So I stayed in Spartanburg, South Carolina last night. Why Spartanburg? Well, (1) I had to pass through it on the way back to Dan’s and (2) my beloved former Z3 was built in Spartanburg. In fact, after I woke up this morning, I thought to myself “I wonder if there’s a BMW Museum around here” and sure enough, in a guidebook that Dan had lent me, there was! Despite admission being free, I’d have to rate this as the best auto museum I’ve been to so far besides the Ferrari museum in Maranello. Featured were notable vehicles including the James Bond “Goldeneye” Z3.
I stopped off in Spartanburg, South Carolina, en route back to Durham, NC. Imagine my joy when I realized the BMW Zentrum (or BMW Center in English) was here!
Here I was greeted by a star-spangled BMW X5 SUV. Entrance to the museum and gift shop is free (factory tours are just $3.50, I think.)
This was the very first Z3 manufactured, specifically for use as James Bond's car in the 1995 movie Goldeneye. Shades of Lina, my former Z3...
A lovable quirky egg-shaped three-wheeled vehicle: the Isetta, by BMW.
An Isetta with a trailer in tow, as if the Isetta actually had enough power to tow it.
An original BMW 507, a primary influence on the styling of the modern Z3 and Z8. "It looks fast while standing still" proclaimed an auto magazine.
This is a 1989 BMW Z1 roadster (which started the "Z" designation for BMW roadsters). Its distinctive feature were doors that retracted downward into the body work to allow egress and ingress.
Two nice vintage BMW motorcycles.
This motorcycle was built in the early 30s with fuel economy in mind. It got 80 mpg.
This vehicle even uses less gasoline because it is a BMW mountain bike. Alas, no factory tours were given since the factory was c
