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The BMW motor car company
This section provides access to the cars and
autos manufactured under the name of the
BMW motor car company. An online guide for auto
enthusiasts covering old and new cars and autos. If you
like car talk then you will love this website! A free, online resource with facts and company information about the cars and autos made by the BMW motor
car company.
Founding of the BMW motor car company
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) Translates
to Bavarian Motor Works was established in 1913
by a Bavarian named Karl Rapp building aircraft
engines named Rapp Motoren Werke. Karl Rapp
resigned in 1917 and left the company to
Austrian engineer Franz Josef Popp in change and
he changed the company name to Bayerische
Motoren Werke. Max Friz chief designer that year
designed the companies first aircraft engine,
the six cylinder type IIIa, this created a
strong demand for BMW engines. Then in 1919 the
Treaty of Versailles prevented the company
building aircraft and aircraft engines so BMW
switched to building air brakes for railway
cars. The R32 in 1923 was the companies first
motorcycle to be developed. The R32 was to hold
the world speed record for motorcycles for most
of the 1930's.
In 1928 the
company acquired Fahrzeugwerke Eisenach
(Eisenach Vehicle Factory) A company that makes
small cars based in Eisenach, Germany, with this
the company entered the automobile business. A
line of large touring cars and sports cars began
production in the 1930's along with the very
successful 328 sports car in1936.
History of BMW motor car company
World War 2
ended in 1945 and Allied forces dismantled the
BMW main factories. BMW up until 1948 made
kitchen and garden equipment and in 1948
introduced a new inexpensive motorcycle. This
resulted in poor sales during the 1950's but in
the 1960's every thing turned around with the
company focusing on sports sedans and compact
touring cars and the company began competing
with the likes of
Mercedes Benz in the luxury
car market in Europe and United States. In 1986
BMW's sales peaked but then dipped partly due to
competition from luxury cars like the Lexus made by
Toyota and
the Infiniti made by
Nissan. The
removal of the Berlin
wall in 1989 led to a huge sale of
BMW's in Europe and BMW outsold
Mercedes Benz in
Europe for the first time in 1992.
BMW and
Rolls
Royce formed a joint venture to produce aircraft
engines for business jets in 1990. In 1992 BMW
built its first major automobile plant in the
United States, Spartanburg in South Caroline. In
1994 BMW acquired 80 percent of the
Rover Group,
a British company building small and luxury cars
also Land Rover sport, utility vehicles from
British Aerospace PLC.
The following
company information and history timeline details
the dates of major events which influenced the
growth of the business.
What models and types of cars and automobiles
does the BMW motor car company produce?
The models and types of cars and automobiles
produced by the company include those detailed
on the following list. Whether you enjoy
comparing cars and autos, want to conduct some
research before you buy a new car or a used car
or finally an automobile enthusiast who loves
fast, cool, new, old, vintage, classic, antique,
sports, top, muscle or exotic cars we have the
info you are searching for! Select the
automobile you are interested in and click the
link for access to an online overview of this
BMW vehicle with car guides, online facts,
information, statistics, specs, specifications,
design details and ratings of cars and autos.
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