BMW has come a long way from its beginnings as an aircraft engine maker to becoming one of the most popular makers of family, luxury and sports cars today.

The company began in 1913 as the Rapp-Motorenwerke firm, manufacturing aircraft engines, before merging with the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke factory, located near the outskirts of Munich, in 1922. The letters BMW stand for Bayerische Motoren Werke.

In its early days, BMW made mainly aircraft engines and occasionally motorcycle engines. In fact, the BMW badge was designed to resemble an airplane propeller, and it wasn’t until 1929 that the company became a car manufacturer after buying the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach factory that produced Austin Sevens.

Developing the style of automobiles made over time, in 1936 BMW began producing the 328 sports car, which enjoyed incredible success. In 1999, the BMW 328 was nominated for car of the century.

During the three years before World War II, BMW made aircraft engines, motorcycles, and automobiles. During the war, the company focused on aircraft engines and stopped building cars altogether. In 1948, motorcycle manufacturing began again, but it wasn’t until 1952 that BMW began manufacturing automobiles once more. However, the launch of the BMW 501 luxury car was not a great success, and as a result, the company did not make a profit, so the company brought in the design and manufacturing rights to the Isetta, a microcar, cheap to manufacture. and started selling them.

BMW’s fortunes turned over the next decade, and the 1960s brought considerable success for the company. The BMW 1500, a four-cylinder sports car, was introduced in 1961, followed shortly thereafter by the BMW 2002, a two-door car that remained in production until 1976 and was the predecessor to the BMW 3 Series.

The 1970s saw BMW continue to build its reputation for creating original and sought-after cars, as this decade saw the launch of the 3, 5 and 7 Series. Between 1970 and 1993, BMW quadrupled its production and turnover by an incredible 1700%. .

Between 1994 and 2000, BMW was owned by the British Rover group, but the venture was unsuccessful and the company soon divested itself of Rover. However, BMW retained the rights to Mini and has enjoyed, and continues to enjoy, considerable success with this business.

Today, BMW is seen as an innovative manufacturer and has a reputation for excellence, both for its design and the quality of its cars.