Car Craze

BMW prides itself as the maker of the ultimate driving machine but it is quite interesting to note that it started out as a manufacturer of aircraft engines. The 3-letter acronym stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Works. Motor forms the key part of every product built by BMW.

The personalities behind the original BMW included Karl Friedrich Rapp who earlier established Rapp-Motorenwerke and Gustav Otto of Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik. Otto was the son of the man who invented the four-stroke internal combustion engine. Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke or Bavarian Aircraft Works was formed when the two companies merged. It soon became the Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH and was formally reorganized as such in March 7, 1916.

BMW turned to other products when the manufacture of aircraft engines went through a tough business climate. These products included brake systems fro railway cars, motorcycle engines, cut-down aviation engines for the marine industry and even office furniture. BMW only started building cars in 1928 when it was given the license to build the BMW Dixi. The company went on to prove its products’ worth through new motorcycle records, excellent sales of its air-cooled radial engines and development of several car models recognized both for beauty and efficiency.

The Second World War temporarily changed the course of BMW as a manufacturing company. It was closed and dismantled in 1945 because it participated in rocket construction for the military. It made a comeback in 1949 when it introduced its first motorcycle since 1941. Its first post-war car model was the 501 luxury sedan, admittedly not one of BMW’s most glamorous products but went on to produce classic models, racing cars and luxury sedans.

BMW was one of the pioneers in the development of electronics and computers in cars. Its main strength however remains in its world-renowned engines, now fully complemented by impressive sleek designs. Probably as a fitting tribute to its beginnings, the existing BMW logo was based on the circular design of an aircraft propeller.