Some of my BMW History up to my ZHP

[ZHPWelt]

I first toured the BMW Munich factory in 1972 when I stayed with my sister who's husband was stationed in the Army just outside of Munich Germany. This was the same time that the 1972 Olympics were being held in Munich. I was 13 at the time, my brother had owned his BMW 1600 for about a year prior to this trip.

I can't begin to tell you how different the Munich factory was then compared to today. Almost everything was done by Persons in 1972 whereas most tasks at the factory are done by Robots today. To give you an example of how things have changed from then to now, one persons job was to install the BMW Roundels front and back using a rubber mallet as the assembly line moved the cars past his station. There were Beer Machines in sections of the assembly line where workers could get a Beer and return to work. :)
We were told not to take Pictures in the factory, but it was in German we didn't understand German so we took a few. I will include a couple of these from 1972.

My first car was a 1968 Camaro SS/RS 396. I restored this car at my father's auto shop, drove it for about a year then sold it and bought my first 1971 BMW 1600. I traded up to a 2002 then one of my all time favorite cars 1972 2002tii. I was in high school then, the tii with 35,000 miles on it cost me $3200. I worked afternoon shifts to pay for it.

I have purchased Two new BMW's using the European Delivery program, the first was in 07 for a E90 335i, which I sold to my brother who still owns it today.

In October of 2010, after reading about the new 1M for months I put a $2K deposit on a new E82 1M, or 1 Series M Coupe. I was the first on the list at my local dealer which stopped taking deposits at 15. I got my allocation for the 1M in Mid June of 2011 and we picked up the 1M on 08/08/2011 at the Welt in Munich Germany. My local dealer got a total of 2 1M's and the second person immediately sold his out of state on Ebay. So as it turns out my 1M is the Only One in my State :)

The end of January this year I purchased a 2004 330i ZHP Sedan as my new Daily Driver. I feel like my car is pretty much a great Garage find car. It was sitting in a garage since 09. I had a Pre-Purchase inspection of the car done at one of my favorite auto shops and a complete Car Fax and total car inspection at my favorite Body shop.

The car was originally purchased in Hollywood Cali in 04 and was sold at auction in 07 with 42000 miles on it. The person I bought the car from purchased the car in 07 and kept it garaged since then. He only put 10000 on the car the whole time he owned it. I am the 3rd owner of the car with only 52000 miles on the clock.

When I bought the car it Tramlined pretty badly. I had an Alignment done on the car, Installed new Michelin PSS Tires and this fixed about 90% of the problems. I later found that the steering had quite a bit of play in it and I had the Steering (Guibo) Coupling replace which took care of the last 10%. I had the front suspension and bushings checked out twice and both times all looks good. Overall this car looks like new and I am loving it.

The ZHP sounds so good from 3500 rpms and up! IMO the ZHP is the tii version of the E46. :roundel

[ZHPWelt]

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A couple of Pictures of car being built at the Munich Germany BMW factory in 1972

[ZHPWelt]

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Here is a couple of pictures of my 1M just outside of Salzburg Austria 2011 and at the Castles in Fussen Germany

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And a BMW 507 on the Autobahn in Munich 2011

[ZHPWelt]

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This is a photo of my 335i next to the Rhine River in Germany

[wsmeyer]

Love the pictures. Keep them coming!

[ZHPWelt]

Love the pictures. Keep them coming!

Be careful what you ask for. :)

[wsmeyer]

Be careful what you ask for. :)

I love BMW's and I love Bavaria!

[ZHPWelt]

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1M Miles when I pick up, BMW Welt in Munich Germany, My 1M parked in from of the M Design Studios where all M cars have been Engineered in Garshing just outside of Munich, my 1M on the Turn Table inside the Welt. Yes the car was turning when we first saw it.

[ZHPWelt]

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A look under my 1M during it's 1200 mile service. My 1M only has 3556 miles on it as of today.

[BRGcoopahS]

The 1M is my dream car.... no joke. Congrats with all of that.

[Tnhl1989]

Amazing :) Lovely photos and silvergrau ftw ;)

[ZHPWelt]

The 1M is my dream car.... no joke. Congrats with all of that.

Thanks it was my dream car as well. Had to wait a year for it. :)

[BavarianZHP]

I want MOAR! Pics of your ZHP as well!

[trancenation]

Awesome pictures and glimpse of history. That 1M is a beautiful machine!

[danewilson77]

Great story. Great pics.

Sent from the HTC DNA, Williamsburg, VA and USA

[Mtnman]

Nice Pics and story! Ill take more as well. But no one here likes the E82.......... :nono



I keed, i keed.....

[Ryans323i]

Love the pictures and love the story! The 1M is beautiful, no doubt about it.

[ZHPWelt]

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Yes Yes Yes, my ZHP is an Automatic. I almost passed on her. This is my First Auto in A BMW it's still a work in progress for me.

[ZHPWelt]

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My wife's Mini Hampton and my 1M with some friends. :)

[Mtnman]

Its ok. People here don't care too much about the Auto vs Manual. Mine was the exact same car with black cube trim (and yes, the auto).

And hell, you have a 1M. Not too many can compete with that!

[ZHPWelt]

Its ok. People here don't care too much about the Auto vs Manual. Mine was the exact same car with black cube trim (and yes, the auto).

And hell, you have a 1M. Not too many can compete with that!

Thanks :)

[ZHPWelt]

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A bit of BMW and Munich History here:

The so called 4 Cylinder BMW headquarters building, shown here from the 1972 Olympic grounds just across the street from the Welt, Factory, Museum and headquarter building.

This building was constructed from the Top down, suspended from the top. It was completed in 1972 before the Summer Olympics. The building is now on the Germany Historic Building Register. The Flat Top building is the BMW Museum.

The Hill shown at the Olympic grounds is much bigger than it looks in the photo. It was created from the Building Rubble from World War 2 in the city of Munich.

A picture of the Entrance to the Welt, and a Z4 inside the Welt building.

[echo46]

Damn, that 507 is beast. Someday....

[johnrando]

Good stuff!

[ZHPWelt]

Nice Pics and story! Ill take more as well. But no one here likes the E82.......... :nono



I keed, i keed.....

Nice E82, great respect from me!

[ZHPWelt]

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A very Sobering visit to Dachau Concentration camp. Sorry in advance if this offends anyone.

[ZHPWelt]

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Mozart Statue, Mozart's house, Salzburg Fortress view, view of Eagles Nest outside Salzburg Austria

[danewilson77]

Awesome pics brutha.

Great idea you had to start up a project thread.

We all appreciate it :thumbsup

[ZHPWelt]

:biggrin
Awesome pics brutha.

Great idea you had to start up a project thread.

We all appreciate it :thumbsup

It's amazing I came up with the idea all on my own. Who knew?

By the way, Thanks

[wsmeyer]

Keep them coming! I knew Berchtesgaden would show up eventually.

[danewilson77]

:biggrin

It's amazing I came up with the idea all on my own. Who knew?

By the way, Thanks

No worries. I absolutely love learning about all of you on a daily basis. Great stuff.

[ZHPWelt]

Keep them coming! I knew Berchtesgaden would show up eventually.

I loved Berchtesgarden area!!! Without a doubt the Very Best Panoramic view I have ever seen anywhere. It's no wonder the German's picked that area for Hitlers Retreat. More to come :)

[wsmeyer]

I loved Berchtesgarden area!!! Without a doubt the Very Best Panoramic view I have ever seen anywhere. It's no wonder the German's picked that area for Hitlers Retreat. More to come :)

No argument from me! A good friend of mine's family owns two of the hotels there. I first went there with him in 2006 for some r&r during our World Cup adventure. I fell in love with place. So much I took my girlfriend back the next year. Then we got married in 2008 and went back in winter to see the Christmas stuff and do some skiing. Then we had our daughter in 2010 so we decided to take her back in 2011 to see the Christmas stuff again. And I'm ready to go back again!

[ZHPWelt]

No argument from me! A good friend of mine's family owns two of the hotels there. I first went there with him in 2006 for some r&r during our World Cup adventure. I fell in love with place. So much I took my girlfriend back the next year. Then we got married in 2008 and went back in winter to see the Christmas stuff and do some skiing. Then we had our daughter in 2010 so we decided to take her back in 2011 to see the Christmas stuff again. And I'm ready to go back again!


Very Very nice!! I feel the same way. It's on our list to see that area in the Winter.

[ZHPWelt]

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More Pics from The Eagles Nest, Berchtesgaden.

The first shows the Tunnel leading to the Elevator that takes you up to the Eagles Nest. Hitler's own personal Elevator.

My Son sitting on a bench overlooking the Berchtesgaden area. The view all the way back to Salzburg and another view of the area.

[ZHPWelt]

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Just a couple of Traffic Signs from Germany. End of Speed limit and an Exit sign.

[Oli77]

Thanks for the pic and stories. Much appreciated.

[Hornung418]

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A very Sobering visit to Dachau Concentration camp. Sorry in advance if this offends anyone.

This was the most interesting part of my trip to southern Germany.

Love the story and the pics. Great stuff, and welcome to the family :)

From a GS3, this was sent.

[ZHPWelt]

The 1M is my dream car.... no joke. Congrats with all of that.


This was the most interesting part of my trip to southern Germany.

Love the story and the pics. Great stuff, and welcome to the family :)

From a GS3, this was sent.

Thanks I wouldn't have missed the tour of Dachau either. My wife wasn't happy at all going in, but said it was worth the visit when we were done. It's something we need to never forget or let happen again.

[BRGcoopahS]

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My wife's Mini Hampton and my 1M with some friends. :)

3 of the greatest modern, pure "drivers" cars all sitting next to eachother. :drool

[ZHPWelt]

3 of the greatest modern, pure "drivers" cars all sitting next to eachother. :drool

I'll second that. :) The other two cars are great fun to drive as well.

[ZHPWelt]

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A couple of more cars from the BMW Welt.

The first is a BMW 326, along with a E92 M3 in the background.

The Second was a 1M on display inside the Welt

Third is the way to the Beer Gardens in the Park

Forth is a Brand New 1987 E30 M3 that I brought home to show my wife who was pregnant with our fist child, six months after we moved into a new house. In other words It's the one I Couldn't Afford. :(

[johnrando]

More good stuff! Love the pics.

[danewilson77]

Forth is a Brand New 1987 E30 M3 that I brought home to show my wife who was pregnant with our fist child, six months after we moved into a new house. In other words It's the one I Couldn't Afford. :(

Damn it man!!!!

[ZHPWelt]

Damn it man!!!!

I know, that has hurt for many years now. :(

[quikryptonite]

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A couple of more cars from the BMW Welt.

Forth is a Brand New 1987 E30 M3 that I brought home to show my wife who was pregnant with our fist child, six months after we moved into a new house. In other words It's the one I Couldn't Afford. :(

That car came from the dealership where I buy parts from time to time.

[ZHPWelt]

That car came from the dealership where I buy parts from time to time.

That's my Dealership as well. I see we are neighbors

[Don Adolfo]

Wow! That 1M is awesome; great color. Love all the photos, especially the 1972 assembly line...priceless experience. That Munich factory and museum must be like a piece of heaven. I spent 30 years in the Army, plenty of overseas tours, but I never made it to Germany; it's one my bucket list.

[ZHPWelt]

Wow! That 1M is awesome; great color. Love all the photos, especially the 1972 assembly line...priceless experience. That Munich factory and museum must be like a piece of heaven. I spent 30 years in the Army, plenty of overseas tours, but I never made it to Germany; it's one my bucket list.

Thank you. If you are a True Blue and White BMW Fan touring the Munich Factory, Welt and Museum is like going home! The German's treat you like family and the history there is just fabulous. I can't say enough good things about this experience. Anyone considering buying a New BMW should treat themselves to the European Delivery Option, you save 7% off the Base Price of the car which pays a good chunk of the price of the trip. They include 2 weeks of insurance on your car and you can drop the car off in 6 or 7 different countries and it arrives at your dealer all ready to go once it gets to the US. Why not? :)

[ZHPWelt]

The more I drive my ZHP the more I like this car. From the classic looks to the sound of the engine and exhaust. I have said this before, the ZHP is like the tii version of the E46. :)

[Au1994]

Extremely late to the party but great pics and I agree with the sentiment that every BMW fan needs to make it to the Welt at some point. I went last summer and it is nothing short of a religious experience. Luckily my job takes me to Bavaria and Munich a few times per year so I will agree it is a beautiful part of the world and a special place for the fans of the roundel.