I was reading Adrian Newey' s - How To Build a Car and during his Red Bull stint he mentioned Dietrich having a Hangar in Austria where he showcased his planes and cars called Hangar 7. After a quick Google I was drawn in by this spectacular building set to the background of the Austrian mountain range and full of some incredible marvels of engineering.
Learning more about it I discovered it was only just over the Munich border, was cheap to travel to and free to get in so with that, I was going! Regrettably we arrived on the most miserable day ever. I sure that beyond the draw distance there was a marvelous mountain range but on this day just a statement of a building nonchalantly placed in a industrial park of grey concrete buildings. To quote the Shawshank Redemption - "a rock that has no earthly business in a hay field".
Walking through a glass walk way into the main reception you are greeted by a friendly team which then usher you through to the Hangar.
A vast open space, the hangar is a work of art in architecture alone, featuring a matrix of metal work to make the canopy and joining walk ways with the most impressive being multiple stories in the air above the Red Bull DC10.
Walking around you will see a mix of planes and cars. Many famous for making Red Bull either in racing or stunts. I can really appreciate an F1 car but unless you have seen one up close it is hard to get over how much of a prototype car they look. You seriously can't imagine the thing worked or ever won anything but yet this almost fragile looking toy car is something incredible! Featuring body work that cuts the air and generates more of it, an engine no bigger than a standard VW Polo but can reach upwards of 200+mph and the blood sweat and tears of previous champions. Consider that then consider what a feat of engineering it is.
I am not a plane person but I can appreciate them for what they are. For me, seeing the DC10 was inspired. The sheer size and scale but yet made to look small in the Hangar.
Include in the Hangar was also some of their either stunt work such as the winged suit.
The Hangar does provide a great half-day out with other non-car items including artwork, food and ambient music bathing you. We did take solace in Carpe Diem for a flat white and caesar salad before looking around the gift shop and using the best toilets I have ever used in my entire life. If you ever find yourself in Salzburg, Austria make sure to visit the Hangar.
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