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BMW Car Company

BMW are world famous for having the reputation as one of the greatest automobile manufacturers of our time. This reputation has certainly built up over the last two decades, when BMW's finest designs have hit the market. Most people don't realise that BMW's history spans across over 90 years and includes many achievements along the way that have established the company as a benchmark for other car manufacturers today.

BMW's origins can be traced all the way back to 1913, when Bavarian aircraft engineer Karl Friedrich Rapp formed Rapp Motoren Werke in a suburb of Munich, Germany. His company specialised in airplane engines, however Rapp found them quite problematic, suffering from excessive vibrations. This made the company secure a contract with Austro-Daimler to build V12 Aero engines with them under licence. The company expanded too quickly and were unable to meet the demands and they fell into serious financial trouble as a result. This finally forced Rapp, in 1916 to resign from the company he started. Two Austrians, Franz Josef Popp and Max Friz took the company over and in March the same year, Rapp Motoren Werke merged with Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik to form Bayersiche Flugzeungwerke. It was soon after that, the name was changed to Bayersiche Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works) or BMW, the company name which is so famous today.

By 1917, BMW's first aircraft engine was in production, setting altitude records never before seen. Unfortunately, the Treaty of Versailles was signed that same year, preventing BMW from producing aircraft engines so the company switched to making air brakes for railway cars. Just five years later, BMW had returned to building aircraft engines, setting no less than 29 aviation world records. This brings us to the current BMW logo which was designed around that time and is said to represent the circular design of an aircraft propeller.

In 1923, BMW developed their first motorcycle, manufacturing 3,090 of them during the three year production. It was 1928 that BMW started their own motorcar history. The Dixi 3/15 PS marked the beginning of automobile production for the company. Built under licence from Austin, it was basically the same model as the US Bantam and the Japanese Datsun. BMW built their models with an open top roof and later, in 1929 a newer version was launched. The DA2 employed a new all-steel body and four-wheel brakes. By 1930, they had their first win in motor racing.

The first in-house design and build for BMW came in 1932. A Four speed, four cylinder car featuring suspended valves and a double chain driving the cam shafts, it was called the AM 4. Just one year later, BMW produced their first six cylinder car, which is a configuration that the company still uses today in its modern designs.

1937 saw BMW entering the record books again, this time on a motorcycle. Ernst Henne set the world speed record riding a streamlined 500cc compressor machine, developing 108 hp and an amazing power-to-weigh ratio. He reached a top speed of 173.7 mph which stood undefeated for nearly two decades.

Unfortunately, BMW's success was to be short lived. The Second World War bought the factories in Germany to their knees. All had been destroyed or dismantled by the end of the war. Not that it would have mattered if the factories were still running. A three year ban was then imposed on BMW in response to them producing aircraft engines and rockets during the war. 1951 finally bought the release of BMW's new V8 equipped 501 Luxury Sedan. This was viewed as a poor production choice of a come-back car for BMW, demand was low after the war, and consumers felt that it didn't reach BMW's already high expectations.

By 1955 however, BMW began to crack it again. This time by launching the Isetta 250, their first mini-car licensed from the Italian manufacturer, Iso. The Isetta was 7 years in production and was the car that got BMW back on its feet, but they still weren't in the clear financially.

It was the BMW 507, launched in 1956 that gave the company one of its most memorable models. The overall shape of the body is evident even now in modern models like the Z8. While only 252 examples of this legendary car from BMW were produced, to this day, it remains a symbol of their struggles and triumphs during the 50's after the end of the Second World War.

Another of BMW's lifelines in productions came in the form of the 1500, launched in 1962. Developed during the crisis of the 1950's, the car was in production for two years, selling 23,087 units. However, those figures increase dramatically when you take into account all the different models in the range. The 1500, 1600, 1800 and the 200 all helped to push the final sales figure up to 334,165 cars. BMW were back in business.

BMW cars as we know them today were developed a decade later, in 1972. The 1500 range was the inspiration for the first generation of 5 series, the E12. Following on from that, the 3 series was launched in 1975 and the 7 series was launched 2 years after that, in 1977.

1990 saw BMW merge with Rolls Royce, creating BMW Rolls Royce GmbH, and by 1998, after extended talks concerning the sale of Rolls Royce BMW, officially bought the name and logo from Volkswagen, with the transition taking place by 2003. BMW had also brought about another purchase in 1994 by acquiring the Rover Group plc. After heavy losses, Rover Group was split up and sold. BMW retained the rights to the MINI and Land Rover went to Ford.

Today, BMW are recognised world wide as leaders in vehicle manufacture. The Z3, Z8 and all of the 3, 5, and 7 series models continue the tradition of building excellent automobiles with the emphasis on style, performance and technological advancement. 1992 saw BMW for the first time out-sell their biggest rivals, Mercedes, in Europe. Making sure that these two giant manufacturers will continue to build great cars in an attempt to out-do each other.

BMW Car Insurance Models

1 Series 3 Series 5 Series 6 Series 7 Series 8 Series Alpine CSA M Coupe M Roadster M3 M5 M6 X3 X5 Z1 Z3 Z4 Z8