
one by one. The brutal acceleration force punches them back into
their seats; hit the brakes briefly, pull the wheel, brace the neck mus-
cles against the pressure, countersteer, rev the engine up to 7000 rpm,
shift into high – and back to the starting position. Again and again,
until the perfect driving line is programmed in their minds.
Once you’ve wrestled with the laws of physics on the Nord-
schleife, you’ll never be free of motorsport fever. Müller’s group is
known as “Ten plus.” These are the drivers who have attended at least
10 seminars. Rüdiger Gier has completed 13. He gives himself one as
a birthday present each year. Tomorrow he will be 63. “I’m impressed
by what a car like this is capable of. You shoot into the curve with the
throttle wide open and, by rights, you should wind up like scrambled
eggs – but the car sticks to the road like glue,” he beams. In order
not to have to alternate behind the wheel with one of the other

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine


participants, Gier actually booked two slots in the seminar. Twice the
cost, double the fun. And double the mental strain. But that barely
registers with Gier, a building contractor who shuttles 120,000 miles
each year between construction sites.
Software developer Helmut Bründl has lost track of how many
driver training courses he’s been on. For him, it’s a sport. “During the
two days of the seminar, I’ll only eat light meals and go to bed early.
You have to be 100 percent physically and mentally fit for the Nord-
schleife,” he says, and then describes how the safety skills he has
picked up helped him to avoid an accident. One day, a deer suddenly
appeared on the road in front of him. He braked briefly and hard – as
he had learned during BMW safety training – and darted around the
animal. It was a close call. “The training saved me – and the deer,” he
recalls.
The Nordschleife’s fame extends throughout the world. Apart
from Germans, American and Japanese visitors are the largest
national groups participating in the BMW Driver Training courses at
the Nürburgring. On this occasion, there is even a group of Russians
with their own interpreter, although they show no particular need to
make small talk. Bradleigh Boshoff has had the longest journey,
though. The BMW tire developer from South Africa has come to the
Nordschleife to work on his driving technique prior to testing ses-
sions back home.
Boshoff says he’s driven the Nordschleife hundreds of times in
virtual form in the video game GT4. “It’s very realistic, but the most
important thing doesn’t really come across in your living room – the
immense centrifugal force and the compression,” he remarks. This is
also where an attempt by Japanese engineers to build a replica of the
BMW Magazine
Left: the BMW Z4 M Coupe at the
Nürburgring – 343 hp, and 0 to 60 mph in
4.9 seconds. Below: Instructor Karl-Heinz
Müller explains how to take the curve.
His protégés pay close attention.
Daniel Bernhardt, Hollywood.
Doesn’t need a life coach.
“EASY ON THE STEERING WHEEL
– NO WHITE KNUCKLES!”
Nordschleife came up short. The topography of the Eifel mountains
just cannot be replicated.
Müller’s students have worked through four of the Nürburgring’s
segments in the last few hours. They’ve checked the barriers, tested
road-grip with their shoe soles and pushed themselves further and
further towards their own limits. Now the moment they’ve been
waiting for has come: the Ring itself. Müller steps on the gas and
pushes the rev counter needle into the 6000-rpm zone. The centrifu-
gal force has the tires squealing. Clutch, accelerate, brake. Traveling
in a line, no one in the group has trouble keeping up. Quite the
opposite, in fact. “OK,” says the instructor. His students hear the
calmly spoken words over the radio. “Now we’re going to blast up to
the Schwedenkreuz at 135, 140 mph, fly right over the crest and steer
smoothly through the curve. Easy on the steering wheel – I don’t
want to see any white knuckles. And Rüdiger, leave a bit more of The Patravi Tonneaugraph in stainless steel with chronograph,
a gap.” Segment by segment, he guides the group around the Nord-
big date and power reserve display is a perfect example of Carl F.
schleife. Ten minutes later the cars shoot into the finishing straight
at 150 mph. Bucherer’s unique philosophy. As an independent family business in
The groups mix easily with each other at beer time that evening Lucerne since 1919, our passion for perfection and love of detail have
as the drivers swap stories of their flirts with the laws of physics and
discuss how best to find the ideal driving line. Tomorrow is the never changed.
second day of the seminar, with four timed runs followed by laps
behind the pace car. The day’s activities could keep them talking www.carl-f-bucherer.com info@cfbnorthamerica.com 800 395 4306
into the night, but Müller knows the value of sleep. His watch says
10 o’clock – late enough. Tomorrow, the beast will be lurking around
one of the 73 curves and humility is the best form of defense. “That’s
PRIME TIME
something you have to keep telling yourself,” says Müller. It’s a
mantra that has allowed him to challenge the Green Hell for
20 years now without a single accident. bmw.com/drivertraining
SWISS WATCH
Company
Since 1984
#31 Horton Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101
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 BMW facelift BMW 5 Series

THE 5 SERIES
SUBTLY
SUPER With the new 2008 5 Series,
HEADLIGHT CLUSTER gets a cleaner look by
moving the orange reflectors off to the side – and a
brighter outlook, thanks to new optical headlight lenses.

BMW did what it does best:

refine, enhance and improve –
until they produced a stunning
example of innovation and balance.

AERODYNAMIC KIT complements the 550i Sport FRONT AIR DAM now has
Package’s 19-inch wheels and M Sport suspension – upturned edges, like a smile –
helping it sprint from 0-60 in 5.4 seconds. does it know it’s going to
accelerate a lot faster?

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

VISUAL ACCELERATION – gleaming wood trim and elegant
Dakota Leather stream back from the dash in a stylized flow.

Te x t : E l i M u s s e r

At first glance, differentiating the 2007 5 Series from the

EVERYTHING ABOUT THE 5 SERIES,
INSIDE AND OUT, REFLECTS AN INTEGRATED
APPROACH TO FORM AND FUNCTION.
2008 5 Series is a bit of a challenge. Sure, you’ll find the
redesigned air dam here, a newly striated taillight cluster
there – nice touches, but not exactly the stuff to inspire
double-takes from other drivers. But don’t be fooled: the
BMW gods of precision engineering have imbued the new
5 Series with innovations galore, from potent new engines
to innovative technologies.
The interior also benefits from luxurious cues and a
palette of personalizing options. From the dashboard back,
along the doors and center console, its curvaceous lines are
delineated in gleaming wood trim and artfully stitched
Dakota Leather. Silver Titanium trim adds a jeweler’s touch
to the redesigned steering wheel, as well as numerous con-
trols and knobs. Even the doors have large storage areas that
hold maps, tissues, sunglasses, travel books, magazines and
more with ease. Everything is plusher, richer, more inviting.
Which brings us to the driver’s seat. Slide your key fob
into the slot, and (while pressing down on the brake pedal,
of course) hit the Start button. You’ll notice something dear
to BMW fans: the sound of the exhaust – that familiar
metallic growl that lets you know something thrilling is
about to happen. Then get in gear (hey, the automatic trans-
mission gearshifter is different) and take off. It feels like
these new 5s have been to the gym. The power comes on
early, flinging you past the 60 mark very quickly.
You’re not just dreaming. The 535i/535xi is the lucky
recipient of BMW’s vaunted, new twin-turbo inline six-
cylinder engine. This 300-horsepower dynamo, which made
its debut last year in the 3 Series Coupe, marks BMW’s
welcome return to turbocharged technology. Its stellar per-
formance and fuel efficiency make it a natural fit for 5 Series
owners seeking both speed and savings at the pump.
Compliments are also in order for the new 528i/528xi
engine: a Valvetronic six-cylinder that calls up 230 galloping
horses and 200 lb-ft of rubber-burning torque. And while

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

the 550i retains the same award-winning 4.8-liter, 360-
horsepower V-8 as its predecessor, it’s always exhilarating to
experience its 0-60 time: a mere 5.4 seconds.1
Another 5 Series highlight: the transmission. Smooth
and accurate, it’s six forward speeds of pure driving
pleasure – and BMW offers some excellent choices when
it comes to goosing the gears. For those driving purists,
a slick-shifting manual transmission is standard in all
5 Series models. BMW’s STEPTRONIC automatic transmis-
sion gives you the freedom to alternate between automatic,
sport and clutch-free manual modes – and it’s now a no-cost
option, to boot. But for the truly shifting-obsessed, adding
a Sport Package to either the 535i or the 550i lets you
choose an optional über-inspiring Sport Automatic trans-
mission, complete with a set of paddle shifters2 on the
steering wheel, for faster upshifting, downshifting and
throttle blipping.
Once the performance perma-grin has worn off, you’ll
notice the 5 Series’ interior changes are thorough and well-
conceived. Not just a “reskinning,” BMW designers took
careful stock of every element within the cabin – and the
result is superb, even in the smallest detail. From leather-
wrapped door-pull handles to the refined center console
with a new iDrive Controller, the 5 Series exudes a more
premium personality than ever before. Fitting, since that
same spirit is mirrored in the available comfort and con-
venience features. Optional HD Radio™ gives you free
access to more digital AM and FM stations, all with clear,
static-free sound, as well as multicasting with innovative
data services. The optional Cold Weather Package adds a
heated steering wheel,2 as well as heated front and rear
seats. And speaking of rear seats, you’ll find separate read-
ing lights and climate controls for both sides, with enough
AN EXAMPLE
OF DYNAMIC BMW THINKING
THE 550i SPORT PACKAGE with Active Roll Stabilization reveals the high-performance soul of the 5 Series.
The suspension is tighter; the performance tires on 19-inch alloy wheels, larger. An Aerodynamic body kit,
Shadowline trim and exclusive Carbon Black Metallic paint complete the athletic, purposeful look.
44 BMW Magazine
legroom to keep long-limbed passengers happy. A spacious
trunk easily hauls luggage and other cargo. Now this is
smooth traveling.
In addition to myriad functional and aesthetic changes,
the 5 Series is available with brilliant new features and
options that cater to the driver’s senses – and sense of secur-
ity. Standard in the 528xi and 535xi, BMW’s xDrive all-
wheel-drive system knows where and when to distribute
power optimally for each individual wheel, resulting in
outstanding traction regardless of the road or weather
conditions. Then there’s optional Active Steering, which
intelligently adjusts steering ratio. At low speeds, it’s easier to
maneuver; at high speeds, handling is more stable.
Optional Active Cruise Control uses radar measurements
to help maintain a pre-set distance between your car and the
one ahead while the cruise control feature is in use. If your
vehicle begins to drift across lanes without first signaling,
BMW’s optional new Lane Departure feature discreetly alerts
you by gently vibrating the steering wheel. The optional
Head-up Display projects vital driving information in a small
yet easy-to-read area above the driver’s-side dash. The 5 Series
PHOTOS: MIERSWA-KLUSKA (1)
even offers optional NightVision, which uses long-distance
infrared technology to give you a better look at the road
ahead, in the dark – up to 300 yards away.
Even without dramatic exterior changes, the new 5 Series
is more desirable than ever, inside and out… which is exactly
as the engineers at BMW intended.
bmwusa.com
1 Manual transmission; 5.5 seconds, STEPTRONIC transmission.
2 Available as of June 2007 production.
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Architecture Rem Koolhaas

DELIRIOUS DESIGNS

Rem Koolhaas is a prophet of modernism.

The award-winning architect has given his profession new dimensions.
Te x t : N i k l a s M a a k

Casa da Musica, Porto, 2005: wave glass with a kaleidoscopic effect.

BMW Magazine

Public Library, Seattle, 2004: like no other building, it blurs inside-out boundaries.
If you happen to bump into Rem Koolhaas, perhaps hold a lecture, after that to visit a client in St. Peters-
at an art biennial in Venice, or a gallery opening in burg, or attend a convention in Berlin. Born in Rot-
London or in front of his Amsterdam office, it’s a terdam in 1944, the restless Koolhaas participates in
sure bet that he’ll have a mobile phone glued to his so many different panel discussions, research trips and
ear. A moment later he’ll be rushing off. Koolhaas professional events that it’s hard to shake the impres-
seldom stays in the same place more than one day. sion that there are at least two of him. There are few
At one time he was circling the globe on a regular other architects as mobile as Koolhaas – and not only
basis, from his Office for Metropolitan Architecture in the geographic sense. Even when relaxing, Koolhaas
(OMA) in Rotterdam to Seattle, for which he designed has to be in motion: he goes swimming every day
a spectacular library, from there to China, where he’s (they say his office maintains a list of addresses and
building new headquarters for the CCTV television the opening hours of hundreds of swimming pools
network, back to Europe, then to New York City to all over the world), and he loves driving. Koolhaas
used to drive an old Maserati, but ever since its engine
died with a loud bang on a Dutch autobahn, he’s been
driving a BMW 840i.
Koolhaas is currently considered the world’s most
important and influential living architect. Few others,
over the past decade, have so profoundly influenced
the field with their buildings and theories on the foun-
dations of architecture. Other fields have also felt his
impact. It’s no surprise that fashion mogul Miucca
Prada, for whom he designed several stores, counts
herself among his friends. Koolhaas’ career path has
been far from predictable. He grew up in Indonesia,
worked for a time as a journalist and even wrote
Public Library, Seattle, 2004:
a lemon-yellow escalator leads to the information desk and internet terminals.
BMW Magazine
PUBLIC LIFE CENTERS ON THE ROOF, WHICH RETRACTS
IN SUMMER SO EMPLOYEES CAN EAT OUTSIDE.
movie scripts. In 1978, when he was 34, he published a truly understand without a visit to Seattle, where his
literary manifesto that today has cult status for many revolutionary library building has given the city a
architects. Delirious New York is a mix of surrealist new center.
imagery, cultural analysis, architectural and urban his- “Washington – The Evergreen State.” The main
tory, and wild utopian fantasies portraying Koolhaas’ reason why it is “evergreen” here is because it never
view of the the Big Apple. stops raining. When the sun shines, it isn’t for long.
Demonstrating the road that an alternative mod- Especially in autumn, the fog can hang for days on end
ernism might take has been a goal for Koolhaas and over the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the passage connecting
the OMA architecture firm he founded with friends in Seattle with the open ocean. As the rain clouds move
1975. The group’s first creations went up in the 1980s, into Puget Sound from the nearby Pacific Ocean, the
and included the Nederlands Dans Theater in The Cape Flattery and Lower Elwaha Indian reservation
Hague. Rotterdam’s art museum followed the Villa all the way up to Seattle, it’s impossible to set foot
Dall’Ava in St. Cloud, near Paris, a building that outdoors without getting soaked to the bone. One
cavorts playfully on stilts and has a pool on the roof. needs to be aware of this in order to fully appreciate
The spectacular rooftop landscaped gardens of the the new library. It lights up the block between 4th and
Nexus House Project in Tukwoka, Japan came next. 5th Avenues like a great multifaceted gemstone. Dur-
In 1998, the villa that cemented Koolhaas’ fame ing the day, when the gray skies are reflected from its
appeared. Commissioned to build a house in Bor- glassy surface, it appears like a brooding monolithic
deaux, France by the proprietor of the newspaper Sud sculpture over which someone has pulled a brightly
Ouest, Koolhaas designed the entire structure around colored fishnet stocking. But after dark the library
a platform capable of moving up and down to meet turns transparent and lights up from within, revealing
the paralyzed owner’s needs. While confined to his its inner framework and becoming a sparkling center
wheelchair, the owner can access different levels of the of vitality in this quiet section of a city jam-packed
house from the platform. Two years later, Koolhaas with skyscrapers. Like San Francisco, the streets
was awarded the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s equiva- plunge straight down to the harbor and Elliot Bay. No
lent of the Nobel Prize. sidewalk cafés, no crowds were found in this part of
Koolhaas asks basic questions: how else could a
house look? How might the city of the future be
organized? What do concepts like private sphere, com-
munication, individual and collective identity really
mean, and how are they expressed in buildings? To
explore such issues, Koolhaas has created his own
think tank in Rotterdam. Named AMO, the reverse
of OMA, his office’s name, this group researches the
basic assumptions underlying architecture and soci-
ety, the overarching social, aesthetic and political
framework in which the building industry functions.
How does this affect his own designs? The interesting
thing about building a new Prada store in Manhattan,
for example, says Koolhaas, is the chance to “create a
new definition of what a store is, what it can be. It is
also a public space. A stage. In SoHo we created a
space which can be used culturally as well as commer-
cially: the store’s merchandise hangs on rails dropped
from the ceiling, but they can be pushed aside to make
way for a collapsible stage, and the wide staircases
double as amphitheater seating. The whole store then
becomes a stage.”
Koolhaas is attempting to invent a new kind of
public space and his work is probably impossible to
Netherlands Embassy, Berlin, 2003:
like a worm winding through a magic cube.
BMW Magazine
 Seattle before Koolhaas erected his new interpretation
of public space there.
The new $165 million library leaps back from the
rigid street line, creating space for a public plaza – as
does Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building in New
York City. But in Seattle, the plaza is a patch of wild
vegetation. The untamed garden, designed by Petra
Blaisse, serves as a surrealistic reminder of the day
when the first settlers laid eyes on forest-encircled
Elliot Bay. The first surprising aspect of Koolhaas’
creation is how it blurs the boundary between the
building’s interior and the outside surroundings. A
visitor entering from 5th Avenue immediately arrives
at a public square complete with coffee stand, the
ambiance of a train station, and a view of the street
and the passing traffic. The whole square is sheltered
by the façade, which arches overhead like a giant
transparent umbrella, very necessary in rainy Seattle.
The space is a combination waiting room, abstract
garden and oversized living room. It’s a loggia that
brings in city life, erasing the distinction between
public and private space. Adding to the interplay is
the light blue- and turquoise-glazed steel frame of the
façade itself. Twisting and folding from inside to out,
it manages to morph into a wall, a floor and then a
ceiling.
At the back of the 425-seat auditorium is an esca-
lator whose gleaming lemon-yellow color sets you
blinking uncontrollably. It leads to the so-called “Mix-
ing Chamber,” and across a brushed metal floor to
the information desk. Since a library without internet
access would be unthinkable in the hometown of

REM KOOLHAAS
Rem Koolhaas, 62, is one of the most gifted architects of our
day and a leading theoretician in the field. Originally a film
scriptwriter and journalist, he went on to study architecture
with friends, and established the Office of Metropolitan Archi-
tecture (OMA) in 1975. In the early 1980s, Koolhaas began
turning his ideas into buildings; the Nederlands Dans Theater in
The Hague brought him world acclaim. He is currently working
on the headquarters for Chinese Television, which is scheduled
for completion in 2008, in time for the Beijing Olympics.

Maison à Bordeaux, Bordeaux, 1998: three floors linked by a lift platform that transforms into a bathroom, office and dining room.

BMW
50 Magazine
BMW Magazine BMW Magazine
 KOOLHAAS HAS THEM ALL: THE PRITZKER PRIZE,
THE MIES VAN DER ROHE AWARD, AND MANY MORE.
Microsoft and Amazon, this level has a free internet
café with 132 terminals.
Beyond this electronic window to the world beck-
ons a panorama of Elliot Bay, from which small boats
leave for Victoria and Vancouver. Beneath the Mixing
Chamber, within a bright red and astoundingly – for
Koolhaas – biomorphic labyrinth, are conference
rooms and underneath them, the Children’s Center,
with a collection of over 80,000 children’s books.
Another shocking-yellow escalator leads to the heart
of the library, a spiral that winds upwards through
rows of bookshelves containing 750,000 volumes right
up to the glass roof, and 400 chairs and reading areas
with a view of the city and the bay.
The spiral can be expanded to hold 1.4 million
volumes. There has never been a library like this.
When the rain outside drums endlessly on the glass,
the library serves as an innovative fusion of the private
and the public – a gigantic, collective living room. Vis-
itors spend hours on couches reading newspapers,
magazines and books, many of them waiting for
friends who work in neighboring office towers.
Koolhaas has put up buildings in three cities over
the past two years. Each maximizes the spiral design,
which has generated unexpected spaces. Besides Seat-
tle, there is the Casa da Musica in Porto, Portugal.
Located on the Plaza Rotunda da Boavista, the build-
Prada Store, New York, 2001:
redefined public space.
52 BMW Magazine
Nederlands Dans Theater, The Hague, 1967: one of the first projects by the OMA architecture group.
ing resembles a futuristic crustacean deposited on
the Avenida da Boavista by the waves of the Atlantic
Ocean. Visitors enter it as if boarding a spaceship: by
way of a glowing neon staircase jutting from its belly,
which leads to a deep slit in the façade. A last look at
the city’s quietly proud middle-class houses with their
bright red roofs – and then it’s on into this combina-
tion concrete cathedral, giant futuristic snail shell, and
ship’s hull. A staircase, wide as a room, leads up to
the huge concert hall in the upper levels. If we take
PHOTOS: CHRISTIAN RICHTERS (2); ARTUR/CHRISTIAN RICHTERS (2); HANS WERLEMANN (2); SIPA/CASEY KEVIN; MICHAEL MORAN; JOHN OFFENBACH; OSTKREUZ/THOMAS MEYER; ESTO/PETER AARON
the architect at his word, the Casa da Musica is only an
enlarged version of a private residence.
Koolhaas is not only trying to direct our angle of
vision to the vertical, he actually conceives of a ver-
tically organized city. Berlin presents an example. Its
new Netherlands Embassy there is a freestanding
magic cube, which appears to twist and pulsate as if
someone were trying to pull it apart. Glass ramps
pushing through the metal walls make it seem like an
organ inside the silver block which is about to explode.
When Porto, Spain, was designated the Cultural
Capital of 2001, Koolhaas wanted to build a concert
hall with a glass façade on both sides. Flat surfaces,
however, have poor acoustic properties. Together with
engineers Cecil Balmond and Renz von Luxemburg,
Koolhaas developed a huge sheet of waved glass to sep-
arate the concert hall from the city. The glass wall’s
undulations are adapted from a sine wave, which makes
the wall so sturdy that it doesn’t need steel or concrete
reinforcement. At the same time, the wall provides bet-
ter acoustics than any other type of glass pane.
“I’m interested in the idea of congestion,” says
Koolhaas. “When you can’t build infinitely upwards
anymore, things have to be organized in new and
more precise ways, compacted, radicalized.” The inte-
rior of the embassy is radically new: there are no stairs
or even floors anymore. A shiny aluminum-clad corri-
dor, stair-like in places, ramp-like in others, winds like
a crazy worm through no less than 20 levels. Here and
there, the corridor opens into sitting areas or pushes
past the walls onto a green glass floor through which
the street below is visible. The “worm” bores through
the building right up to the roof. Meeting rooms and
offices branch off from the corridors. Koolhaas’
embassy replaces the traditional office building with a
work landscape: the 200-yard-long walk seems more
like a stroll through a mountain village than a normal
office. The public side of this miniature city centers on
the roof, where a gym and cafeteria are located. In the
summer the roof is opened so that the employees can
enjoy eating in the open air. To a small extent, this is a
realization of Koolhaas’ “culture of congestion,” and
the dream of the vertical city with which the 34-year-
old began his career in Delirious New York.
www.oma.nl
BMW Magazine 53
New: BMW ALPINA B7

BMW ALPINA B7:

A BLUE STREAK
FROM BAVARIA

Automotive specialty firm ALPINA

takes the BMW 7 Series Sedan and
creates horsepower of a different color.

Te x t : V i c t o r i a L i s t

Forget taking the plane. The BMW ALPINA B7 is so fast

and so luxurious, you’ll want to drive there instead.
(And you’ll probably arrive sooner.)

BMW Magazine
 If Germany were the face of a clock, Buchloe would mark
the “6.” Located at the bottom of Bavaria, with the Alps
as a backdrop, this small town of just over 12,000 is impor-
tant to driving enthusiasts the world over for one reason: it’s
home to the automotive tuning company, ALPINA.
Less than 50 miles away lies Munich, the Bavarian capital
and home of BMW – which has been ALPINA’s sole client since
it was established in 1964. Since then, ALPINA has made its
name by taking production BMWs, retooling their engines for
added power, and refitting their interiors with exclusive, luxe
materials. ALPINA creations can be always identified by their
special badging and 20-spoke alloy wheels. The latest BMW to
receive the ALPINA touch is the 7 Series Sedan. Dubbed the
BMW ALPINA B7, this unique 500-horsepower luxury sedan is
available exclusively through BMW of North America.
The transformation begins with the engine, BMW’s 4.4-
liter V-8. All the main parts destined for a BMW ALPINA B7
are given extra heat treatments at the BMW engine plant in
Steyr, Austria. These parts are then shipped to Buchloe, where
ALPINA assembles them into V-8 engines, but with a difference:
the addition of a Nautilus-style radial compressor and a fully
remapped engine management system (ECU). Supercharging
BMW’s V-8, together with Valvetronic engine “breathing” tech-
nology results in fearsome power with excellent fuel efficiency.
The completed engines, along with special six-part cooling
units, are then forwarded to the 7 Series plant in Dingolfing,
where BMW ALPINA B7 assembly continues by hand. In addi-
56 BMW Magazine
tion to a selection of paints, upholstery colors and wood trims,
purchasers can also choose the signature ALPINA Blue exterior
paint and Cream Beige Leather upholstery, warmed by hand-
some Burl-Maple Wood trim. Each vehicle is carefully assem-
bled on the 7 Series production line, but customized by ALPINA
with special ALPINA parts, ECU software uploading, airbags
and more. The finished vehicles are sent back to Buchloe for
final inspection, and then shipped to the U.S.
Outside, numerous clues give away the BMW ALPINA B7’s
not-so-secret identity as a serious performer – such as
massive 21-inch alloy wheels (quickly slowed down by equally
sizeable 14.7-inch front, 14.6-inch rear brakes), and a deep front
air dam with large air intakes. At the back sits a rear-deck spoiler
whose small size is a sharp contrast to its uncanny ability to help
keep the rear of the vehicle stable and firmly grounded as the
speedometer needle swings toward faster speeds.
In lesser vehicles, the need for a spoiler may seem gratuitous;
however, in the BMW ALPINA B7, it’s a necessity. Courtesy of
that supercharged V-8, it’s disconcertingly easy to find yourself
on the far side of 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds. From the moment
WHILE THE BMW ALPINA B7’S
BLISTERING PERFORMANCE
MAY HEAT YOUR BLOOD,
THE COCKPIT REMAINS
A SOOTHING ENVIRONMENT.
you press the accelerator pedal, to the point where it nearly
reaches the plushly carpeted floor, it unleashes a smooth and
constant torrent of torque while busily spooling the supercharger.
And should you find yourself on a racetrack where it’s legal to
break the sound barrier, with your safety belt fastened and your
lunch completely digested – floor it. With a lusty howl, the
BMW ALPINA B7 lunges for the horizon at what seems to be
warp speed. Yet the most amazing numbers of all can be found
at – of all places – the gas pump: 15 mpg city, 23 highway.
The BMW ALPINA B7’s handling is as eye-opening as its
raw acceleration. Endowed with BMW’s near-perfect 50/50
weight distribution, Active Roll Stabilization feature, and unique
ALPINA sport-suspension setting, and shod with 245/35ZR-21
front, 285/30ZR-21 rear performance tires, this full-size sedan
eagerly attacks curves with a degree of grace, composure and
ferocity that is truly exhilarating to behold.
Above: the BMW ALPINA B7 shows off its wind-cheating
form. Special ground effects and a rakish rear spoiler
not only give it a more athletic look, but help keep this
sprinter glued to the ground – even at its top speed of
186 mph.
Left: high-gloss, reddish-brown Burl-Maple Wood trim
enhances the BMW ALPINA B7’s beautiful interior.
A vehicle capable of such near-effortless high perform-
ance requires instrumentation to match. So the leather-
wrapped, three-spoke ALPINA sport steering wheel offers
SWITCH-TRONIC shift buttons on the back for those who like
their driving style on the Formula 1 side. For those times when
you prefer a more laid-back experience, there’s the smooth-as-
silk 6-speed automatic.
And while the BMW ALPINA B7’s blistering performance
may heat your blood, the cockpit remains a soothing environ-
ment, with dash gauges bathed in a cool ALPINA blue.
Of course, all this show-stopping performance in a vehicle
that is the epitome of sporty style and elegance does not come
cheap. But if you are in the financial neighborhood, you’d have
to look far and wide to find a vehicle that could make you feel so
blessed to be in possession of a driver’s license.
alpina-automobiles.com
BMW Magazine 57
 The Power Of Time –
Driving skills Snow conditions

SAFETY TIPS FOR THE SNOW

The Valeo Reserve. Winter holds challenges in store. You should be properly
equipped and know the right driving techniques.
Here are some tips for slippery slopes.

When driving downhill on slippery roads,

Valeo - from Latin meaning to have power
or influence, to prevail. The Valeo Reserve
adds meaning to the word power. The Freezing temperatures, snow and ice
art of watch making, challenged from make driving difficult in winter. It’s hard
concept to delivery. Each detail carefully going uphill on snow-covered roads, unless
scrutinized, resulting in a powerful you’re properly equipped and know a few
demonstration of design and function. little tricks. First of all, BMW recommends
A source of innovation since 1927 in winter tires at all four wheels – not just for
Glashütte, Tutima is recognized by higher altitudes, but even in lowland areas
that see little snow. It gets icy there, too, and
horology and aviation professionals
if you still have summer “performance”
worldwide. The introduction of the Valeo
tires, braking distances are longer and road-
Reserve demonstrates the belief that as grip in curves is reduced.
long as you strive for the highest level of When you are about to go up a hill in
integrity, there will be those who will snowy conditions, BMW’s driving experts
appreciate it. suggest that you do it with a running start.
www.tutima.com On icy roads it is virtually impossible to take
steep slopes in low gear. Drivers with man-
ual gearboxes should stay in a high gear as
long as possible. Also, a quick jab on the
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) button
before starting the climb activates Dynamic
Traction Control (DTC). This system allows
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it is essential that Dynamic Stability Con-
trol (DSC) is once again engaged. It’s best
to take descents slowly and in a low gear.
Depending on the speed, you should either
brake gently or accelerate cautiously. With
automatic transmission, the stability control
system recognizes the specific situation and
selects the appropriate gear setting.
Even if you are driving carefully with the
help of DSC, things can get tricky on down-
hill curves. The car may understeer, where
the front wheels skid towards the outside of
the curve. If that happens, try to keep the
vehicle on the road by maintaining the nor-
mal steering wheel position in the curve –
and do not steer harder into the curve until
you have regained directional control.
Vehicles with BMW’s xDrive have an eas-
ier time in winter. Thanks to this intelligent
all-wheel-drive system, they have outstand-
ing traction going uphill. On downhill runs,
you can keep the vehicle to a slow, steady
speed without riding the brake by pushing
the Hill Descent Control (HDC) button.
Here too, DSC picks the best possible trac-
tion for all four wheels to help take the
vehicle to the bottom.
All xDrive vehicles are now equipped
with DTC for better running starts and
ascents with slightly spinning wheels. And
to make maneuvering out of snowy or tight
parking spaces easier, don’t forget to turn
the DSC off to activate the DTC system.
In extreme conditions, experts advise
the use of snow chains, even if your vehicle
is equipped with xDrive all-wheel drive.
BMW recommends that these should always
be attached to the rear wheels.
bmw.com/drivertraining

For a booklet on TUTIMA INSTRUMENT WATCHES, including authorized dealers in North America, please contact: Tutima USA, Inc., T: 888-462-7888, info@tutima.com
BMW Magazine
 Vehicle testing 6 Series prototypes

DANCING ON
ICE AT
-13°F
IT STARTS WITH

DUST
AND DIRT

TRIED,
TESTED,
AND
KNOCKED
ABOUT
In debugging the BMW 6 Series,
the prototypes were treated horribly.
Relentless testing under
extreme conditions
in all parts of the globe.

POLAR PIROUETTES
On a frozen lake in northern Sweden, the BMW
6 Series prototypes drive in circles to test
the anti-skid control system. At night with the
temperature at minus 40°F, testing was done
for cold engine starts, the effectiveness of the
heating system, and the winter performance
of all individual components. Parts of the BMW
test track were heated for uphill traction tests
so that, for example, the car’s left wheels were
riding on asphalt while the right wheels were
on snow (next page).

DUST TRAP
During the first tests on BMW’s track in
Miramas, the prototype learned to eat dust.
The track was strewn with chalk dust, which
left its marks all over the car. Water tanks
on the rear seats simulated the weight of
passengers (far right, top).

BMW Magazine
118°F
IN THE

FURNACE
OF DEATH VALLEY

MARATHON THROUGH HELL

California’s Death Valley, with temperatures
reaching 122ºF, is the hottest place in the U.S.
Prior to testing, the prototypes stand for hours
in the grueling sun. The temperature in the pas-
senger compartment can go as high as 176ºF.
That makes the mountain-valley tests a torture
for both driver and car. All 30,000 components
have to be able to survive the inferno.
ROAD MAP
TO
PERFECTION

MID-TERM REPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA

Driving on selected roads, members of the BMW
Board of Management get a firsthand impression
of the new sports car’s performance. They are the
most rigorous examiners – which is all the better
for the customer. The aim is not to find out what
is good, but what could be better. The new BMW
6 Series receives a glowing report.
Te x t : W o l f g a n g S c h n e i d e r
The most important thing about a proto-
type is the tape – black, waterproof tape.
It makes the features unrecognizable – at
least the crucial ones. Two years before
the production launch, prototypes and pre-
production models of the BMW 6 Series
Coupe and Convertible embarked on a
world tour. Well camouflaged, these under-
cover models traveled from northern
Sweden to South Africa, and from the U.S.
to Japan. They crunched over rough gravel
tracks, endured blistering-hot deserts, and
drifted through icy Arctic landscapes. No
form of torture was omitted. The test manual
prescribes well over 1,000 gruesome trials.
The test engineers were merciless and the
measuring devices incorruptible. The mis-
sion was to identify defects and eliminate
them. The cars were mishandled, tormented
and abused until there was no more room
for improvement. A BMW must never show
the slightest sign of weakness.
Miramas, France. From the word “go,” the
first 6 Series prototypes get a dirty deal. No
sooner are they up and running, when the
prototypes are sent to BMW’s Miramas test
track in southern France and chased down
a section of road covered with chalk dust.
The aim is to find out the extent to which
the front, rear and sides pick up dirt. If it
exceeds a certain limit, the car’s design can
still be slightly modified at this early stage.
During the trial period, the prototypes fre-
quently come to Miramas for test drives on
Mont Ventoux. They carry water canisters
in the rear seats to simulate the weight of
passengers, or rack up miles on the facility’s
high-speed section: 24,000 miles, traveling
non-stop with throttle wide open, equals
120,000 miles of normal highway driving.
Arjeplog, Sweden. Hour after hour, the
6 Series Coupe and Convertible prototypes
flit back and forth on frozen Kakel Lake.
Extended power drifts on clear ice at minus
13°F are common maneuvers at this facility,
which lies just 30 miles south of the Arctic
Circle. The cars act as rolling laboratories,
bristling with sensors and packed to the
roof with measuring devices. This is where
the stability control systems are tested, ad-
justed and fine-tuned. These systems have
to function with absolute precision, yet not
influence driving pleasure: not too soon, but
not a split-second too late, either. It’s a deli-
cate balancing act. For 30 years now, BMW
cars have been carrying out intensive winter
testing on artificial hills, sharp turns and
pitched ramps in the deep freeze around the
Arctic Circle. Up to 200 BMW engineers are
involved.
BMW Magazine
MORE
STOP THAN GO
IN
TOKYO
INTO THE TRAFFIC TURMOIL
OF A MEGACITY
The conurbation of Tokyo is the world’s largest
metropolitan area. Its narrow streets, millions
of cars and endless traffic jams, as well as
intolerable heat and humidity in summer, pose
extreme challenges for the lubrication and
cooling of the engine. After the racetrack, the
desert and the Arctic ice, the final major test
for the new BMW 6 Series is carried out at a
walking pace. Part of the Tokyo trials was to
check whether the sports car would fit
onto the local vehicle transporters.
PHOTOS: JÜRGEN KORINTH
Death Valley, California. 118°F in the shade.
Except that there is no shade. The BMW
6 Series Coupes and Convertibles are left
standing in the merciless midday desert sun
for hours. Death Valley, the hottest place in
the U.S., is where the cars are tested for
heat stability. None of the 30,000 or so
components is allowed to wilt. The black
sheetmetal almost hits the 212°F mark, and
inside it is a roasting 176°F. The test drivers
step into a sauna on wheels and, although
the air conditioning begins pumping cold
air in just 10 seconds, it takes a minute
before the cooling effect becomes notice-
able. That’s because the air ducts are the first
to absorb the cold. From Bad Water – at
284 feet below sea level, the lowest point
on earth – the route leads to a 15 percent
gradient, ending at Dante’s View, a lookout
point 5,000 feet above sea level. Road signs
caution drivers to switch off the air condi-
tioning while climbing the mountain. It may
seem paradoxical, but it makes good sense.
Some car engines suffer heatstroke in such
extreme conditions. In the 6 Series Coupe
and Convertible prototypes, the air condi-
tioning is left running full blast – but the
engines are undaunted. All the numbers fall
well within the acceptable limits. This is just
one of myriad tests carried out in the Cali-
fornia furnace. Bottom line: the 6 Series is fit
for desert duty.
Nürburgring, Germany. 13 miles, 73 turns,
gradients of up to 17 percent – the Nürburg-
ring’s Nordschleife ranks as the most chal-
lenging racetrack in the world. Covering 620
miles of the Nürburgring at racing speeds is
the equivalent of around 12,400 miles of
normal driving. Here, the slightest weakness
in handling, ride comfort or dynamics is
ruthlessly exposed. Every new BMW model
is tested and tweaked here. Fine-tuning the
suspension is like seasoning a gourmet dish:
you just have to keep trying it. Drive, feel,
observe. Analyze data, modify components,
adjust settings. Drive, feel, observe again.
Always at the limit, but never beyond it,
until everything is balanced, harmonious,
just right. Thousands of miles on the road
to perfection.
South Africa. Board members on board.
On selected routes, BMW executives get a
firsthand impression of the strengths and
weaknesses of the new BMW 6 Series. All
that counts is the driver’s impressions; the
rest is theoretical. You have to get behind the
wheel to know what the car can really do.
BMW’s board members are the most critical
judges – in the interests of the customers as
well as the company and its employees. “It’s
a bit like a mid-term report in school,” says
Michael Reger, project manager for vehicle
integration during the 6 Series testing per-
iod. “You think you’ve done well, but you
can’t help feeling nervous.” But that’s short-
lived: straight A’s for the 6.
Munich, Germany. Up, down, up, down,
up, down. A gearshift robot tirelessly works
the 6-speed transmission. Again and again it
shifts through the gears. Around the clock,
without a break, for two whole weeks. A
total of 320,000 times. Meanwhile the horn
has to sound 50,000 times at temperatures
ranging from 40°F below zero to over 221°F,
while a mechanical finger pushes the button
to release the safety belt 15,000 times in suc-
cession. The list goes on. While the BMW
6 Series prototypes are doing their job out in
the big, wide world, their components and
parts – from axles to softtop – are tested for
precision and durability at BMW’s Research
and Technology Center (FIZ). The loads
to which they are subjected are generally
higher than what they would endure over
the entire lifetime of the car.
Tokyo, Japan. Different country, different
road conditions, different fuel. How does
the engine in the BMW 6 Series cope with
the high-boiling-point fuel used in Japan?
And what about Tokyo’s chaotic traffic con-
ditions? Rush-hour traffic from morning
to night. Great heat, high humidity. High
demands on motor oil and engine cooling.
For days on end, the test vehicles crawl in
more or less permanent stop-go traffic. The
average driving speed in downtown Tokyo is
approximately 6 mph.
End of the road. All torments endured and
survived. Series production can begin. Hav-
ing done their duty and reached the end of
their martyrdom, the test cars are uncere-
moniously carted off to the scrapheap. No
leftover parts as souvenirs. The purpose of
prototypes is to satisfy the customer at
the wheel of the production model.
Development of the 6 Series on DVD
A camera team from the Discovery Channel
followed the development of the BMW 6 Series
for three years. The three-part documentary
A Car is Born (3 DVDs) can be ordered online at
amazon.com | discovery.com
BMW Magazine
I love my BMW
“I decided I would need to drive it at least
BRENDEN BARTOL, 300,000 miles to justify my investment,” Mr.
USA Bartol said. A long-time BMW owner, he never
doubted that the car would be up to the task.
BMW 740i After all, the 535i he traded in was a 225,000-
FROM 1995 mile veteran.
However, despite his confidence, he didn’t
expect the relationship to last as long as it has.
Eleven years later, he and his 7 are still together
and celebrating a true automotive milestone.
Recently the 740i’s odometer recorded 500,000
miles – the equivalent of 20 equatorial laps
around the planet.
An orthopedic sales representative for Zim-
mer, Inc., Mr. Bartol said most of this remark-
able journey has been business miles.
Legendary BMW reliability did not disap-
point him. Thus far, the only repairs the BMW
flagship sedan has required, aside from routine
maintenance, were replacing the fuel pump at
300,000 miles, and changing the air condition-
ing compressor 100,000 miles later.
Mr. Bartol purchased his first BMW, a
68 BMW Magazine
When he purchased a
new 1995 BMW 740i
Sedan, Brenden Bartol
knew he was entering
a long and meaningful
relationship.
red 325is, in 1989. “Man, I loved that car,” he
enthused. Next came the 535i and, two years
ago, a 2003 745Li Sedan. An affinity for BMWs
runs in the family; his brother, Brian, owns a
545i, and Brian’s wife drives an X5.
To celebrate the occasion, the 740i received
a brand new windshield and a complete detail-
ing treatment.
“At the risk of sounding like someone who
has won an Academy Award, I would like to rec-
ognize a few of the BMW personnel at Tomkin-
son BMW in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who have
participated in this milestone,” Mr. Bartol said.
PHOTO: FACILIS COMPEX
“My thanks go to Service Manager Scott
High, Service Advisor Doug Bontrager, and
Service Technician Dudley Hattaway. Dudley
has serviced my 7 for nearly 12 years. He and his
co-workers are topnotch.”
So, how much further does Mr. Bartol plan
TEXT: BOB ROEMER
on driving his car? “Ask me again when we reach
600,000 miles,” he laughed, adding, “I enjoy
BMWs and will continue to be a proud
BMW owner.”
Write to:
BMW Magazine
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… or contact us online! Visit us at
bmwusa.com/magazine to renew your
subscription, request information, read
selected articles from this issue, and more.
The Editor reserves the right to edit mail selected
for publication.
BMW biker “head over heels”
in more ways than one
Dear BMW Magazine,
Though my wife has had BMW automobiles
for some time, my first BMW was a beauti-
ful 2005 R 1100 S Boxer Cup. I’m a 46-year-
old Civil Engineer, and the desire for a BMW
(I first looked at the R 1000 when it debuted in
1986), combined with my love of the fully faired
race-bike look, led me directly to the R 1100 S.
Though I initially thought the graphics and such
were a bit much for my age (my problem, not
the bike’s!), the salesman at California BMW
kept me looking at it… and I fell for the whole
package. I really enjoyed riding it, whether just
to work, or along Route 35 and down the
Pacific Coast Highway. I appreciated the looks
the bike got from almost everyone… especially
Ducati owners. I never grew tired of hearing,
“THAT’S a BMW?!!!”
Four days before Christmas in 2004, I was
waiting at a traffic light. I don’t lane-split, and
so I sat, absent-mindedly watching the driver in
front of me fidget with her hair. All of a sudden,
I heard things breaking, felt my legs moving,
and thought “D%#! – someone’s hit me!” The
next thing I knew, I was looking up at the sky.
A meat-delivery truck had rear-ended me. The
top of the truck’s bumper had hit just below
the exhaust pipes, broke and rotated the sub-
frame up and to the right, and drove my front
wheel into the back of the vehicle in front of me.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ROAD THATYOU LOVE TO DRIVE?
If you do, please tell us about it! Starting with this issue of BMW Magazine, we will be
featuring some of the ultimate roads across America that make driving a BMW so enjoyable.
Whether you drive a two-wheel or four-wheel BMW, we would like to hear from you.
Perhaps it’s miles of stunning scenery. Maybe it’s a road that twists and turns, each hairpin
turn eliciting a grin as it reveals your BMW’s agile performance. Or, if your BMW is equipped
with the xDrive all-wheel-drive system, a stretch of terrain that might stymie any two-wheel
drive vehicle – but not your BMW.
Every corner of the United States has great roads. We invite you to share yours with all the
readers of BMW Magazine!
Please mail or e-mail your submission to the address above. Include your name, address
and phone number, the road name and location, why it’s your favorite road, photographs and
(if possible) a photo of you and your BMW. All entries will become the property of BMW of
North America and will not be returned. We look forward to hearing from you!
BMW Letters
I was thrown over her trunk, and landed on my
back, next to her passenger door.
Fortunately, a compression fracture of a
lower vertebra was the extent of my injuries.
My loving wife allowed me to replace the bike,
stating that the accident could well have been
a pedestrian accident, as my feet were on the
ground when I was hit.
I called my dealer to find out if another Boxer
Cup model was available. He laughed, and
asked if I was collecting them. However, when
he found out what had happened, his concern
for my well-being was overwhelming. He was
extremely helpful in replacing the bike quickly.
When I sent him a couple of photos of the
wreck, I told him that he had neglected to
advise me of an important feature on the bike:
the ejection seat!
Peter Grossman
Millbrae, CA
An X5 owner’s loyalty to BMW
extends to an F 650 GS
Dear BMW Magazine,
I’m a BMW CCA member, and although I
subscribe to and enjoy my monthly issues
of Bimmer and Roundel, I look forward to
your quarterly publication and its coverage of
all the many aspects of BMW production.
In 2003 I bought an X5 3.0i, and when I
announced earlier this year that I wanted a
motorcycle, my partner was very supportive.
Over the years when visiting friends in Europe,
I’d been just a passenger. But riding and
owning a bike of my own was a surprise to
most everyone who knew me.
Our friends made a point of teasing me
about my “brand loyalty.” But, I ask, what’s not
to like about your well-engineered products?
So, despite the hot weather and rain this past
summer, I have been enjoying riding my 2006
F 650 GS.
Thanks again for such a great read. And
something tells me that a BMW F 800 S and/
or an X3 will make it onto my holiday gift list –
sooner rather than later.
Christopher Bianchi
Morris, NY
BMW Magazine 69
 Favorite U.S. Roads California’s northern coast

CALL OF THE ROAD The Potter Schoolhouse in Bodega was featured prominently in the 1963 Hitchcock film,
The Birds. At one time a B&B, it is now a private residence.

Just north of San Francisco lies more beautiful undeveloped coastal land than
anywhere else in the state. It also features some of the most entertaining roads.
This drive is one of my favorites.

Far left: blazing sunsets are not

Above: the Sonoma unusual along the coastal range.
Coast State Beach Left: Highway 1 runs directly
runs for 17 miles along along the San Andreas Fault.
the Pacific Ocean. Above: Point Reyes Station is
Left: we stop our an interesting little town with
Z4 Coupe along much to enjoy.
Coleman Valley Road
to take in this majestic
view of the Pacific.

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

 By Karen A. Jones as told to D. Randy Riggs
Photos D. Randy Riggs

Having lived locally for the last decade, I’ve grown to
know and love most of the San Francisco Bay Area’s
back roads, frequenting them as often as possible. Of late,
I’ve wrung the most out of my driving pleasure in a BMW
Z4 Coupe, a car so deliciously full of soul and spirit that it’s
hard to resist the temptation to head out of the driveway as
often as possible – to answer the Call of the Road.
One of my favorite drives is one that takes about half a day
– just 130 miles round trip. But there’s so much along this
route to soak in that one can easily spend a day enjoying
nature’s bounty and the interesting little towns along the way.
Adventuresome tourists and driving enthusiasts who are
visiting San Francisco will find it worthwhile to try this route
for themselves. Just head north across the Golden Gate Bridge
on U.S. 101, passing the towns of Sausalito and Mill Valley,
and take the Sir Francis Drake exit in Larkspur. Follow Sir
Francis Drake west to the town of Fairfax and its central
shopping area. Look for Fairfax-Bolinas Road. It’s not well
marked, so it might be advisable to ask one of the local mer-
chants while enjoying a stroll through this interesting little
hamlet, known as the birthplace of the mountain bike.
Leaving Fairfax, the tiny suburban sprawl disappears in
the rear-view mirror and you’re headed into the hills. Soon
enough you find yourself snaking through majestic red-
woods, where even in the middle of the day headlights are a
good idea, because the giant trees filter out much of the light.
The curves come one after the other – there’s a left, another
left and then a splattering of rights – and all the while the
narrow road keeps climbing and climbing. We’re headed west
to see Tule elk grazing along the oak-studded grasslands or
lingering in the redwood and Bishop Pine forests. And it’s
interesting to note that here you’re driving straight up the
rift zone of the San Andreas Fault – welcome to earthquake
country.
The tiny town of Olema features a couple of restaurants
and a small hotel as well as a few scattered B&Bs. There’s also
a turnoff for those who wish to visit some beautiful stretches
of mostly deserted beach along Drakes Bay. Just follow the
signs. Three miles north make sure to stop in Point Reyes
Station – just like Prince Charles and his wife Camilla did in
2005 to learn more about organic farming. The local produce
is wonderful at the farmer’s market here.
Don’t miss having a breakfast bun at the Bovine Bakery or
watching the creation of award-winning cheese at the Cowgirl
Creamery. A stroll up and down the main drag will reveal a
number of interesting shops and local characters and some
friendly dogs. The relaxed pace is refreshing and I always feel
uplifted after spending time here.
Highway 1 heads north from town, and after some won-
derful sweeping curves, the road begins to parallel the
shallow coastal estuary of Tomales Bay. This body of water is
renowned for its oyster and abalone farms, and great for
canoeing and kayaking. I often make a stop at the Tomales
Bay Oyster Company to bring home fresh oysters for barbe-
quing. I also enjoy a meal at funky and rustic Tony’s Seafood
Shack in Marshall. When the road again bends inland, it’ll
keep you busy with its many curves until you reach Tomales
(population 200), then straightens out until it intersects with
Potter Schoolhouse that was used in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963
film, The Birds. Other parts of the movie were filmed in
Bodega Bay and at the movie studios. From here we reverse
direction and drive back to northbound Highway 1.
Bodega Bay itself has a number of restaurants specializing
in seafood, and offers many choices in lodging and spas.
We’ve enjoyed meals at the Seaweed Café, Lucas Wharf and
the Tides Wharf. In season, Dungeness crabs are a specialty.
You can watch fisherman bring in their daily catch or enjoy
the sea lions as they frolic nearby. That wonderful seashore
aroma wafts through the air wherever you are, and the area is
popular with surfers, birdwatchers and everyone who loves
the sea.
We point north out of town as Highway 1 finally hugs the
shoreline and the rocky coast is broken by long stretches of
sandy beach. Sometimes I stop just to take a walk on the hard
packed sand and other times I just keep enjoying my BMW –
like today.
The next turn-off is a bit difficult to see and not well
marked. We’re looking for Coleman Valley Road. Its about
two miles north of Bodega Bay, and marked by a long row of
tall eucalyptus trees on the east side of Highway 1. You know
you’re on the right road because a sign warns that it is not
suitable for campers or trucks. Just a single lane in places, the
road climbs sharply up the mountain and, from the top, the
views in all directions are spectacular. The road winds many
miles across open grazing land and through woodsy areas A word to the wise as you prepare for this drive: First, top off your fuel
until it reaches the tiny village of Occidental, where the fun tank. There are very few stations along the route. Also, please be
part of our drive draws to a close. aware that many of these roads are popular with motorcyclists and

MAPS: MERIAN KARTOGRAPHIE

over the Bolinas Ridge, which eventually breaks out into the
open a few miles after crossing the Alpine Dam. Finally, after
traversing hundreds of turns, the Pacific Ocean pops into
view and, if the day is clear enough, the Farallon Islands can
be seen about 27 miles off the coast.
Fairfax-Bolinas Road ends at the world-famous Highway 1
near Bolinas, and we turn north. This stretch of Highway 1
runs inland rather than directly along the water, and tracks
through western Marin County, the Golden Gate National
Recreation Area, and Point Reyes National Seashore. Trail-
heads are easy to spot if you love to hike. Don’t be surprised
Valley Ford Road, just over the Sonoma County line. Turn left
and you’ll remain on Highway 1.
In a little more than four miles there’s a turn-off for the
tiny town of Bodega, an interesting side-trip to see the old
Check out the wonderful menu at the Union Hotel (circa
1879), or dine on the sunny porch at Howard’s Café, or just
take a walking tour of Main Street with its mix of Victorian
houses and antique buildings.
From Occidental we follow the Bohemian Highway back
to Highway 12, which leads to U.S. 101, ending our jour-
ney – a perfect trip for the Ultimate Driving Machine.®
bicyclists and there are few roads with shoulders, so prepare to share
the road. Around every blind corner there might be a bicycle rider in
your lane; therefore, proceed with that in mind at all times. Wildlife,
too, is abundant in the area, and deer are an everyday hazard. Cell
phone service is spotty or non-existent, and most of these roads show
little mercy for driving mistakes. Summertime temperatures can vary in
just a few miles from inland temperatures of 100°F to ocean-side
temperatures of 50°F.

Far left: eclectic houses dot the

countryside in western Marin County.
Left: Coleman Valley Road’s warning
signs portend a fun drive ahead while
our Z4 Coupe zips through a redwood
forest on the Fairfax-Bolinas Road.

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

Press
OCTOBER 2006
2007 335i Coupe
From “First Drive” – BMW 335i Coupe
“Instead of turbo lag followed by a
high-end rush, the 335i feels like a large-
displacement, normally aspirated engine…
but there’s no denying it’s an extremely
user-friendly piece, with plenty of sauce
for attacking mountain roads and enough
reserve to complete ‘iffy’ passing
maneuvers.”
SEPTEMBER 2006
2007 Z4 M Coupe
From “Classic Confrontation” article
“Road & Track commented that it feels
almost like ‘a German Viper.’ They added,
‘It’s smaller and more refined than that,
but still with that aggressive, powerful
nature. We’re also reminded of the Cobra
Daytona Coupe.’ ”
NOVEMBER 6, 2006
From the “2006 Readers’ Choice Awards”
Best Sedan – BMW 3 Series
“If forced to settle for only one car, most of
us would pick a sedan – something to carry
friends and stuff. It must be fun, too.… If it
has been the target for every other car
company for a decade or more, it doesn’t
hurt, either.”
Best Coupe/Convertible – BMW 6 Series
“… You expressed a strong preference for
cars with performance as exceptional as
their looks.”
“Turbo lag is not an issue, the motor pulls
cleanly with as little as 1200 rpm showing,
and throttle response feels instantaneous
throughout the rev range.”
OCTOBER 25, 2006
From the “ ’07 Buyers Guide”
BMW X3 SAV® – “Its refreshing to find a
manual in a small SUV.”
BMW 3 SERIES – “Improving on the
3 Series is a tall order, but BMW pulls it off.”
BMW Magazine
BMW 5 SERIES – “The benchmark at which
all sports sedans should aim.”
BMW 6 SERIES – “Among the best; the
growl from the M6’s V-10 is addicting.”
BMW 7 SERIES – “A comforting and worth-
while technological cruise ship.”
BMW X5 SAV ® – “One of the best-handling
SUVs on the market.”
NOVEMBER 2006
From the “Consumers’ Most Wanted
Vehicles for 2006”
Sedan Under $35,000: BMW 3 Series
“The redesigned BMW 3 Series snatched top
honors with 19 percent of the votes…”
Sedan Under $45,000: BMW 5 Series
“BMW’s 5 Series Sedan still owns this
category with 25 percent [of the vote].”
Sedan Over $45,000: BMW 7 Series
“This year the BMW 7 Series managed to
edge out last year’s victor, the Audi A8.”
Sedan Under $35,000: BMW 3 Series
“It took the all-new, all-wonderful BMW
3 Series to finally overthrow the Audi A4
dynasty this year.”
Sedan Over $35,000: BMW 5 Series
“For years there were only a handful of
entrants in this category, but the increas-
ingly popular luxury wagon field now
includes six models, all European.”
Convertible Under $35,000: BMW Z4
“Proof that more and more people are warm-
ing up to the Z4’s controversial styling and
discovering the joy under the skin.”
From the “Editors’ Most Wanted
Vehicles for 2007”
Sedan Under $35,000: BMW 3 Series
“Last year’s redesign of this entry-luxury
vehicle makes it hard to budge it from the
top spot.”
Sedan Under $60,000: BMW 5 Series
“2006’s winner comes back strong, with
its perfect combination of luxury and per-
formance.”
BMW ORACLE
Racing
bmwusa.com The Ultimate
1-800-605-9BMW Driving Machine®
JANUARY 2007
BMW 3 Series
From “All-Stars 2007”
Selected as one of the 10 most
desirable cars available in the
2007 model year Experience America’s Cup
Racing as few others can.
“Why are 3 Series BMWs so well loved?…
they are better than all others at doing
everything extremely well, because they’ve
been honed over the years to provide the Come enjoy America’s Cup Racing excitement off the Spanish coast.
absolute best combination of all pertinent
There’s no better way to appreciate the thrills of the 32nd America’s
characteristics, making them wonderfully
agreeable to drive and own.” Cup than with the BMW ORACLE Racing experience package.
“The 3.0-liter six [twin-turbo] delivers the This exclusive package includes two nights of hotel accommodations;
power and torque of a 4.0-liter and the fuel
admission to one exciting race day of sailing; two gourmet dinners;
economy of a four-cylinder.”
merchandise gifts; and V.I.P. shuttle service.
“If you owned all ten of our All-Stars, we
think your BMW 3-Series would rack up the Experience packages are available for the following race dates:
most mileage in four seasons. It really is a
• Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals (May 15, 2007)
great car.”
• Louis Vuitton Cup Finals (June 3, 2007)
X5 SAV ®
• America’s Cup Finals (June 29, 2007)
From “BMW X5 – The second generation
carries the flag”
“What makes the new X5 stand out in the
For even more thrills, you can also take advantage of special
crossover community is the way it performs, experiences, offered in addition to the cost of your BMW ORACLE
handles, and holds the road.”
Racing experience package.
“Because of adaptive drive, body roll is
never an issue, nor are squat and dive
Special experiences include: access to the Spectator boats, where
under acceleration and braking.” you can catch all the competitive sailing action up-close; various
Driving experiences, such as an exciting drive in a Formula BMW
racecar; Sport experiences, featuring sailing, golf, pelota, and
more; and Cultural experiences that take you on architectural,
musical and culinary adventures.
Reservations are limited. For more information, or to reserve your
place today, call toll-free, 1-800-605-9BMW (9269).
JANUARY 2007
BMW 3 Series
Package details are tentative and subject to change.
From Car and Driver’s annual ©2007 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name and logo are registered trademarks.
“10Best” awards
“Each year, the 3-series has gotten a bit more
power, an upgraded suspension, a stiffer
structure, or a new body style to keep it
fresh and current. These constant upgrades
have kept the 3-series on our 10Best list for
a record 16 consecutive years.”
“…the 3-series remains the definitive sports
sedan, delivering the driving satisfaction
of a sports car in the body of a practical
machine.”
BMW activities BMW Sports Philosophy
BMW’S
SPORTY SIDE
For decades, BMW has patiently
been building its reputation as a
GOLF
creative sponsor and trusted
partner of sporting events.
Te x t : L i n d a U e t z f e l d
Seventy-eight years ago, in March 1929, BMW presented its first
automobile. Before then, the Munich-based company had been
turning out two-wheel vehicles for a decade. The high quality of
these motorcycles won BMW the allegiance of the fastest, most
determined racer of the day – Ernst Jakob Henne, the “White Phan-
tom.” He won a world record that year, and in the years to follow, he
proceeded to break his own records several times, always on BMW
bikes. Henne was not only the fastest man on a bike; in June 1936, he
entered and won a race on the Nürburgring piloting BMW’s new
sports car, the 328. Four years later, the now legendary 328 came in
first in Italy’s Mille Miglia race. Ever since those early days, BMW
vehicles have continuously appeared in all major car racing events,
including Le Mans, Monza and Goodwood in Europe, and Grand
Prix races in China, Malaysia, Japan and Brazil.
With experience spanning over three-quarters of a century, it is
hardly surprising that BMW feels very much at home in the world of
motorsport. Yet this is only one of the three sports areas in which
BMW has a stake. Ralf Hussmann, General Manager of Sports Mar-
keting for the BMW marque, is proud of the company’s broad sports
involvement. “We believe our sports strategy perfectly supports the
emotional experiences for our target group,” he says. “The motorsport
activities dynamically burnish our image; the sailing side presents us
with a challenge in team spirit and high-tech competition; and then
there’s golf, which we see as an opportunity for extending brand value.
We believe that our involvement in sports makes sense only when
BMW’s considerable know-how and core competencies are able to
make a contribution to the sport itself.”
Regarded in this light, the value of BMW’s motorsport activities
is almost self-evident. For decades, BMW has achieved outstanding
results in motorsports of all kinds: motorcycles, touring cars, race-
cars and Formula 1. The latter puts the spotlight on BMW’s core
expertise in technology and the development of vehicles with sporty
BMW Magazine
handling characteristics. The fact that BMW is a leading developer of are organized in Munich by BMW Sports Marketing. The PGA Golf
engines establishes the basis for the mutual exchange of technology tournaments are jointly executed in teamwork with the respective
between F1 racers and BMW series production cars. When Nelson BMW subsidiaries. And naturally, we encourage our country affili-
Piquet won the F1 World Championship in 1983 – only one year ates to make use of these sports opportunities. We also have numer-
after BMW’s entry into the king of motorsport competitions – it was ous country-specific events, sponsored by BMW affiliates. These are
a powerful statement about BMW’s expertise in building engines.
In 2000, after an absence of 12 years, BMW returned to Formula 1
racing in partnership with Williams F1. That very same year, the
suitable for smaller budgets, for example, when BMW becomes an
‘Official Car’ partner.”
partnership took third place in the Constructor Championship and,
with that feat, pulled off the best world championship debut of an
BMW has also taken steps to bring sports into its retail network.
An example that Ralf Hussmann likes to cite is BMW’s involvement
engine manufacturer in 33 years. in the biggest amateur golf competition of the last 20 years. “We now
have about 100,000 BMW owners who annually compete in golf
BMW’s auto racing successes are not very surprising, but one tournaments sponsored by local dealerships. The tournament starts
could well ask, “What does BMW have to do with sailing?” Let’s locally; the winners then meet in national play-offs, which are organ-
hear Ralf Hussmann again. “We bring our very considerable experi- ized by the BMW national headquarters. The winners of the national
ence in lightweight construction and the building of car bodies to tournaments then compete in the World Championship match,
this sport. From a technical point of view, a car’s body is not much organized by the Munich headquarters. We also arrange for the
different from a boat’s hull – and, of course, the boat’s speed in the finalists to compete in a tournament with professionals.”
water strongly depends on the hull.” As an example of BMW’s hands- This year, for the first time, the BMW Championship tour-
on involvement in the new America’s Cup yacht, Hussmann points to nament will take place at the famous Cog Hill Golf & Country
the 45-inch keel fin made of ultra-high-strength steel, which was Club in Chicago from September 6 -9. This new BMW initiative is
developed and built in BMW’s factory in Eisenach, Germany. the third tournament of the new U.S. PGA Tour Championship
Following its successful America’s Cup debut in
ORACLE RACING 2002, BMW is again taking aim at the Cup itself –
“WE BELIEVE THAT OUR INVOLVEMENT
the sports world’s oldest trophy. The America’s Cup
(the Formula 1 of sailing) calls for the highest level of IN SPORTS MAKES SENSE ONLY WHEN
performance in teamwork and tactics, as well as flaw- BMW’S CONSIDERABLE KNOW-HOW
less technology. Join these with the grace and beauty
of sailing, and you have a truly exhilarating spectacle. AND CORE COMPETENCIES ARE
Building on this concept, BMW has gone on to estab- ABLE TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION
lish sailing competitions for its customers in six TO THE SPORT ITSELF.”
countries, and plans to introduce the BMW Sailing
Cup in other countries, as well. The vision for the
BMW Sailing Cup is to develop in a way that it becomes an exciting Series. The BMW International Open, one of golf ’s most prestigious
international competition for customers. competitions, is eagerly awaited every year. In September 2006, top
And now we come to golf. “That’s on a different page,” Ralf Huss- professionals from 24 countries competed in the 18th occurrence of
mann says. “Golf is a sport that interests a high percentage of our this event in Munich. For the past two years, BMW has also been the
FORMULA 1 customers worldwide. Golf is especially popular in the UK and the main partner of the most prestigious golf tournament in Wentworth,
U.S. By sponsoring select golf competitions, we associate ourselves London. The BMW Championship – the former PGA Championship
with the kind of prestigious events that are consistent with our brand – is the players’ flagship of the European PGA Tour schedule.
image. It’s true that you see a good many other brands represented at And to complete this sketch of BMW’s involvement in sports,
these golf competitions. Nonetheless, we believe that our marketing we return full circle to a particularly successful experiment in motor-
experience can still be a plus here. In the professional tournaments sport. Last year, BMW introduced Pit Lane Park to Formula 1 events.
we’re associated with, we have either established ourselves, or they A brilliant idea: close-up Formula 1. Hussmann explains, “Formula 1
are the ones that we organize exclusively. Spectators at these events is very strict. Fans aren’t generally allowed in the pit lane. So we
are treated to an undiluted BMW experience. Market research tells us thought about what we could do to provide our customers and fans
that in the areas of sailing and golf, the BMW brand has a very differ- with a more satisfying Formula 1 experience, such as the opportunity
ent position from the other sponsors, who conceive of these events to see all the sophisticated technology close-up. Our answer was Pit
PHOTOS: FACILIS COMPEX
mainly as exposure for their logos. There’s a wise saying: ‘One who Lane Park, a kind of replica of the pit lanes, with stalls in which fans
only walks in another’s tracks will never overtake him.’ BMW has can get a real close look at an array of Formula 1 technology.
always tried to blaze its own trail.” The center is a small racetrack where a Formula 1 car accelerates just
Are the events that are held in different countries organized out a few yards from the spectators. It turned out to be a very popular
of Munich, or by local BMW representatives? Hussmann replies, idea. We have already had some 141,000 visitors to our five
“What we call ‘pinnacle events’ – Formula 1 and America’s Cup – Pit Lane Parks.”
BMW Magazine
 Education Clemson University

The graduate school is named for former governor Carroll A. Campbell Jr., who recruited BMW to South Carolina.
FIELD OF DREAMS
The International Center for Automotive Research, at Clemson University,
is a visionary partnership between academia
and the automotive industry – and home to
the BMW Information Technology Research Center.

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine


Te x t : S a r a h Ya r n e l l
“If you build it, they will come.” This particular field of dreams sprawls
over 250 acres of meadows, woods and waterways near Greenville, SC. Bull-
dozers are sensitively sculpting the red clay into a technology campus of the
future – Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research
(CU-ICAR). Over the next 15-20 years, five “technology villages” will be built on
the property’s natural hilltops – each about the size of four city blocks – and
linked by conservation areas.
CU-ICAR aims to be the premier automotive and motorsports research and
educational facility in the world. Its vision is bold and its structure unique: car
companies and high-tech firms collaborating with faculty and graduate
students on a university research campus. Partners already include BMW,
Michelin, Timken, Sun Microsystems and the Society for Automotive Engineers
– and more are being recruited. BMW’s Information Technology Research Cen-
ter (ITRC) is located at the entry to the first technology village, and was the first
structure to be completed on the campus.
“From our perspective BMW is a great leading partner. They’re going to play
an important role as we continue to develop, and as we bring other partners in
it will become a richer and richer relationship,” says Bob Geolas, CU-ICAR
Executive Director.
Still under construction next to the BMW ITRC, the Carroll A. Campbell Jr.
Graduate Engineering Center will offer masters and doctoral programs. “There’s
no other Ph.D. program in automotive engineering in this country,” says
Dr. Chris Przirembel, Vice President for Research and Economic Development
at Clemson. “The curriculum was developed with the faculty members sketch-
ing out an initial template, and then we went to BMW, we went to Michelin and
Timken and other automotive OEMs to help us craft this curriculum. The
fundamental question we asked them was, ‘help us understand what knowledge
and experience a Masters or Ph.D. graduate needs five to 10 years out, to provide
a competitive edge to that employer.’”
BMW made the initial investment – a $10 million gift to help fund two
endowed chairs. Dr. Tom Kurfess is the dynamic BMW Chair of Manufacturing,
and recruitment is underway for the BMW Chair of Systems Integration.
Ultimately, there will be 10 faculty and 50 graduate students at the Campbell
Graduate Engineering Center.
BMW Magazine
From left to right:
The BMW Information Technology Research
Center (ITRC) combines open spaces with
secure research areas.
The structure itself is a “green” building,
incorporating bare engineering and
environmentally friendly materials.
The BMW ITRC is the first non-academic
tenant on the Clemson University ICAR campus.
Reflected in the streamlined façade is the
construction of the Graduate Engineering Center.
Next door, the engineers at the BMW Information an Outlook calendar or iTunes, and you have an application in your BMW,
Technology Research Center are looking forward to the which will likely be a navigation system, and then maybe you have an applica-
day in June 2007 when the graduate school opens. Like a tion that you use for your company – for example, a customer relationship
winning team looking for first-round draft picks, they can management database. Some of those applications might require a Microsoft
hardly wait to sign a few rookies, grad students and operating system; others, UNIX-based operating systems, such as LINUX or
interns, and hit several high-tech home runs. Mac OS. In the future, all these applications and operating systems could run on
Whereas IT used to be primarily a support function, the same chip by using virtualization techniques. It just gives you more freedom.
today it’s a hub of innovation. The engineers at the ITRC You can use applications in the car that you are always using outside of the car.”
are researching new infrastructure solutions, software Security is high on the list of priorities, says Taiber. “If you connect the vehi-
applications, and technologies in wireless communication cle to a backend system or the BMW corporate network, there’s a risk that some-
and IT security. “The creative part is the fun side,” says one from the car-as-mobile-client could intrude upon the BMW network, so we
Dr. Joachim Taiber, responsible for innovation and research. are working with Clemson on a project where we try to find the security holes
The ITRC operates like a consultant – when a depart- and simulate server attacks and then actually come up with countermeasures.”
ment within the BMW Group needs an innovative IT Vehicle diagnostics is another project area, and a “service center of the
solution, they become the “customer” and the ITRC uses future” will be built in the ITRC. “The more data in the vehicle you have to
its network to source the right partners. These currently program, the more you have to analyze,” says Taiber. “Traditionally, data mining
include Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, CA, Sprint, Hewlett- comes from marketing and sales, where you try to understand the customer’s
PHOTOS: CLEMSON UNIVERSITY; BMW MANUFACTURING CO.; FRED ROLLISON
Packard, IBM, Oracle, Apple and SAP. behavior, but we can also use it in service and engineering.” The partners on the
project are Oracle and IBM.
BMW gets early access to new information technolo- The innovators at the ITRC also want to get into new broadband wireless
gies, and the partners see benefits, too. “Most of these communication standards and applications. BMW is working with Sprint on
IT companies only have sales functions in Germany,” says testing WiMAX as a new mobile broadband platform for on-campus commu-
Taiber. “So it provides us with an opportunity to work nication, as well as for communication between the vehicle and its IT-backend.
closer with their R&D and product development groups WiMAX could enable new broadband applications in the car, such as video-
in the U.S., and link them to our departments that want to conferencing. It could also be used to stream data from a prototype car to a
do projects with their technology.” server. “We need broadband because there is a lot of data to be sent out from “WE ARE PART OF THE
The most dynamic area from an innovation perspec- cars during test cycles,” says Bonn. FUTURE OF BMW,
tive is the communication between the IT backend and All these are research projects still, and will undergo huge changes as they AND THIS MAKES IT
the vehicle, also called B2V (business to vehicle). “From are adapted into series production vehicles, or are considered in real business VERY EXCITING
our perspective, a car becomes a laptop, a mobile client,” processes. HERE.”
says Thomas Bonn, Vice President, BMW Group Data “We are part of the future of BMW,” says Bonn. “We’re not only operating
Center Americas (GDC-A) and ITRC. data centers; with our projects we provide the facility and the skills to be part of
Taiber explains, “You have some favorite applications future developments in the car in our entire production network, and this Dr. Joachim Taiber (left) is ITRC project manager, and
you are using on your laptop or personal devices, such as makes it very exciting here.” Thomas Bonn heads BMW Group Data Center Americas.
BMW Magazine
 BMW center One-Stop Shop

BMW, AT YOUR SERVICE

More than a dealership, your local authorized BMW center is literally the center
for all things BMW.

SERVICE WITH A SMILE

Oil changes are just one of the services any
BMW needs to run its best. Your BMW cen-
ter has technicians trained to handle all of
your service needs, great and small, without
COLLECTIBLES TO TREASURE voiding your warranty. For BMWs no longer
under warranty, this expertise is even more
Scale model replicas of BMWs current and historic, in a important to prevent unnecessary expenses.
variety of sizes, offer exquisitely accurate detail. That’s quite
important to avid collectors, who know the only way to
ensure they are getting an authentic BMW Miniature is to
buy it from BMW. Naturally, your local authorized BMW
center can procure any of the myriad BMW Miniatures
currently available – including the popular Isetta, the sleek
Z4 Roadster and the coveted BMW Art Cars.

Te x t : D e n i s e M c V e y

When it comes to creating The Ultimate Driving Machine,® BMW’s nicians are carefully trained to fix your BMW right, the first time.
renowned engineers and revered designers collaborate to bring you a These passionate BMW “doctors” can help restore your BMW to its GIFTS AND ACCESSORIES
driving experience beyond compare. But there is even more to that pre-accident glory – with BMW-exclusive tools that include high-tech EXPERTISE REQUIRES EXPERTS
experience than the brilliant performance housed inside beautiful systems analysis, Original BMW Parts, BMW’s unique color system The BMW Lifestyle collection
lines. And it’s all available at your BMW center. paint matching and more. You wouldn’t trust your BMW to just anyone – and rightfully so. features apparel, accessories
The team at your local BMW center is well versed in maintaining BMW centers also offer a wealth of accessories for BMWs and BMW technicians undergo extensive training on a regular basis, and gift items designed with the has its own catalog of exterior,
your BMW, inside and out. From oil changes to more intensive service their fans. Those looking to personalize their vehicle – inside or out – to properly service the complex technologies that drive your BMW enthusiast in mind. Polo interior, technological and
procedures, your BMW center knows what to look for, what to do… will find a vast selection of the highest quality items in the Original vehicle’s legendary performance. shirts and fleeces; golf apparel protective accessories – to
and what not to do. Plus, they will only use Original BMW Parts for BMW Accessories catalogs. While those seeking to wear their hearts on and accessories; key rings, truly personalize your BMW.
your repairs. The BMW SPA program for “specially pampered auto- their sleeve will find a fabulous selection of BMW-inspired apparel watches and kids’ toys… the For more information about
mobiles” offers BMW-specific detailing services. Of course, in the (and gift items) in the latest BMW Lifestyle collection. choices are seemingly endless. these products, just go –
unfortunate event of an accident, you wouldn’t trust your collision From major collision repairs to oil changes and detailing – plus The same is true for vehicle where else? – to your local
repair to anyone but the experts at a BMW Certified Collision Repair extras for your vehicle and your wardrobe – only your local BMW accessories. Each BMW series BMW center.
Center. It’s the best way to protect your investment. BMW center tech- center offers a “one-stop shop” for all of your BMW needs.

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

Events BMW Mountain Driving Experience
THE PEAK
OF PERFORMANCE
Te x t : E l i M u s s e r
Snowy slopes navigated with ease. Icy patches that won’t
slow you down. Sharp mountain turns taken with confidence.
This season, skiers and snowboarders will be experiencing the
height of winter performance… in a BMW. Winter marks the
return of BMW’s popular Mountain Driving Experience. This
hands-on showcase of BMW models with xDrive all-wheel drive,
happening at select ski resorts across the country, is the perfect
opportunity to experience xDrive’s legendary snowmobility in
action, courtesy of BMW.
BMW partners with American Skiing Company to hold this
event at various hotels throughout the U.S. You’ll notice Mountain
Driving Experience desks in the hotel lobbies, and around each
participating resort you’ll find various BMW models with xDrive,
our intelligent all-wheel-drive system. A speedy sign-up will have
you behind the wheel in no time.
Some participants will want to see, firsthand, how well a BMW
equipped with xDrive handles in snow and ice. Others will use
their BMW to go on quick sightseeing excursions. Still others will
want to take their BMW to a local hot spot or restaurant.
BMW Magazine
The BMW Mountain Driving Experience puts you behind the wheel
of The Ultimate Driving Machine® – and in control, in any conditions,
thanks to the intelligent power of BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system.
No matter how you put it through its paces, you’ll be amazed at
how well a BMW with xDrive all-wheel drive grabs hold of the
road. When the xDrive system detects slippage at any wheel, it
automatically and undetectably transfers more power to the wheels
that stick, so you have optimum traction on any driving surface.
And in ideal driving conditions, when xDrive is not busy helping
you tame the elements, it maintains the sporty, rear-wheel-drive
feel and thrilling handling of The Ultimate Driving Machine.®
Best of all, should you decide to purchase or lease a BMW
equipped with xDrive, you can choose from a wide selection of
Sedans, Coupes, Sports Wagons and SAVs,® each offering an unpar-
alleled blend of traction and performance.
The BMW Mountain Driving Experience runs through April
2007. Participating American Skiing Company resort locations
include Steamboat in Colorado, The Canyons in Utah, and Mount The BMW X5 SAV® with BMW’s
Snow and Killington in Vermont. You needn’t be a hotel guest to xDrive all-wheel-drive system.
participate – this complimentary program is open to the public.
Vacationers from all resorts in the area are welcome to take
a test drive.
BMW Magazine
BMW Information Who but BMW could…

WHO
BUT BMW
COULD…

…BUILD
It is the only engine to be named “International Engine of the
Year” two years in a row. It is responsible for the pulse-racing

ITS 20,000 TH
propulsion in every BMW M5 and M6 built after 2005. And now,
as of this past November, this marvel of automotive engineering has
reached yet another milestone: BMW has built its 20,000th 5.0-liter

AWARD-WINNING V-10 engine.

BMW’s fastest high-performance production-line engine is

V-10 ENGINE?
assembled in Munich on the so-called Special Engine Line. “Special”
hardly does the BMW V-10 justice: not many other powerplants,
production or custom, are capable of delivering a staggering 500
horsepower at 7750 rpm, and 383 lb-ft of grin-inducing torque at
6100 rpm. So how fast is fast? The V-10 can catapult the M5 and M6
Te x t : E l i M u s s e r
Coupe from 0-60 mph in just 4.5 breathtaking seconds.1
While amazing performance can capture the respect of any
driver, it’s the technology behind the thrills that has consistently
earned the BMW V-10 engine high praise worldwide from automo-
tive critics and journalists. The V-10 design was based on BMW’s
10-cylinder Formula 1 engine, which was acclaimed as the most pow-
erful engine on the grid. Formula 1 engines are serviced or replaced
after each race; by contrast, the BMW V-10 production engine is
designed to last for the life of the vehicle. In fact, the innovative
construction and long-term resilience of the BMW V-10 allow it to
produce piston speeds that were previously regarded as impossible
for serial production engines, due to the enormous amounts of stress
to the materials. In keeping with its Formula 1 lineage – a V-10 with a
19,000 rpm redline – the crankshaft of the production V-10 rotates
at 8000 rpm, resulting in piston speeds in each of the 10 cylinders of
65 feet per second – virtually the same as the smaller-displacement
F1 engine. To combat element fatigue, BMW engineers fortified the
V-10 with features like aluminum single-section cylinder heads, a
cross-flow cooling system to ensure an even temperature throughout
the cylinder heads, and a torsionally stiff bedplate construction.

RELEASE THE POTENTIAL.

Then there’s the V-10 engine’s management system. Talk about high
performance: its 32-bit processors are capable of overseeing more
than 200 million individual operations per second.

BMW’s V-10 engine, voted “International Engine of the Year”
for two consecutive years, produces 500 horsepower at 7750 rpm.
It’s only natural, then, that this V-10 has won so many fans – and
so many awards – in just two years. In its debut production year,
the International Engine of the Year Awards honored the BMW V-10
with no less than four honors: “Best New Engine,” “Best Engine BMW and Castrol have combined to give you everything you want from your driving machine – maximum performance and fuel economy.
Above 4-liter,”“Best Performance Engine,” and, of course, the coveted This remarkable partnership that has brought about a major technological leap with Castrol lubricants engineered specifically for BMW engines.
“International Engine of the Year” – a title it would retain in 2006. Together they enable you to release the full potential of your engine, maximising power without wasting a drop of fuel.
The V-10 is also quickly winning another competition – a popu-
larity contest. In fact, the 50 BMW Limited Edition M6 Convertibles As a driver, how do you release this potential? Simple. Insist on Castrol and turn the key.
offered in the 2006 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book sold out in
record time: one minute, 32 seconds. Now that’s fast!
1 BMW AG test results. Obey local speed laws and always wear a safety belt.

BMW Magazine
Travel Sweden

A small bridge spans the rocks in Smögen. Right: into the briny blue from the boardwalk.
Here, old-time fishermen coexist with young sun-worshippers in designer swimwear.

ISLAND-HOPPING FOR YOUNG AND OLD

A family holiday in southern Sweden offers everything from the buzz and glamour of
fashion-conscious Stockholm to the quiet seclusion of rocky islands.

BMW Magazine
Te x t : O l i v e r S t o l l e Photos: Mareike Foecking

Sandhamn Island in Stockholm’s archipelago: the ferry leaves for the islands. Facing page: wooden houses on Sandhamn.
The exclusive ambiance of the archipelago is a magnet for both the social elite and Stockholm’s young partying crowd.

One of the best things about Sweden’s west coast is surpris-

ingly sweet and lives in holes that reach as much as 40 feet down
into the Skagerrak Strait. This cousin of the lobster tastes best when
it is boiled in fresh sea water and washed down with a few swallows of
light beer, as seagulls screech in the background. It is 10 o’clock in
the evening and the late summer sun has already sunk below the
horizon. Some four nautical miles off Smögen, Tommi is cracking
open a Norway lobster for us. “Everybody needs a Tommi,” says Matti
Karlsson, our cutter’s owner, and the two men laugh together as only
men who have spent many years at sea with each other can.
Norway’s lobster season was formerly limited to just a few weeks
in late summer, Matti explains. Still, today, they celebrate this time of

BMW Magazine BMW Magazine

 THE
ROYAL FAMILY
KNOWS
WHERE
TO VACATION.
year throughout the country with a “Kräftskivor” banquet. Devoted
entirely to the preparation and consumption of Norway lobster, the
tradition lives on, even though the harvest now goes on all year
round. Gourmets rate the delicate meat higher than what most
people know as lobster. In the Mediterranean, the species is known
as “cigala” and “scampo,” but nowhere is it as delicious as in the
North Sea – the colder the water, the better the quality and taste.
We came to check out the Scandinavians’ reputation for being so
child-friendly, and started out in Stockholm. The Swedish capital has
developed into one of the fashion centers of the new millennium.
With everything that implies, the city presents a stark contrast to the
impressive natural beauty of the country’s northern region.
Take, for example, Södermalm. The streets of this formerly
working-class district are lined with chic shops and designer
boutiques. Cutlery sets, laptop cases and various other luxuries,
arranged by color, wait to be discovered by buyers who hope to get
a two-year start over the trendsetters elsewhere.
So many great-looking, wonderfully dressed young women flit
from store to store in the Götgatans shopping street that you begin to
wonder if this is really the place for a family. In the local H&M store,
one blonde after another slips into the changing room to squeeze
into the latest skinny jeans. Out on the floor, a man discusses with a
salesclerk the merits of Stockholm’s club life in comparison to that
of Barcelona. If you want to know how it feels to wander around the
set of a glitzy fashion shoot while the models are taking a break, just
The BMW 328i Sports Wagon on the heath. head for a café in Södermalm.
BMW Magazine
The Öland coast: the town of Vimmerby of Pippi Longstocking fame.
Everybody here is so friendly. The welcoming atmosphere is not
restricted only to the city’s shopping area. Stockholm as a whole is
easier to explore with children than any other European capital. The
cobbled alleys of the medieval Gamla Stan district extend over the
islands of Staden, Riddarholmen and Helgeandsholmen, all within a
mile of each other. Also within easy walking distance is the Vasa
Museum, which houses the beautifully preserved remains of the
pride of Gustaf II Adolf ’s early 17th century fleet. The five-story
building is only a short walk away, and is itself shaped like a ship.
However, if you just want to get acquainted with Scandinavia’s most
beautiful city, renting a bicycle at the garage in front of the museum
might be a good idea, and, of course, you can find bikes with attached
child seats.
As the ferry leaves Vaxholm, we also leave the last area of Stock-
holm that can be reached by car. The green shoreline slides past as
we pick up speed. We cruise between the rocky islands of the archi-
pelago through maze-like waters. The farther from the shore we go,
the more our Schaerenkreuzer leans in the steady wind. These slim
wooden boats are the vehicles of choice in these parts.
Stockholm’s archipelago consists of 24,000 islands, the nearest
of which make up the city’s eastern suburbs. All self-respecting
residents of the Swedish capital know at least one fellow citizen who
has a hut on one of the rocky outposts. Here, standing alone, perhaps
the only structure on the island, far from the maddening crowd and
under the expansive sky, the red huts really are charming. Sometimes
a blue and yellow flag flutters on its mast and a jetty pushes out from
BMW Magazine

The 328i takes the curves on the narrow, winding road.
the smooth cliff into the water, while the water itself laps peacefully
over the remains of some naval battle in the distant past. Then we
have picture-postcard Scandinavia, the kind of scene that makes one
want to spend the whole summer in these northern climes.
If you expect to stay overnight on an island, you’ll want to reserve
a room in one of the few guesthouses or hotels well in advance. It’s
taken us a good hour and a half on the phone to find a room at
the Gammelgarden hostel on Sandhamn, a sailor’s paradise at the
outer edge of the islands. The exclusivity of the outer archipelago is a
magnet for the capital’s upper crust, as well as the trendy young set.
The southern islands are a special attraction for people looking for
untouched, rocky nature. For travelers with time on their hands, they
are simply wonderful. This is a place for lingering, like the young
couple in Ingmar Bergman’s Summer with Monika, who flee their
poorly paid jobs in the city for a few weeks on the islands.
The walk to our archipelago getaway takes us through Sand-
hamn’s pine forest. Troville Beach is a sandy, crescent-shaped cove,
ideal for bathing, and the Baltic water is not very salty, which makes it
easier on the skin. The beach is surrounded by warm rocks, on which
we dry off like seals in the sun after a refreshing dip. We still have a
few lazy hours before dinner in the Värdshus, a pale-yellow building
on the marina, which offers visitors surprisingly handsome decor
and good food.
They say that Sweden’s stringent speed limits take pressure off the
drivers. I’m not so sure. Those of us who like sporty driving will find
BMW Magazine
THERE IS A STRONG Rocky islands are also a feature of the landscape around But for us, Gothenburg is only a brief stopover on the way to the
TEMPTATION TO Kalmar, but that’s not why people come here. Our path takes us
over a bridge to the long island of Öland, which pokes out into the
fjords that stretch north to the Norwegian border. The Smögen
peninsula juts out over the rocks that were polished smooth by
SPEND THE Baltic like a pointing finger. This is where the Swedish royal family glaciers eons ago. Rising out of the sea, they look like the silvery
WHOLE SUMMER comes on vacation, and it doesn’t take long to realize why. All paths
lead to the water, the beaches go on forever and, for sheer picturesque
backs of old whales. In the background, grass sways in the meadows.
The winding steps, alleyways and wooden jetties of the small town
IN THESE appeal, there is the odd windmill. We are strongly tempted – not for are almost reminiscent of a port in Asia. Smögen, the jewel of Bohus-
NORTHERN CLIMES. the first time – to drop the rest of the trip and settle in here for län province, is our last stop on the coast. Here, you’ll see old-time
the summer. fishermen alongside young folk in designer swimwear.
“I don’t know anything about the style of this castle, but I do Far from clashing, the past and the present coexist peacefully on
know that if I build one, I’d build it like this one,” the Berlin writer Sweden’s west coast. The spa in the wonderfully renovated Smögens
Kurt Tucholsky wrote in his novel, Gripsholm Castle. One of the most Havsbad hotel is set into the light-colored rock. The sauna here is
beautiful love stories in German literature is set not by the sea, but on perfect for warming up after a canoeing expedition, a seal-watching
the banks of Lake Mälaren. When approaching Gripsholm Castle trip, or flying kites on the flat rocks at the water’s edge. In the early
BMW 328i Sports Wagon Specs
from Stockholm by boat, vacation homes peer out from the dark evening, a stroll on what must be the country’s longest wooden
forests, their outlines reflected in the calm water. But it is this hotel boardwalk around the yacht basin is a pleasant way to fill time until
Engine type Inline 6 right near the magical castle that gets our vote. This is the country’s dinner.
Displacement cc 2996 oldest and very welcoming guesthouse. In the historic dining hall, The Smögen fishmongers all look a little like the Swedish soccer
Nom. output/rpm hp 230/6500 with its undisturbed panoramic view, we order prime cuts of rein- star Fredrik Ljungberg. Their iPods produce heavy metal music as
Max. torque/rpm lb-ft 200/2750 deer steak. Visitors from north Germany at the next table discuss this they scrape halibut oil off the ovens, and the women pour a rich
Top speed1 mph 130 gift of nature on their dinner plates with our Swedish hosts. sauce over the fried appetizers. The older men have just returned
Acceleration2 The romantic lakes and countryside of central Sweden are highly with a catch of Norway lobsters, crabs, sole and shrimp that look
0-60 mph sec 6.5 seductive, but we like the dense forests on the west coast better. And fresh enough to crawl away. We select an extra-generous portion of
1
Top speed limited electronically. (148 mph if all the water leaves you yearning for a more urban environment, mouthwatering Norway lobster. Tomorrow we’ll go out with the men
when equipped with Sport Package.) then Gothenburg, Sweden’s second-largest city, might be a good to the lobster grounds, crack open crustaceans ourselves, and
2
BMW AG test results, manual transmission.
place to visit. enjoy Scandinavia’s sweet-tasting secret.
that sticking to 50 mph is tiring. After our trip around Stockholm’s
archipelago, our next goal is to see more of the vivid coastal land-
scape in southern Sweden. We drive down the east coast as far as
Vimmerby, Astrid Lindgren’s birthplace and known today as a living
“Pippi Longstocking” village, one of the most popular destinations
for Swedish families.
A few hours farther south is the town of Kalmar. There, in a castle
with old cannons and surrounded by water, a tour guide in medieval
costume was interesting enough to hold the attention of even an
eight-year-old. A tangle of winding streets branches out from the
main square of Kalmar’s Old Town, where people are dancing on an
open-air stage to decidedly un-medieval guitar music. As it starts to
drizzle, they pause long enough to put up their umbrellas: nothing,
not even rain, dampens the leisurely mood of a Swedish summer.
We prefer to watch from the dry comfort of Helen & Jörgens
gourmet restaurant. The glass ceiling lamps there were made in
the nearby woods, using the traditional mouth-blown method –
but with their psychedelic colors, they blend in seamlessly with
the contemporary decor.
Hidden between the trees is the Slottshotellet: a hotel with dark
corridors, rooms filled with nooks and crannies, and a lounge with
heavy leather furniture and a roaring fireplace. After a leisurely drive
along Sweden’s roads, there’s nothing better than lying for a few quiet
moments in a freshly made bed, gazing out past the branches that are
swaying in the breeze.
Left: pine forest on Öland. The island pokes out into the Baltic like a pointing finger. Right: Gripsholm Castle on Lake Mälaren.
BMW Magazine
TIPS AND ADDRESSES
WHERE TO STAY
Stockholm
Berns Hotel
Näckströmsgatan 8
Phone: 011-46-8-566-32200
www.berns.se
A hotel dating back to the
19th century with a striking
clock tower. Centrally located
next to Berzelli Park. Rooms
are tastefully furnished in con-
temporary style. Its several
bars are fixed points in Stock-
holm’s nightlife.
Vaxholm
Waxholms Hotell
Hamngatan 2
Phone: 011-46-8-541-30150
www.waxholmshotell.se
Attractive art nouveau hotel on
the water’s edge. In contrast
to the lion’s share of accom-
modations in the archipelago,
this hotel can be reached by
car. Reservations are essential,
especially if booking for the
weekend.
Kalmar
Slottshotellet
Slottsvägen 7
Phone: 011-46-8-480-88260
www.slottshotellet.se
This castle hotel on the
avenue leading to Kalmar’s
fortress overflows with
old-world charm. The rooms
and hallways are furnished
with antique fixtures and
Not only kids enjoy themselves in Vimmerby, the birthplace of
internationally acclaimed children’s book author Astrid Lindgren.
BMW Magazine
fittings. The lobby with leather
seating is a perfect place to
relax in the early evening.
Excellent value for the money.
Sandhamn
Seglarhotellet Sandhamn
Phone: 011-46-8-574-50400
www.sandhamn.com
This modern building next to
Sandhamn marina also rents
out apartments. Guests can
use the gym and spa in the
main building.
Smögen
Smögens Havsbad
Hotellgatan 26
Phone: 011-46-523-668450
www.smogenshavsbad.se
Extensive renovations were
completed on this building,
which overlooks the narrow
winding streets of Smögen
from its hilltop position. The
Havsbad is located just a
few yards from the peninsula’s
premier bathing coves.
Mariefred
Gripsholms Värdshus &
Hotell
Kyrkogatan 1
Phone: 011-46-159-34750
www.gripsholms-vardshus.se
The historic dining hall is the
trademark feature of Sweden’s
oldest guesthouse. Here you
can sit back and enjoy a
traditional menu and admire
the view over Lake Mälaren
and Gripsholm Castle. A night
here is like taking a journey
back in time to the 1600s.
A stay of at least one night
is a must.
WHERE TO EAT
Stockholm
Nystekt Strömming
Södermalmstorg
The square facing the Slussen
“T-bana” subway station is the
place for the best fried herring
in Stockholm. Enjoy a typical
Swedish lunch at a picnic table
overlooking the Old Town.
Pontus in the Greenhouse
Österlånggatan 17
Gamla Stan
Phone: 011-46-8-545-27300
www.pontusfrithiof.com
An award-winning eatery in
the historic Old Town, hidden
away in a cozy, green-color
house. Familiar and less
frequently encountered
seafood dishes are often
joined on the menu by treats
such as lobster vol-au-vent
with enoki mushrooms.
Sandhamn
Sandhamns Värdshus
Phone: 011-46-8-571-53051
www.sandhamns-vardshus.se
The restaurant looks like a
sailor’s home from the outside.
Inside it’s an old officer’s mess.
The menu features seafood,
fish in rich sauces, hearty lamb
and beef dishes.
Kalmar
Helen & Jörgens
Olof Palmes Gata
Phone: 011-46-480-28830
www.helen-jorgens.nu
Offers four- to six-course
menus and à la carte dishes
in extravagant surroundings
in Kalmar’s Old Town. The
lobster trio is recommended.
Smögen
The fish stalls on the harbor
side are brimming with the
freshest seafood, mixed
selections and Norway lobster
priced by the gram.
Skärets Krog
Hamnen 1
Phone: 011-46-523-32317
www.skaretskrog.com
Meticulously prepared fish
dishes are served in the first-
floor restaurant above the
café. A good wine list and view
over the marina – complete
with Sweden’s longest jetty –
round out the ambiance.
SOUTHERN SWEDEN
WITH KIDS
Its manageable size makes
Stockholm a good destination
for a trip with children, and the
historic Old Town has a truly
medieval ambiance.
The Vasa Museum
www.vasamuseet.se
It has five floors and one of the
world’s best preserved histori-
SHOPPING FOR
PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO
OWN NOW
cal shipwrecks as its center-
piece. Children will enjoy the
WHAT
fascinating exhibit of life on
board. Not far away is the
Freiluft-museum Skansen
(www.skansen.se), which WILL BE
offers children another oppor-
tunity to learn about everyday TRENDY
life in the past. Just around
the corner from the Vasa is the TWO YEARS
Junibacken Museum, which
takes visitors on a journey FROM NOW.
through the collected works
of Astrid Lindgren’s children’s
books. The stroll through a
miniature village can be
followed by a gondola trip
around very detailed miniature
sets showing key scenes from
Karlsson on the Roof, Emil in
Lönneberga, and other stories.
Lindgren’s birthplace, Vim-
merby, is a good place to
stop on a journey to the south
of Sweden. The whole town
is like a theme park in which
actors in costume recreate the
world of Pippi Longstocking,
the strongest girl on the planet.
The west coast of Öland
Island has the magnificent
beaches and tranquil lakes for
which Sweden is renowned.
For a slight change of theme,
take in live snow leopards,
wolves and lynxes at the
Nordic “Nordens Ark” safari
park (www.nordensark.se)
MAP: MERIAN KARTOGRAFIE
located in Smögen on the
west coast. For a romantic
Scandinavian experience,
consult the Mariefred tourist
office (www.mariefred.se)
for information on renting
small, secluded vacation
places.
Ladugärdslandsviken and Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Old Town: welcome to the fashion capital of the new millennium.
BMW Magazine
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BMW Performance Center

2007 Formula 1 Racing Calendar
Oris Williams TT3
Performance Driving School Schedule
January through April 2007
1-Day School
Date Circuit Location Chronograph Limited Edition
March 18 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix Melbourne, Australia
January 8, 20; February 5, 14, 21;
March 7, 12, 26; April 3, 12, 16, 21
April 8 Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2-Day School April 15 Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix Sakhir, Bahrain
January 12-13, 17-18; May 13 Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix Barcelona, Spain
February 14-15, 20-21; May 27 Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix Monaco
March 1-2, 7-8, 14-15, 20-21;
April 3-4, 7-8, 18-19, 28-29 June 10 Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix Montreal, Canada
1-Day Teen School June 17 United States Formula 1 Grand Prix Indianapolis, USA
January 13; February 17; July 1 French Formula 1 Grand Prix Magny Cours, France
March 3, 10; April 7, 21 July 8 British Formula 1 Grand Prix Silverstone, Great Britain
2-Day Teen School July 22 German Formula 1 Grand Prix Nürburgring, Germany
January 6-7, 20-21;
March 3-4; April 28-29 August 5 Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix Budapest, Hungary
1-Day M School August 26 Turkish Formula 1 Grand Prix Istanbul, Turkey
March 5; April 20 September 9 Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix Monza, Italy
M School (2-Day) September 16 Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
January 26-27; February 9-10, 23-24;
September 30 Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix Fuji, Japan
March 16-17; April 13-14
Advanced M at VIR October 7 Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix Shanghai, China
April 2-3, 5- 6 October 21 Brazilian Formula 1 Grand Prix Sao Paulo, Brazil
Women’s 1-Day Driving School
For more information go to bmwusa.com/bmwexperience/motorsport/
March 10
Savannah Event – Roebling Road
March 10
Team BMW ORACLE Racing 2007
For more information call 888-345-4269
or go to bmwusa.com/bmwexperience/ 2007 Challenger Selection and America’s Cup Dates
PerformanceCenter/school April 3 Keel Unveiling Day
Note: Program dates are subject to change. April 3 -7 Fleet Racing Regatta (currently referred to as Act 14)
April 18 Challenger Selection Series begins
June 2 Louis Vuitton Cup Final begins –
Winner becomes the 32nd Challenger for the America’s Cup

32nd Defense of the America’s Cup begins – First Team to win 5 Races wins the Match
June 23, 24, 26, 27, 29 Race Dates
June 30, July 1, 3, 4 Race Dates (if necessary)
July 6, 7 Reserve Days (if necessary)
Go to bmworacleracing.com for the most up-to-date information. Automatic Mechanical
Retail $2,975

Publisher

BMW Magazine
Quarter 1/2007 Authors and contributors in this issue: Designer: Sonja Schneider
Editor in Chief, U.S.: Dianne Martini Henri Lesewitz, Victoria List, Niklas Maak, Photo Editor: Gabriele Mayrhofer-Mik
Executive Editor, U.S.: Linda Uetzfeld Denise McVey, Eli Musser, D. Randy Riggs, Publishing Manager: Dr. Kai Laakmann
Bob Roemer, Wolfgang Schneider, Michael Seitz, Project Manager: Marco Krönfeld
Production, U.S.: Oliver Stolle, Linda Uetzfeld, Sarah Yarnell; Advertising Director: Roberto Sprengel
Ritta & Associates translation and rewriting: Dr. Lawrence S. Leshnik Advertising: Doris Bielstein (Mgr.)
Englewood, NJ 07631 Patricia Hoffnauer
Production Manager: Nicholas Gelens Photographers/Illustrators:
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