Hitory
of
BMW
(Bavarian Motor Works)
Country
of Origin : Germany
The
twentieth century is the age of mobility; in its evolution, BMW has played a
formative role. The history of the Bavarian Motor
Works begins back in
1916 and mirrors Germany's past--politically, economically and technologically.
But above all, it is a history of innovation. New ideas, large and small, have
spearheaded the company's growth and fashioned its sporty image. All this is
reflected in the BMW emblem, symbolizing a rotating airplane propeller from
BMW's early years. Today, the emblem signifies a global company that annually
produces hundreds of thousands of engines, motorcycles, and cars.
BMW
Pioneers Gustav Otto and Karl Rapp: the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG (BFW) is
founded, into which partner Otto (right) merges his three-year-old aircraft
factory. Rapp (left, in center) owns the Rapp Motoren Werke, which is renamed
Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH in 1917 and whose first CEO is Franz-Joseph Popp
(center). In 1922, BFW and BMW GmbH combine to form the BMW company that we know
today.
A rotating propeller inspires the BMW emblem.
Corporate charter of 1918: The Bavarian Motor Works becomes a
public company.
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Fokker with BMW engine: Franz Zeno Diemer (center) sets the first
world high-altitude record (32,208 feet).
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BMW's first motorcycle engine: Martin Stolle (center) designs the M2 B 15
for the "Victoria" model.
Legacy of the
Bayerische Flugzeugwerke:
The "Flink" motorized bicycle.
The First BMW factory is built on Neulerchenfeldstrasse near Munich's
Olympic complex
Hand-Made:
the R32 launches BMW's second product line
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Franz Bieber, a victorious
BMW racer, on a test drive through Bavaria with his wife, Anna
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The R 39, a 250cc sports
bike, is BMW's first single-cylinder model. It's 6.5 hp gives it a top
speed of 52 mph (100 km/hr)
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The Rohrbach Ro VII
seaplane with a BMW VI engine wins five world records
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The BMW IV airplane engine:
one out of three world-flight records goes to BMW engines in this year
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Berlin Motor Show: BMW
takes over the Dixi company in Eisenach, which afterwards produces only
BMWs
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World speed record on
Ingolstaedter Landstrasse in Munich: Ernst Henne riding a 750 cc BMW
sets a new motorcycle record on September 19, 1929, reaching a speed of
134.65 mph (216.75 km/hr)
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The air-cooled radial engine
is much in demand in the early Thirties, thanks to its excellent
power/weight ratio
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Crowds welcome triumphant BMW
drivers after the 6,000-mile Alpine Rally through four countries
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| The New BMW 3/20
(20hp),
the first model to be developed entirely in Munich,
wins the Concours d'Elegance in Baden-Baden |
Technical revolution:
the crankshaft of the new BMW 303 6-cylinder engine, designed by
Rudolph Schleicher
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The famous JU 52
is powered by three air-cooled BMW radial engines based on a
Pratt & Whitney design |
The BMW K 12 is
the first motorcycle with a telescopic front fork hydraulic
shock absorber |
The most
success-crowned sportscar of its day: the 80-hp BMW 328
Roadster |
108 hp missile: In
this machine Ernst Henne sets a world record of 173.686 mph
(279.508 km/h), which will stand for 14 years |
Series winner: in
1938 and 1940, Europe's most lauded 2-liter sportscar, the BMW
328, handily wins the Mille Miglia thousand-kilometer race
between Brescia and Rome
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George ("Schorsch") Meier is the first
foreigner to win the Isle of Man Senior TT - the world's most
rugged motorcycle competition of its day
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