BMW History BMW in the 1910S - the Beginning
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BMW history BMW in the 1910s - the beginning To better understand BMW today you have to know and understand BMW history. The last century gives the “flavor” of today’s BMW cars, the ingredient that makes them so special. This “special” can be almost seen as the soul of a person. BMW cars have an unmistakably personality and an obsessive care about the feeling of driving, thus their slogan "the ultimate driving machine". This creates a bond between the car and the driver that may last for a lifetime. These three magic letters stand for Bayerische Motoren Werke, or in English, Bavarian Motor Works. The "Motor" is the core of this acronym and is the foundation; the key part around which BMW builds every product. BMW Drives invites you to be part in this amazing trip and you will find out the story that lies behind BMW. HOW BMW PROGRESSED FROM THIS TO 1913 The man who started all was Karl Friedrich Rapp in October 1913. Not everybody knows that BMW started as a manufacturer of aircraft with Austro-Daimler, who was unable to meet its demands that of building V12 Aero engines under license. The company expanded too quickly, and by 1916 Karl Friedrich Rapp resigned from the company because of financial troubles. The company was taken over by two Austrians Franz- Josef Popp and Max Fritz backed by a Vienna engines. Rapp establishes "Rapp-Motorenwerke" in a former bicycle factory near Munich. He starts manufacturing his own aircraft engines but unfortunately they suffered form problems with vibrations. Close to Rapp´s factory, Gustav Otto, the son of the inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine, sets up a business building small aircrafts. Otto enjoys great success with "Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik". 1916 Rapp Motoren Werke had problems with the reliability of the engines. They have secured a contract financier, Camillo Castiglioni. They managed to convince Gustav Otto´s "Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik" to merge with "Rapp-Motorenwerke". Together they formed Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke or BFW, in English "Bavarian Aircraft Works". Shortly afterwards the company was renamed BMW and in 1918 becomes BMW AG (The German term Aktiengesellschaft means a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e., owned by shareholders. It may be traded on the stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The U.S. equivalent term is "public company", source Wikipedia) the company that we know and admire today. 1917 In 1917, BMW's first aircraft engine, the Type IIIa, goes into production. It is a water- cooled six-cylinder inline engine, it features a unique "high-altitude carburetor" developed by Fritz that allows it to develop full power at altitude. 1918 In 1918 this engine powered a biplane to 5,000 meters altitude in just 29 minutes. It was an impressive performance for those days, one that led to strong demand for BMW engines. 1919 In 1919 a successor for this engine is born. It is named naturally Type IV. With this engine, Franz Zeno Diemer sets an altitude record of 9,760 metres (32,013 ft). Franz Zeno Diemer 1920 The current BMW logo, introduced in the early 1920, was based on the circular design of an aircraft propeller. World War I comes to an end and the Treaty of Versailles was signed prohibiting BMW from building aircraft engines. Production is switched for building air brakes for railway cars. The rotating aircraft prope-ller - inspiration for the BMW logo In these conditions, the company had to think to other products and so BMW starts building motorcycle engines. In 1920, Martin Stolle and Max Friz design the M2 B 15 engine for the "Victoria" motorcycle from Nürnberg. This was the first BMW motorcycle engine and it was produced between 1920 and 1922. Martin Stolle and Max Friz 1921 BMW's first motorized bicycle is called "Flink" and sees the light in 1921. They were powered by a Kurier two stroke engine. 1922 1922 is another milestone in BMW history. The first BMW factory is built on Neulerchenfeldstrasse -- the site of Otto's old aircraft factory -- near the current day Olympic complex in Munich. 1923 Because the earlier BMW motorcycles had suspension problems they were not able to sell much. So they start to develop the "R32" motorcycle, which was the first BMW bike sold at an amount worth to mention (3100 bikes until 1926). The BMW R32 motorcycle causes a strong impression at its world premiere at the Berlin Automobile Show in 1923. With the R32, BMW succeeds in moving into vehicle construction even before the development of automobiles. This is the moment when the history of the BMW boxer engine begins and will continue until the present day. The top speed of this 2-cylinder 494cc motorcycle was around 59 mph (95 km/h). 1924 In 1924 we can witness the first intercontinental flight to Persia powered by BMW engines. 1925 One year later, 1925, the R37 motorcycle outputs twice the power of it's predecessor: 16bhp from a 500ccm engine. This motorcycle provides the basis for the BMW racing machines and makes the brand well known throughout the whole motorcycle world. The result: from 1924 to 1929, all German Championships in the 500 ccm category are won by BMW. 1926 BMW keeps a leading position in the aeronautical industry. The same commitment to innovation and perfection is rewarded with five world records for the The Rohrbach Ro VII seaplane with a BMW VI engine. 1927 BMW keeps the same pace and they break other world-flight records the next year, 1927. From a total of 87 world records in aviation, 29 of them were set with BMW engines. 1928 1928 marks the beginning in terms of the BMW car. BMW buys the car factory at Eisenach/Thuringia and with it the license to build a small car called the Dixi 3/15. The BMW Dixi was the competition for the Austin 7. The BMW Dixi DA/1 (DA standing for Deutsche Ausfuhrung) is essentially the german version. The first Dixis used an open roof and were powered by a 743cc 4 cylinder engine producing 15 horsepower. Top speed was in the neighborhood of 50 mph (80 km/h). The Dixi 3/15 PS was built under license from Austin and was essentially the same model as the US Bantam and the Japanese Datsun. In 1929 a new improved version was launched, the DA/2, which employed an all-steel body and 4-wheel brakes, and in 1930 the Dixi scored its first wins in motor racing. Total production: 18,976 units. 1929 1929 is the year when 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). This surpasses the existing world record by 10 kph. The first BMW car saw the light in 1928 - the Dixi 3/15 1930 Until 1932 BMW manages to sell very well its air- cooled radial engine thanks to its excellent power to weight ratio. They also win the 6000 mile Alpine Rally through four countries. 1932 A new car model from BMW is launched in 1932. It is called the 3/20PS. The powerplant was a 782cc 4 cylinder unit which featured suspended valves and a double chain driving the camshafts, producing 20 horsepower at 3500 rpm and providing the saloon with a 50 mph top speed. It is the first model to be developed entirely by BMW in Munich also known as the BMW AM 4 (Ausfuhrung Munchen 4 Gange - Munich Version 4 Speeds). With this car BMW wins the Concours d'Elegance in Baden-Baden. 1933 The next year, 1933, marked the introduction of the 303 saloon and the first BMW inline-six cylinder power unit, a configuration that will remain even to the contemporary BMW cars. Designed by Fritz Fiedler, the 303 engine had a chain driven camshaft, with pushrods and rocker arms to vertical overhead valves. The crankshaft of the new BMW 303 6-cylinder engine was designed by Rudolph Schleicher. 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 56 mph (90 km/h). 1934 Based on Pratt&Whitney design, BMW makes the air-cooled radial engine in 1934. Three of these engines power the famous JU52 airplane, who served both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. It's the year when the 315/1 roadster appears on the market. It had a beautiful sleek design for it's time with low cut doors. The engine was a 1.5 liter, in-line 6 cylinder developing 40bhp. The top speed was around 125km/h making the 315/1 one of the most competitive sports car of the era winning the international Alpine Trials. It was also a clear winner in the 2000km race across Germany. 1935 1935 marks another innovation from BMW in the motorcycle industry. The K12 is the first motorcycle with a hydraulically damped telescopic front wheel fork. It replaced the old leaf spring fork. The 315 roadster becomes the undisputed champion in the 1.5 liter sports car category. The successor of the 315 was the 326. The development of this car began in late 1934 by Fritz Fiedler and chief designer Alfred Böning. The design was Peter Schimanowski's work. The engine had an output of 50bhp.