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Editor@RubberMag.com |
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 Motorcycle
Hall Of Fame Announces BMW: The Mastery of Speed
(Photo: A company in its time:
1939, Senior Tourist Trophy, George Meier wins on his BMW Kompressor
- courtesy: BMW)
The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum will celebrate eight decades
of BMW sport bikes with an all-new exhibit, "BMW: The Mastery
of Speed." Opening July 20, 2005, this showcase of
the German manufacturer's sporting heritage features seldom seen
and historically significant machines on loan from the renowned
Peter Nettesheim collection. The exhibit will also include
rare images and artifacts from Mr. Nettesheim as well as from
Mobile Tradition, BMW's division devoted to preserving the company's
heritage. Together, these elements tell the memorable stories
behind BMW's many technical innovations.
The official dedication of "BMW: The Mastery of Speed"
includes a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 pm, July 20, visits by
special guests from BMW Motorrad USA, and a sampling of Munich's
best-loved culinary traditions. The event and exhibit are
open to the public (regular admission prices apply). The
opening also coincides with the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America
33rd Annual International Rally, held July 21 - 24 in Lima, Ohio,
which is expected to bring up to 9,000 BMW enthusiasts to the
area.
"BMW understood and mastered the art of performance motorcycle
design long before many other manufacturers discovered that performance
sells," said Mark Mederski, executive director, Motorcycle
Hall of Fame Museum. "This exhibit not only traces
BMW's sporting DNA back to its source, but gives visitors the
chance to see how it evolved through some of the most significant
machines ever engineered and produced by the company."
The exhibit is created around Peter Nettesheim's insightful and
"consumer-friendly" approach to BMW motorcycle history.
A master storyteller with a passion for uncovering little-known
facts and stories about the motorcycles he collects and restores,
Nettesheim and Mederski strategically selected vintage models
that define each of BMW's most important models, beginning with
the Twenties-the period when BMW temporarily ceased their aircraft
engine production and transitioned to engineering ground transportation.
"BMW: The Mastery of Speed" opens just as BMW unveils
the latest chapter in its sport-tuned model line, the 2005 K1200S
and the soon-to-debut "naked" K1200R which will
be added to the exhibit upon its arrival on U.S. soil.
Visitors will enjoy some exceptional early and rare BMW designs.
Particularly significant is the oldest motorcycle on display,
a 1927 BMW R47, one of 1,720 machines sold between 1927 and 1928.
As early as 1921, BMW was producing power plants like the two
cylinder 494cc flat twin in the R47, which launched the bike
to a then-sizzling top speed of nearly 70 mph. Motorcycles
from nearly every decade of the company's history are on view,
including the R5, the road-going twin cam sport model based on
BMW's consistent race winner, the R5SS (Super Sport). BMW
offered a sport motorcycle in each of its eight decades and it
is this sporting heritage that enabled them to accomplish their
"Mastery of Speed."
In addition to these magnificent machines, the exhibit includes
an illustrative diorama of a BMW factory scene, as well as several
technical displays that explore how designs not only contributed
to BMW motorcycles' performance cache, but also to the bikes'
reliability and safety. Advertising art from early brochures
explains BMW's driveline and enthusiasts will immediately recognize
the familiar horizontally-opposed twin, direct bolted transmission
with a right side driveshaft to a bevel rear drive. Most BMWs
use a similar shaft drive layout to this day. The exhibit
also presents period photos of BMW's innovators in pursuit of
performance.
"BMW: The Mastery of Speed" joins the Motorcycle Hall
of Fame Museum's equally new "Motocross America" exhibit,
opening this month. For more information, call (614) 856-2222,
or visit the Museum's website at www.motorcyclemuseum.org.
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