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Introduction
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What a story? If any cars producing company is founded unusually then BMW. And telling this story the not accepted altitude flight world record is harmless. How does it even come to pass? And why at the
end of the war and not at its beginning? These are two questions which the book tries to answer. It is almost a stage play with a Mr. Castiglioni as main character. He wants to make money during the whole
book.
And then there is a very unfortunately acting hero, Mr. Rapp, to whom ultimately BMW actually owes its origin. He timely leaves Daimler in Stuttgart and founds a factory for airplane engines in
Munich. But his engines are only praised by naval pilots. Otherwise the thumb turns downwards and if war times would be not in sight at least neither he nor BMW would have had a chance.
So actual there is made a virtue of necessity and if somebody who already appeared on the stage, collects commission only by award of orders, then the story begins topsy-tury but the story comes
about. At first only a secondary role is that of Mr. Franz-Josef Popp, which importance in the course of this book will develop a lot. Before being suspended by the National Socialistic Government
he supports the fortunes of the company very much.
Employees are missing until now. They will come and go, but one of them will stay, among the constructors as important as like the CEO. How he appears you will read in this book and something
more. Milestones of his work will be very successful airplane engines and then such for motorcycles and a complete one following. For the much later emerging four-wheelers others, but he at
least jointly responsible.
The nowadays valid trademark is rightly emerged because this book will get along with airplane engines until shortly before its end. They can be divided into two categories, at first inline and
radial engines later. With the former ones for the first time the six-cylinder engine appears, this time a giant, but by repeating himself developing to a core competency of BMW.
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If you like we can even add the jet engine, what you might not trust BMW at that early times. Yes, it has worked in an airplane, but it was to late to bring it into action, certain similarities to the First
World War not excluded. What are the results of producing airplane engines besides a certain fame? Money that was needed increasingly to develop from a motorcycle to a car producing company.
And if nearly everything goes wrong.
They were nearly at the point to give up, but they carried on. The car industry seamed to be driven since years not by necessities but by the banks. They make mistakes, too, but they have enough
working capital for balancing. And if not, the government helps with letting run the banknote press faster, provided the banks are of a certain relevance.
Of the first produced car the company is particularly proud, but with the actual production there are not many similarities. Not because of the normal technical changing, but because of the
category, in which the cars are implemented. So it was a predefined path that the first car of BMW would be refined, but not at all how and with which speed. BMW nowadays has no comparable
distance. May be, if you take VW, it might be the difference from up! To Arteon.
Already by motorcycle there were reached important sporting results, not only on the legendary Tourist Trophy, even speed world records, too. With the four-wheelers, it looks like they had to be
content. But far wrong winning the Mille Miglia of 1940 which had been won by a Mercedes SSKL nine years before. And these two were the only foreign winners at all in the interwar period.
You will realise what clever direction has helped the company overcome many adversities and never lost sight of the future. Through friendship with Mercedes, the company has achieved a remarkable for such a small
company in the sales statistics. The fact that this was probably only possible with money from the production of aircraft engines only makes the clear-sightedness even clearer.
The Nazis and the Second World War they instigated almost shattered all these efforts. Then, too, its good reputation would have fizzled out unused. But in Volume 2 you will learn how resurrection is possible, which is not
to take anything away from the creation story. At this point we hope you enjoy exploring the nooks and crannies of the history of BMW up to the black December day of 1959.
1898 | Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach offers Wartburg brand cars.
| 1916 | Foundation of 'Bayrische Flugzeugwerke AG' in the south-east of Munich's Oberwiesenfeld. Founded from the remains of Gustav Otto's, the son of Nicolaus August Otto, stranded
Aircraft Company |
1916 | Franz Josef Popp, actually responsible for their control as Oberleutnant d.R. and Dipl. Ing., becomes director of the Rapp-Motorenwerke. |
1916 | Commercial councillor Camillo Castiglioni becomes the financier/owner of Rapp Motorenwerke. He also owns shares in larger companies, including Austro-Daimler | .
1917 | Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH, north-east of Munich's Oberwiesenfeld, rename themselves Bayrische MotorenWerke. |
1917 | 'Propeller' with 2 blue and white fields each as future BMW trademark | .
1917 | Dipl.-Ing. Max Friz moves from Daimler to Rapp Motorenwerke. He develops the BMW IIIa aircraft engine with significantly more power at higher altitudes than any other aircraft engine. |
1918 | The new high-altitude aircraft engine is recognised as better than Daimler's and is demanded in large series. Special proponent: Germany's most successful fighter pilot Ernst Udet. |
1918 | BMW grows rapidly through aircraft engine construction and becomes a public limited company, Franz-Josef Popp Chairman of the Board | .
1918 | A twelve-cylinder (BMW VI) is created on the basis of the six-cylinder. |
1918 | The First World War ends and BMW loses any basis for business, production stops for a plant with almost 3500 employees. |
1919 | Friz continues to design the Höhenflug engine despite a ban by the occupying forces. |
1919 | BMW test pilot Franz Zeno Diemer at 9760 metres in 87 minutes. World altitude record, aircraft: DFW F 37/III, engine: BMW IV with 221 kW (300 hp) |
1919 | You keep your head above water with the production of shoes, agricultural machinery, cooking pots and office furniture | .
19 | The first two-cylinder boxer engine, side-controlled with 5 kW (6.5 hp) is created, initially intended only for frames made by other companies (e.g. Victoria) | .
1919 | The company builds railway carriage components for Knorr-Bremse AG under licence. Knorr acquires majority of shares. |
1920 | Castiglioni acquires the name/trademark BMW, all patents/drawings and part of the machinery. Together with parts of the workforce, the company is reestablished on the premises of the
'Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG'. |
1921 | Castiglioni buys the majority of shares in the Bayrische Flugzeugwerke AG. |
1921 | Banned from building aircraft engines, secretly built for Russia and tested there | .
1922 | Important parts of the workforce leave the former BMW company and pay off Knorr for names and trademarks | .
1922 | Friz's third big throw, the R32 motorbike, already with cardan shaft. |
1923 | Dipl. Ing. Rudolf Schleicher changes the engine to OHV with light alloy heads and disguised valve train. |
1923 | Inflationary and economic crisis reaches peak. |
1923 | R-32 unveiled with great success at the Paris Motor Show. |
1924 | Many racing successes with the new engine (Schleicher among others as driver) |
1924 | Eight world records with the BMW IV aircraft engine |
1924 | The twelve-cylinder aircraft engine is created, 368/551 kW (500/750 hp) |
1925 | R37 as successor to R32 |
1926 | In the meantime, twelve-cylinder models (BMW V and VI) were developed in addition to the six-cylinder models. |
1926 | Ban on the construction of aircraft/engines by the Allies is lifted. |
1926 | 20,000-km reliability flight with the new BMW VI engine. |
1927 | One third of the world records are achieved by BMW engines, almost 3000 employees. |
1927 | First North Atlantic crossing (Lindbergh, US) |
1928 | R 62, 750 cm3, 13.2 kW (18 hp) |
1928 | BMW buys Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach and builds Austin Seven (Dixi) DA 1 under licence. |
1928 | BMW builds radial engines under licence from Pratt & Whitney |
1929 | R 12, 750 cm3, 13.2 kW (18 hp) |
1929 | 3/15 'Deutsche Ausführung 2' |
1932 | Once around the globe in 4 months with BMW VIIa engines. |
1932 | BMW-132 license engine is installed in the Ju 52. |
1932 | Car in-house development with 3/15. |
1933 | R 4, 400 cm3, 9 kW (12 hp) |
1933 | BMW is one of the three largest aircraft engine manufacturers in Germany | .
1933 | 303 with new 1.2-litre six-cylinder in-line engine |
1934 | Partnership with English company Frazer-Nash |
1934 | 309 economy version with enlarged four-cylinder |
1934 | 315, six-cylinder grows to 1.5 litres and 25 kW (34 hp) |
1935 | New aircraft engine plant in Eisenach |
1935 | 319, 1.9 litre 33 kW (45 hp) |
1936 | Huge aircraft engine factory in Allach near Munich |
1936 | 326, new design, proven six-cylinder with 37 kW (50 hp) |
1936 | 328, 3 carburettors 59 kW (80 hp), becomes most successful two-litre sports car in Europe |
1937 | R 17, 730 cm3, 24 kW (33 hp) |
1937 | Nearly half the workforce still employed in car production |
1937 | 327 with 40/59 kW (55/80 hp) |
1939 | BMW-801 double-star engine, max. 1,470 kW (2,000 hp) |
1939 | Takeover of the 'Brandenburg Motorenwerke' from Siemens |
1939 | Beginning of the Second World War |
1940 | 328 wins Mille Miglia |
1941 | BMW begins development of a jet engine |
1941 | Cessation of automobile manufacturing |
1942 | Director Popp dismissed, engineer Friz punitively transferred |
1943 | R 75 3 x 2, 750 cm3, 19 kW (26 hp), optional sidecar drive |
1944 | Jet engine successful in test flight | .
1945 | End of World War II |
1948 | R24 unveiled in Geneva without functioning interior |
1948 | Reappeared BMW cars trade under the name Veritas |
1948 | Currency reform, introduction of the DM. |
1951 | 'Eisenacher MotorenWerke' finally abandon BMW trademark |
1951 | End of Veritas |
1951 | 501 with six-cylinder, 2.1 litre, 48/53 kW (65/72 hp) |
1952 | R 25/2, 250 cm3, 8.8 kW (12 hp) |
1954 | R 68, 600 cm3, 26 kW (35 hp) |
1954 | 502 with aluminium V8 engine |
1955 | Isetta, bodywork licensed from Iso Rivolta | .
1957 | 600 four-seater developed from the Isetta |
1958 | End of the six-cylinder in the 502 |
1959 | 700 Coupé debuts in Frankfurt |
1959 | Shareholders' meeting, important impulse against takeover by Daimler-Benz |
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