The first Rolls-Royce Motor Cars exhibition at the BMW Group museum in Munich, Germany, has opened. The unique exhibition, entitled Strive for Perfection, marks the 10th year of BMW’s ownership of the famous UK brand and also commemorates the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Henry Royce.
The displays tell the story of the super-luxury automaker in chronological detail from the meeting of the company’s founding fathers, Sir Henry Royce and the Honourable Charles Stewart Rolls in 1904, through to the present day.
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Situated in the landmark BMW Group Museum bowl and covering more than 1,000 square metres over five floors, the exhibition includes 15 original cars dating from 1907 to 2012. Some are owned by BMW Classic, the automaker’s heritage division, and others are on loan from private collections.
The display includes the famous 10EX, one of the most significant experimental cars in the world, built in 1926 to demonstrate the performance potential of the ‘new Phantom’. Royce engineered and drove 10EX himself in his relentless pursuit of automotive perfection.
The historic cars are complemented by descriptive displays, with themes including coachbuilding, craftmanship, bespoke design, engineering and advertising. The narative includes historic displays of the famous spirit of ecstacy hood ornament and the ‘pantheon’ radiator grille.
The exhibition is accompanied by displays of craftsmanship from other British luxury manufacturers, including men’s and women’s fashion, leather goods, timepieces, shoes, silver and glassware.
“This outstanding and historic exhibition proudly celebrates the 10th anniversary of the renaissance of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars under BMW Group ownership”, said CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös.
“Our contemporary motor cars present a unique blend of German expertise and technology and outstanding British craftsmanship and design. It is therefore appropriate that this key moment in the story of this great British manufacturing success story is told in the BMW Group Museum, an iconic location which is both the soul and the memory of the BMW Group.”
