03-03-2025
BMW's New Online Museum Is the Best Kind of Internet Rabbit Hole
BMW has officially ruined your productivity for the next week. The automaker has just released a massive Digital Archive of its vehicles, giving fans direct access to the best Bimmer museum your laptop can provide. Packing a gigantic assortment of photos, technical specs, and other details about BMWs dating all the way back to 1928, it's a treasure trove for any classic car enthusiast.
This isn't the first time that BMW has released such an archive, having dropped similar sites for its motorcycles and Mini brands back in 2021. The new collection was worth the wait however, featuring some 424 models. This includes the very first BMW Roundel-wearing machine, in the BMW 3/15 PS DA 2 Sedan, all the way up to the E46, E39, and E38 Generation models. BMW has even included data on the first-generation X5, highlighting the significance of the SUV to the brand's current position. And while the archive doesn't currently cover all of BMW's bases, more cars will continue to be added as they age or archival materials are sourced.
Fans can filter through the museum-esque site by decade, body style, and nameplate, making it particularly easy to locate your specific curiosity. The Pre-War section is particularly fun, featuring a load of vehicles you may not be that familiar with. The breakdowns aren't limited to a specific trim either, with most model features including the entire range. (The brand has even broken out the American market vehicles, which we can certainly appreciate.) There's loads of lovely information about each variant on offer, and even internal links to the brand's historic parts offerings should you be working on repairs. BMW also includes links to its archival sites where you can locate other items like period brochures and press photography.
Did the archive introduce you to any models you weren't already keen on? Let us know which machines surprised you the most down below.
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