BMW History

Karl Friedrich Rapp is the founder of BMW, and he had a penchant for designing engines. The original name for his company was Rapp Motor, and he chose Munich as the headquarters for the company. He picked the blue and white logo, the logo which is still used today. The colors for the logo are based on the colors for the Bavarian flag, which is also blue and white. By 1916, the company secured a contract which allowed them to start building V12 engines on behalf of Austro-Daimler. Due to difficulties that the company faced during its expansion, Rapp stepped down, and Franz Josef Popp became the head of the company.

It was Popp who changed the company's name to BMW AG. After the end of the first world war, German companies were prohibited from building aircraft, so the company was forced to work on railway brakes instead. By 1919, the company successfully designed a motorcycle engine, and it was placed in a model which was named Victoria. BMW wouldn't build its first motorcycle until 1924, and it was called the R32. This motorcycle was unique in that it used an engine that was horizontally opposed, and the same feature would be used in the company's motorcycles for many years to come.

While most companies at the time used a chain to drive the back wheel, BMW chose to use a shaft drive. By 1927, BMW purchased the Dixi Company, and the very first car to be introduced by the company was the BMW 3/15. The company would expand their line up to include sedans, roadsters, and luxury vehicles. During the second world war, BMW supported the war effort by producing a number of vehicles and engines. By the end of the second world war, the company produced more than 30,000 engines.