Unpacking BMW through the years

Fact Jeke Behind the Wheel
When I was still in school, history was one of my favourite subjects and I always gave the history teacher my full attention. I still enjoy the subject because there is nothing that beats knowing the origins of any brand. By studying a brand’s history one gets to know the ideas and sacrifices that went into creating the brand.

In this issue I thought I will look at the history behind one of the well-known and loved brands in the car industry, BMW, which stands for Bayersiche Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works).
After spending a few hours on the internet searching sites like Wikipedia I managed to compile the following facts about BMW which I believe most of you will find invaluable.

Although BMW’s current fame and reputation as one of the greatest vehicle manufacturers can be mostly linked to models produced in the last two decades, the history of the marque stretches back almost 100 years and contains numerous achievements that have established it as a benchmark in the car industry.

The origins of BMW trace back to 1913 when Karl Friedrich Rapp, a Bavarian who was a well-known engineer in a German aircraft company, formed Rapp Motoren Werke in a suburb of Munich.

The company specialised in airplane engines, however, Rapp found that they were problematic and suffered from excessive vibration.
Gustav Otto, also an airplane specialist, who lived nearby set up his own shop, Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik and started building small aircraft.

Because of the faulty engines, Rapp Motoren Werke secured a contract with Austro-Daimler to build V12 Aero engines under licence but the company was un- able to meet demand.

The company expanded too quickly and by 1916 Rapp resigned from the company because of financial troubles.
He was succeeded by two Austrians Franz Josef Popp and Max Friz. In March of the same year, Rapp Motoren Werke merged with Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik to form Bayersiche Flugzeungwerke.

It was shortly afterwards renamed Bayersiche Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works), or BMW.
Now I bet a few of you out there had no clue what BMW meant. In 1917, BMW’s first aircraft engine went into production, the six-cylinder Type IIIa.

In 1919, using an aircraft powered by its successor, the Type IV, Franz Zeno Diemer set an altitude record of 9 760 metres.
After the Treaty of Versailles was signed in the same year, BMW was prohibited from building aircraft engines and production switched to air brakes for railway cars.

When BMW resumed producing aircraft engines in 1922, it set no fewer than 29 world records in aviation.
The current BMW logo, introduced in 1920, was based on the circular design of an aircraft propeller.
The first BMW motorcycle, the R 32, went into production in 1923 at the newly constructed Eisenach factory next to the Munich airport of the day.

The R 32 used a flat-twin engine transversely mounted in a double-tubular frame producing 8.5 horsepower at 3 300rpm.
The two-cylinder 494cc motorcycle could reach a top speed of 59mph (95 km/h). BMW manufactured 3090 of them during its three-year lifespan.

It was 1928 that made history in terms of the BMW car. Produced at the Eisenbach factory, the Dixi 3/15 PS marked the beginning of BMW automobile production.

It was built under a licence from Austin and was essentially the same model as the US Bantam and the Japanese Datsun.
The first Dixis used an open roof and were powered by a 743cc four-cylinder engine producing 15 horsepower.

Top speed was around 50mph (80km/h). In 1929 a new improved version was launched, the DA2, which employed an all-steel body and four-wheel brakes, and in 1930 the Dixi scored its first wins in motor racing. Total production: 18 976 units.
In 1932 BMW AM 4 (Ausfuhrung Munchen 4 Gange – Munich Version 4 Speeds) – a.k.a. BMW’s first “real” car – went into production.

The AM 4, also called the 3/20 PS, was the successor to the Dixi and the first production car to be built entirely in-house by BMW.
The power plant was a 782cc four-cylinder unit which featured suspended valves and a double chain driving the camshafts, producing 20 horsepower at 3 500rpm and providing the saloon with 85km top speed.

The next year marked the introduction of the 303 saloon and the first BMW inline-six cylinder power unit, a configuration that remains BMW’s typical choice even in contemporary cars.

The 303 was also the first BMW to use the twin-kidney shaped radiator grilles, another current trademark.
Using a welded tubular steel frame, independent front suspension and rack and pinion steering, the 303 was a benchmark in technological achievements. Its 1173cc engine provided 30 horsepower and a top speed of 90 km/h.

Three years later, in 1936, the BMW 328 was introduced. It was the most popular and remains BMW’s most famous pre-war sports car. It was the successor to the 315/1 (1934-36).

The 328 was built mainly for motor sport, and it proved its mettle by winning the Mille Miglia in Italy in its class in 1938, but quickly became a popular road car as well.

A curb weight of only 1 830lb was achieved through the use of an extra-light tubular space frame and light alloy parts for the hood, doors and tail end.

Using a 1971cc inline six-cylinder engine with three carburettors that produced a healthy 80 horsepower at 5 000rpm, the 328 could reach a maximum speed of 93mph (150km/h). Four hundred and sixty-two units of this classic were produced in total.

In 1935 BMW entered the record books once again, this time on two wheels. Riding a streamlined 500cc compressor machine developing 108hp and an amazing power-to-weigh ratio (282lb curb weight), Ernst Henne set a world speed record for motorcycles of 173,7 mph (279,5km/h) in 1937. It stood for nearly two decades.

In 1956 one of the most memorable models in its history was introduced, the BMW 507 quickly became famous.
The light-alloy two-door body shell with a retractable soft top, designed by Alberecht Graf Foertz, has remained timeless as evidenced by the newly introduced Z8, which draws unmistakable clues and its overall shape from it.

A large 3168cc V8 engine using dual down-draught carburettors powered the 507 and provided 150 horsepower at 5 000rpm, enough for an impressive 124mph top speed (200km/h) but not enough to topple its main rival, the Mercedes 300SL.

While only 252 examples of the instantly recognisable 507 were ever produced, it remains a symbol of BMW’s struggles and ultimate triumphs during the fifties after the end of the War.

The next step in BMW’s evolution and the predecessor to the cars we know today was launched in 1962.
The 1500, which had been developed during the crisis of the ‘50s, was another of BMW’s saviours.

The excellent suspension and striking design for its time, employing a low waistline with a low-slung engine compartment and rear lid characterised the 1500.

A 1499cc four-cylinder engine producing 80 horsepower at 5 700rpm and providing a top speed of 92 mph (148km/h) powered it.
During its two-year production run sales amounted to only 23 807 units; however, between all of the models in its range (1500, 1600, 1800, 2000) production totalled 334 165 cars. Based on these cars, the first generation 5 Series, the E12, was launched 10 years later in 1972.

The 3 Series was introduced three years later and the 7 Series two years after that, in 1977.
Today, the Z Series, the M Series, the X Series and all of the 1, 3, 5, 7 and Motorsport series models continue the BMW tradition of building excellent vehicles with a special emphasis on performance, style and technological advancements. 1992 was another year-to-be-remembered for BMW when it, for the first time, outsold Mercedes in Europe.

Hopefully, in the future the rivalry between these and other makes will persist and companies such as BMW will continue to build great cars.

Till next week, be safe. God bless you.