BMW VEHICLE TEST FACILITY OPENED 30 YEARS AGO

When BMW unveiled its own proving grounds near Munich in 1971, it signalled a
major leap forward for the company's automotive development work.

Munich. 20 October 1971 marked the official opening of BMW AG's very own
vehicle test site in the northeast of Munich. Following a construction period
of over three years, a complex was unveiled next to the Isar reservoir in the
district of Aschheim covering 670,000 square meters in area. Thanks to
expansion and conversion work carried out since then, it remains one of the
most modern facilities of its kind to this day.

At a time when local pressure groups were beginning to makes themselves felt,
finding a location that would lend itself to vehicle testing facilities wasn't
easy. Specifications for the size of the site and the type of terrain were
high. Eventually BMW managed to find a location between Aschheim and Ismaning
which fulfilled all these requirements and was just 30 minutes away from the
BMW factory in north Munich and the planned new "four-cylinder" BMW head
office.

The site stretches like a ribbon along one of the River Isar's reservoirs in an
environmentally sensitive zone, which is also a haven for birds. It runs for a
good four kilometers in length but is no more than 100 to 600 meters wide.
Thanks to the reservoir's dam and a sound insulation wall opposite, the noise
of the vehicles is so effectively dampened that any concerns about the testing
operations negatively impacting on the environment and possibly frightening off
bird species were soon dispelled. In fact, it had almost the opposite effect
with some birds taking to nesting in discarded crash-test vehicles.

Before the facilities could be launched, however, around one million cubic
meters of earth had to be shifted and some 35 kilometers of road constructed,
along with various buildings. The essential aim of the test facilities and
circuits was to create the conditions for replicating, largely through
electronic measuring systems, the results of the road tests necessary for the
development of high-performance vehicles. Previously this had only been
possible to a limited degree on public highways. To achieve this aim, the site
had to be completely leveled.

The core components of the facility are a 7.7-kilometre long high-speed
measuring section, a handling course, a skid pad and a crash-test facility. The
high-speed stretch, built along to emulate a motorway, allows for all the
desired speeds to be reached while deliberately dispensing with an albeit
spectacular but largely academic steep turn. The approximately three-kilometer
long twisty labyrinth of the handling course was given a jump hill, along with
every conceivable type of turn for testing road holding and driving safety. The
infield area of the west loop contains a skid pad and a slalom course as well
as a sprinkler system and mobile water cannon. The crash-test facility and
rollover pad were installed inside the east loop. The test site's "nervous
system" was unique for its time, featuring 56 km of electric cabling, 27 km of
antenna, instrument and control leads, as well as countless power units for
light barriers and switch plugs dispersed across all the test areas.

The second construction stage saw a further test area built in 1972, which
includes various road surfaces and undulations along with inclines and braking
sections, flooded areas, an aquaplaning stretch and a crosswind installation.
The test facilities are complemented by a building in which endurance testing
and exhaust tests are carried out.

Shifting parameters arising from increased energy costs and stricter legal
regulations governing vehicle fuel consumption and noise levels led to the
addition of an "Aerodynamic and thermal test center" in 1980. It includes a
large wind tunnel suitable for testing cars and motorcycles, as well as
climatic, cooling and acoustic test benches.

Following the success of BMW cars in the world market and a steadily expanding
model range, the Aschheim test site approached full capacity in the
mid-eighties. This prompted BMW to acquire the former racing circuit of Miramas
in southern France in 1986 and turn it into a second test site. While the
advantage of Aschheim lies in its proximity to the company's vehicle
development headquarters, the great benefit of the French test site between
Marseille and Avignon is in being independent of winter weather conditions.
Cars and motorcycles can be adequately tested here all year round. Miramas also
affords ideal conditions for testing the Formula 1 racecars of the BMW
WilliamsF1 Team.

The significance of test facilities of this kind for automotive development
continues to grow and is subject to regular adaptation in order to meet the
changing laws and regulations governing modern vehicles.

For questions please contact:

Corporate Communications

Joerg-Dieter Huebner, AK-21, Technology Communication, Heritage
Telephone: (+49 89) 382 27797, Fax: (+49 89) 382 27563

Dr Tobias Nickel, AK-21Technology Communication
Telephone: (+49 89) 382 27072, Fax: (+49 89) 382 27563

Media Website: www.press.bmwgroup.com
e-mail: presse@bmw.de