Ever wonder where BMW got its start? You might be surprised by the answer, because it wasn’t with cars!
If you love luxury cars,
then you know the name BMW well, but has the Beemer always been the name for luxury? What has caused this brand to carry the high reputation it has today? Understanding a little more about the history of the cars will help you know what makes them so special.
First, what does the acronym stand for? The English translation is Bavarian Motor Works, but it comes from Bayerische Motoren Werke. But before we discuss this in detail, we must trace the company back to its roots. You may be surprised to know that the company actually has its origins in a company that manufactured aircraft engines.
The story begins in 1913 when Karl Friedrich Rapp establishes a Motorenwerke factory near Munich to build airplane engines. Nearby, Gustav Otto began building small airplanes. By 1916 the two factories were working together, benefiting from each other’s expertise, and merging to form Bavarian Aircraft Works. Soon, an Austrian engineer, Franz-Josef Popp, who was directing the business, changed the name to Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH, and BMW as a company was born.
Yet, the company was still primarily building aircraft. They continued to do so until 1919 when the armistice was signed, at which time the Allies forced the Germans to stop producing aircraft engines. Rather than see their company go belly up, the leaders of BMW began to make engines for boats, trucks, and farming equipment. By 1920 the company was struggling, as it had built its reputation on aircraft engines and now no longer could manufacture them.
To pull themselves out of this funk, the company began building motorcycle engines. This continued until 1928, when the company finally began building cars. The first car, the Dixi, had a top speed of just 50 mph. This was actually fast for the time, and the car won a motor race in 1930. It was the starting point for what would become one of the world’s most recognized luxury brands.
The year 1936 brought another important historical moment. This was the year that they created the 328 Roadster, one of the most legendary cars in racing history, and also one that was nominated for Car of the Century. Its beautiful design combined with its excellent racing performance began to put the manufacturer on the map.
The Second World War paused the history again, as the company began making war equipment and engines for aircrafts again. After the war, motorcycles made them popular again, and it wasn’t until 1949 that they returned, presenting a motorcycle in New York and taking their brand into a new market – the United States. They resumed car production in Germany in 1951. by 1956 with the introduction of the 507, BMW was rivaling Mercedes-Benz for a position as a manufacturer of high performance sports cars. When one of the manufacturer’s cars won the Austrian Grand Prix, their name in luxury and speed was cemented in history. Since that time, people have known they could count on the manufacturer for excellent styling, performance, and handling in their vehicles.
