Herbert von Karajan was introduced to motorcycles by Bernhard Paumgartner who was a motorbike addict. In about 1929 Karajan owned a Harley Davidson and in 1968 as a 60th birthday present he was given a 250cc Yamaha as seen in the photograph below right.

He bought his first car in Aachen in 1934 and by 1938 he had a brand new BMW sports car which he raced in private motor rallies. He had a passion for fast cars and in 1966 owned a Ferrari although his name will always be mainly associated with Porsche. Other cars in his ownership over the years included an Austin A90 Atlantic, a Rolls Royce, a Mini, a Mercedes 500 SEL, a Volkswagen Scirocco and a Renault GT Turbo.