BMW

Franz Josef Popp and Karl Rapp founded the company in 1916, and its headquarters are in Munich, Germany.

German automaker BMW (Bavarian Motor Works), founded in 1916, also owns and manufactures Mini and Rolls-Royce automobiles. Along with Mercedes-Benz and Audi, BMW is one of the top three luxury automakers in the world in terms of sales. BMW is still an independent automaker, which is quite uncommon in modern times.

Not everyone is aware that BMW was once a producer of airplane engines. In a disused bicycle manufacturer close to Munich, Karl Friedrich Rapp founds "Rapp-Motorenwerke" in October 1913.

Rapp was an engineer who rose through the ranks of the Daimler system, and "Rapp-Motorenwerke" was established as a branch of the aircraft manufacturer "Flugwerk." He started producing his own airplane engines, but sadly, they had vibration issues.

The Type IIIa, BMW's first airplane engine, enters production in 1917. It is an unusual "high-altitude carburetor," created by head engineer Max Friz, that enables it to produce its full power at altitude. It is a water-cooled, six-cylinder inline engine. Max Friz was a brilliant engineer who would continue to influence BMW's approach to product development far into the 1960s.

In 1929, BMW acquired Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, which at the time produced Austin Sevens under license under the Dixi brand, turning it into an automotive factory.

From compact Seven-based vehicles to six-cylinder luxury vehicles, BMW's team of engineers gradually improved their vehicles until starting to produce the BMW 328 sports car in 1936. BMW's primary products would be automobiles, motorbikes, and aircraft engines up until World War II.

During the war, BMW focused on producing aviation engines against the preferences of company director Franz Josef Popp, producing motorbikes as a side business and ceasing all manufacturing of cars.

For all of its models, the BMW 'Dixi' 3/15 DA4 and BMW 'Wartburg' DA3, BMW intended to introduce a new front axle with independent wheel suspension around the end of 1930, but this led to accidents with the prototypes due to design flaws.

But because Austin's license was about to expire in 1932, BMW opted to create an entirely new vehicle and enlisted the aid of German engineer Josef Ganz. In July 1931, BMW engaged him as a consulting engineer.


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