Bayerische Motoren Werke, Eisenach, Munich, Germany. 1928 - 1939

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, Munich, Germany. 1952 to date

Before and during the First World War the company was a manufacturer of aero engines. Part of the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles was an embargo which forbid the Germans from making aero engines from 1919 so they turned their attention to motor cycle and truck engines.

The first complete motorcycle from BMW was announced in 1923 and featured a flat twin engine and shaft drive to the rear wheel. This design layout continues up to the present day.

A few prototype cars were built in the mid 1930's, but none were put into production and it was not until they purchased Dixi Werke of Eisenach in October 1928 that cars became a serious factor in the company's policy. Dixi had been a motor manufacturer since 1904 (previously Wartburg) and at this time were making 1.6-litre 4-cylinder, and 2.3-litre 6-cylinder cars. They had also, in 1927, negotiated a licence with Austin to manufacture the Austin Seven. Surprisingly BMW dropped the larger cars and retained the agreement with Austin to build the Seven. Maybe the directors had anticipated the forthcoming "Depression" and decided that there would be more demand for small inexpensive cars. One of the directors was Camillo Castiglione whose background was banking and another was Franz-Joseph Popp, a young flying officer who rose to become managing director, whose daughter was later married to Dick Seaman the leading British racing driver of the late 1930's.

The Dixi 3/15PS, as the Austin was known, was imported directly from England and re-badged for the first 100 cars. The next batch were known as model DA1 (which stood for Deutsche Ausfuhring or German workmanship) or alternatively Austin Dixi. The Dixi name was continued up to July 1929, but officially they were badged as BMWs from the start of the year, although some cars carried both Dixi and BMW badges, when the DA2 3/16PS was announced.

The new car had a different radiator shell replacing the earlier Austin model, with a wider body, no running boards and brakes coupled front and back as on the contemporary Austin. There were six saloon body styles available from Ambi Budd the Berlin coachbuilders and a pointed tail 2-seater called the BMW Wartburg (The DA3). The larger DA4 four passenger car was built in1931 with swing axle front suspension. Up to March 1932 they had produced a total of 25,356 of these Austin based cars.

BMW had been working on a design of their own called the 3/20PS Typ AM (for Auto Munchen) with a 782cc overhead valve engine, backbone chassis and swing axles with transverse leaf springs at both ends. Why did every German manufacturer go down this design blind alley and in some cases stick to it for so long? It is not clear whether the Austin licence was exclusive but in any case it was terminated early on the 1st March 1932.

The short lived AM was replaced in 1933 by the Typ 303 with a nice little 6-cylinder engine of 1,173cc and a very stiff welded tube chassis frame. The transverse front spring was retained to act as a link for the independent suspension but the swing axles were dispensed with. The rear axle reverted to a conventional beam. Other advanced features were "rack and pinion" steering box and hydraulic brakes. It was the first BMW to carry the distinctive "nierenformig" radiator grille and was capable of a top speed of about 62 mph. The 4-cylinder engine was enlarged to 845cc and was fitted to a similar car called the Typ 309 which was distinguishable by the lack of bumper bars. In the three years to the end of 1936 they made 6,000 of this model.

In 1934, after a production run of 2,300, the Typ 303 engine was bored out to 1,490cc to become the Typ 315. This engine, still a small 6-cylinder, gave 34bhp in standard form and 40bhp with the three carburettor layout. There was a sports version called the Typ 315/1 with a smart little body and capable of 75 mph, which gave a very good account of itself in the 1934 Alpine Trial. This model was developed into the Typ 319 with the engine further increased in size to 1,911cc giving 45bhp in standard form and 55bhp for the sports option. The body styles remained similar with Ambi Budd providing the saloons and Autenrieth or Reutter the cabriolets, the sports model continuing to have the distinctive spats over the rear wheels.

The next major change came in 1936 with the unveiling of the BMW 326 at the Berlin Motor Show. It was a 4-door saloon (the first for BMW) and it's 1,971cc engine delivered 50bhp. The chassis design was also new and employed torsion bar suspension mounted on the box section frame. The body styling was more refined and streamlined and as before were mainly supplied by Ambi Budd. Some 5,000 cabriolets bodies, some of which were 4-door, were supplied by Autenrieth and the total production of nearly 16,000 was continued until May 1941.

There were a number of options on the basic 326 design:-

320 - a 2-door short chassis saloon with semi elliptic rear suspension (1936-38).

321 - as the 320 but with suicide doors (1939-41).

327 - with 2-seat coupe or convertible body and the tuned 328 engine (1937-41).

328 - a sports 2-seater with highly tuned engine (1937- 39).

329 - a rebodied 319 (1936-37).

335 - an enlarged 326 with an engine of 3,485cc, 4-door saloon and cabriolet (1939-41).

The 328 was the most charismatic and powerful sports car made by BMW up to the Second World War. It had a very attractive 2-seat sports body on the 319/1 type chassis and the performance to match. The engine used the same bottom end as the 326, but there was a completely new alloy cylinder head which had hemispherical combustion chambers, but only one camshaft, and cross over push rods to operate the exhaust valves on the opposite side to the inlets. It achieved a similar result to a twin overhead camshaft engine without the additional complexity and expense. The power output was thus raised to 80bhp and gave the car a top speed of nearly 100mph in full touring trim. It was a popular car for competitions and a "tweaked" version could reach about 120 mph. A team of three experimental works cars were entered for the 1936 TT in Ulster where they finished they finished third (A F P Fane), seventh (Prince Bira of Siam) and ninth (J H Aldington), giving them the team prize. They also won their class at Le Mans and were first in the shortened 1940 Mille Miglia.

Back in 1934 the 315/1 had impressed J H Aldington sufficiently for him to negotiate an agreement with BMW to import them to England, re-badged as the Frazer Nash BMW. This arrangement continued up to the outbreak of war. Post-war the cars became simply Frazer Nash. Under the terms of the war reparations the BMW engine was built by Bristol and fitted in their own cars. It was also made available to Frazer Nash, Cooper and AC and anumber of other small volume car manufacturers.

BMW in Germany was in a mess after the war because it's factory in Munich was in ruins and the Eisenach plant was in the Eastern zone. The latter re-started production of the 321 BMW saloon in 1945, this continued it until 1950 and the 327 coupe from 1948 to 1956. The name was changed to EMW ( Eisenacher Motoren Werke) in 1952 after an agreement with Munich.

Initially the Munich factory only produced motorcycles, but in 1951 they showed the new 501 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. They had previously toyed with a 600cc baby car design called the 331, but only one prototype was built. The 501 was, due to the lack of finance, a stopgap model with the engine and drive gear from the pre-war 326 in a bulbous 6-light saloon body by Baur of Stuttgart and it was not available to the public until late in 1952. The engine was increased in size to 2,077cc in 1955 and a total of 8,936 of al 501s were made up to 1958.

Meanwhile a V-8 engine of 2,580cc had been designed giving an output of 100bhp and this was installed in the 502 which started leaving the factory in 1954. This was a far nicer car and continued in production until 1962, by which time the engine had been increased in size to 3,168cc and gave 140bhp, with a top speed of some 110 mph and were fitted with servo disc brakes. By this time all the saloon bodies were built at the BMW factory, but they still out-sourced some of the cabriolets to Baur and Autenrieth. The total production figure of 13,044 for the 502 exceeded that for the rival Mercedes 300.

Alongside the 502 there were three other models:-

503 - 2 + 2 convertibles and coupes styled by Count Albrecht Goertz

505 - limousine, of which only 2 were built

507 - 2-seater short chassis sports by Goertz, with 150bhp and 137 mph top speed

3200CS - coupe styled by Bertone and engine tuned to give 160bhp.

Production figures were a disappointing 413 for the 503 between May 1956 and March 1959, 252 for the 507 and 538 for the 3200CS.

By the mid 1950's, counter to previous company policy it was decide to aim for the lowest sector of the car market with a really basic "bubblecar" to counter the slow sales of the 501s and 502s. BMW therefore acquired the rights to build the Isetta from ISO in Italy. There was some minor restyling and the Italian engine was, logically, replaced by the one from the BMW R27 motorcycle. Although a slightly larger engine of 298cc was available from 1956 the smaller 245cc unit remained popular as it fell into a lower taxation class. The original Isetta had two wheels in close proximity at the rear, but this was not deemed to be a three-wheeler in England. When a plant was set up to produce the Isetta in the UK it was modified to a single rear wheel design so that it could benefit from a lower Road Tax and be driven on a motorcycle licence. Throughout the austere late 1950s there was serious competition in the "bubblecar" market from, Heinkle, Messerscmit and several others, but BMW were the only long establised motor manufacturers to venture into this business and survive. Production of the BMW Isetta from 1955 to 1962 was 161,360.

The Isetta grew into the four seat "600" in 1957, with the rear wheels spread and a 582cc flat twin engine from the BMW R67 motorcycle. This little car had a respectable top speed of 62 mph from only 20bhp and was popular enough to sell 35,000 units.

From 1960 the "600" became the "700" and was available in saloon, coupe and convertible styled by Michelotti. It was now beginning to look and perform like a proper car, whilst retaining the economy of a 697cc motorcycle engine. A sports model, the 700CS, with the engine tuned to give 40bhp (up from the 30bhp of the standard model) and a top speed of 84 mph. Production figures of the "700" series model was 188,121 for the five years to 1965.

It was also the first post-war BMW to achieve competition success with 22 international class wins and one gave Jackie Ickx his first racing experience in 1963.

The production figure for the "bubblecars" looked very encouraging, but the profit and loss account told a different story. The larger cars were not selling in large enough numbers, the motorcycle sales dipped badly and the "bubblecars" did not make only made a very small profit, so financial disaster was looming by late 1959.

At the time a merger with Mercedes was proposed by the chairman Dr. Hans Freith. He was also a director of the Deutsche Bank who, in turn, were major shareholders in Mercedes. This was not at all popular with either the shareholders of BMW or their retail dealers and so an alternative arrangement was devised whereby a loan of DM30 million was provided by MAN the truck manufacturers. Later Herbert and Harold Quandt became major shareholders through their Quandt Group of companys.

The aging "700" was retained but the time was right to move on from the motorcycle "bubblecars" and so a small team of engineers working under the direction of Alex von Falkenhausen designed an advanced new engine. This was a 1,499cc 4-cylinder with a chain driven single overhead camshaft which formed the basis for the new BMW 1500 which became available in mid 1962. The unitary construction body/chassis unit was equally advanced, for a 4-door saloon, at that time featuring independent suspension all round and disc brakes on the front. By 1964 there were additional 4-door models :-

1600 - with a 1,573cc engine

1800 - engine increased to 1,773cc

1800TI - for Touring Internationale with twin carburettors

1800TI/SA - the Sonderausfuhrung or "Tisa" with 130bhp and 5 speed gearbox

- introduced in 1966 with 1,990cc engine.
2000TI. - a twin carburettor version.

2000C/CS - a Karmann bodied 2-door coupe.

The "Tisa" engine could be tuned to give more than the catalogued 130bhp and only 200 were sold to competition licence holders in 1965.

The next series of new models were available in 1966 :-

- later the 1600, with a 2-door body, short wheelbase and 85bhp.
1600TI - engine power increased to 105bhp.

2000 - basic model with 1,990cc engine

2000ti - twin Weber carburettors and 120bhp.

2000tii - Kugelfischer fuel injected engine and 130bhp, 5-speeds and 118mph.

2002 - introduced in 1968with the 2-litre engine in the 1600 bodyshell.

2002 Coupe - with Coachwork by Baur and 1,573cc engine option.

2002 Touring - a 3-door "hatchback" with 1,573cc engine option.

2002Turbo - capable of 130mph, but was unreliable and suffered bad turbo lag.

The 2002 series were made from 1968 to 1976 and was largely responsible for the turn around in BMW fortunes. The basic model sold 348,988, and even the 2002tii reached 38,703 customers.

Moving steadily upmarket BMW's first 6-cylinder 4-door range was announced in 1968 with the 2500 and 2800 models. They had engines from the same basic design as the 4-cylinder units but with two additional cylinders. Disc brakes and power steering were standard equipment and automatic gearboxes were now an option. There was also a 2-door 4-seat coupe version called the 2800CS.

For the 1971 model year the engines were enlarged to 2,985cc and 3,295cc for the 3.0S and 3.3L saloons. The coupes were badged 3.0CS and 3.0CS and the competition "Batmobiles" delivering 350bhp had distinctive wings fitted at the back to increase the downforce. They were very successful in the European Touring Car Championship from 1973 to 1976.

Overall the production figures for BMW had risen from about 10,000 a year in 1962 to 221,298 in 1975.

In 1966 they purchased the Glas company at Dingolfing for DM91 million. Glas had previously manufactured the tiny Goggomobil but overstretched themselves with an ambitious V-8 coupe which with the 4-cylinder 1600GT were sold, briefly, as BMWs. The factory at Dingolfing became the main production centre and was home to the 5 Series launched in 1972.

The faithful 1800 and 2000 engines were installed in new 4-door saloon bodies. The early 5 Series cars unfortunately suffered from poor handling characteristics, but it remained in production until 1981.

By the middle of the 1970s there was an extensive range of models:-

3 Series - 2-door saloons with 1600, 1800 and 2000 4-cylinder engine options

5 Series - saloons with 2500, 2800 and 3000 engines and the 520 with a new six.

6 Series - coupes with engines from 2800 to 3400

7 Series - large saloons (the 728, 730 and 733i) with 6 Series engines.

The new 1,990cc 6-cylinder engine from the 520 was also fitted in the 320-6 and with the capacity increased to 2,315cc with fuel injection in the 323i. When the 3 Series was restyled for 1983 it featured a coupe bodied by Baur, to be replaced by the 325i factory built convertible coupe in 1985 and, for the first time, a 4-door saloon. Also introduced in 1985 was the 325iX a 4x4 saloon, followed by a 2,443cc 6-cylinder diesel engined model and the Touring estate car.

The 5 Series had already been restyled in 1981, the handling improved and was now available with four engine sizes up to 3,430cc and nine different models.

The 6 Series coupes continued to be available as the 628Csi with 2,788cc engine, the 635Csi with 3,430cc engine. The top end of this series was the M635CSi with a engine capacity of 3,430cc but in 24-valve twin overhead camshaft form, delivering 255bhp and at maximum speed of 158mph.

In 1989 the 6 Series was replaced by the 8 Series 850i with the 24-valve six or the new 4,988cc V-12 from which 300bhp was available. It featured the Motronic electronic engine management system which controlled each bank of cylinders independently so that even with only one side in operation the car would still be driven at 124mph!

The 7 Series, revised and restyled in 1986, put BMW firmly in the luxury car class. It was initially fitted with either the 2,986cc or the 3,430cc six cylinder engines, but in 1987 was available with the V-12 engine. This "stole a march" on Mercedes took another four years to launch their V-12. The BMW unit was also fitted to the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph and formed the basis for the McLaren F1 engine. By 1999 the V-12 engine was increased to 5,379 and gave 326bhp.

A completely new sports model was launched in June 1989 as the Z1. It was a 2-seater with a galvanized steel floor pan to which the thermoplastic body panels were attached and doors that slid vertically down into the body sills. There was 143mph performance from the 325i engine, but only 8,093 were made and it was only available in left hand drive. This was superceded by the Z3 in 1996. Built in Spartanburg, North Carolina, USA this was a retro styled (1950s, 507) sports car with modest 4-cylinder engine options of 1,793cc and 1,895cc. These were replaced by the 2,793cc and 3,201cc sixes to give the car a much more satisfactory top speed of 155mph. An even larger engined version was the Z8 with a 5-litre V-8 engine from the M5 with 400bhp.

The M Series was derived from BMW Motor Sport GmbH, a company set up with the specific purpose of developing the sporting side of the company. Although this company had been in operation since 1972 it was not until 1980 that the prototype work resulted in the M1 with a 3,453 cc six giving 277bhp and mated to a ZF 5-speed gearbox. The objective was Group Four racing which for homologation purposes required that 400 be built. In the end 456 M1s were completed, a few of which were racing versions fitted with an engine giving 470bhp. Lamborghini, who had been involved with the development, were unable to gear up for producing the M1 so the steel chassis and fibreglass bodies were made by Ital Design in Turin and the sent back to Baur in Stuttgart for final assembly. The other M Series cars were derived from production BMW models. There was the M635CSi coupe and the M3 and M5, each of which had three phases of development. The first M3 of 1998 used the engine from the Z3M which gave 321bhp and made this a very rapid 4-door saloon capable of 155mph. It was also available as a coupe or cabriolet. The third incarnation of the M3 was the restyled model for 2000 with a 3.4-litre engine and 340bhp.

The M5 of 1999 was fitted with the 32-valve 4,941cc V-8 giving 400bhp at a modest 6,500rpm and atop speed of 155mph, very impressive for a large saloon car.

The X5, made in the Spartanburg factory in America from 1999, was BMW's answer to the 4x4 market previously the province of Range Rover until other manufacturers saw this market opportunity. The X5 was available with a range of five engine options, sixes, V-8s and a turbo diesel.

In 1994 BMW made what has proved to be a very expensive mistake by purchased the Rover company from British Aerospace. It was sold on to a British consortium called Phoenix in 2000 after stripping out the Mini which was relaunched at the Paris Salon the same year. In the meantime BMW had been supplying engines to Rolls-Royce and their ambitions to acquire that company from Vickers were frustrated by Volkswagen. However the two German firms later agreed to the Rolls-Royce name reverting to BMW in 2003, whilst Volkswagen would retain Bentley.

For enthusiasts the BMW Car Club (UK) can be contacted through the club secretary:

Kay Sythes, P O Box 328, Melksham, Wiltshire, SN12 8SQ.

Bibliography;

BMW from 1928-the Complete Story, By Werner Oswald & Jeremy Walton,

published by Haynes, 1982.

BMW Automobile 1952 bis heute, by Halwart Schrader, published by Schrader Verlag, 1993.

BMW since 1945, by Richard Busenkell, published by Patrick Stephen, 1981.

Unbeatable BMW, by Jeremy Walton, published by Osprey, 1979.

BMW M-Series by Alan Henry, published by Crowood Auto Classics, 1994.

"BMW beginnings: Dixi DA-1", by Duanna Carling, Automobile Quarterly Vol. 29, No. 4.

BMW edition of Automobile Quarterly, Vol. 36, No. 4.

"328: BMW's first legend", by Gavin Farmer, Automobile Quarterly, Vol. 37, No. 4.