Bayerische Motoren Werke, or what we know as BMW cars, is a German car manufacturer that was founded on March 7, 1916. It is a combination of 3 different companies namely Rapp Motorenwerke, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, and Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach.
Initially BMW produced aircraft engines, especially during the war. However, due to the Versailles agreement which stated that Germany could not make its own aircraft engines after World War I, BMW also swerved to create cars.
The first BMW car they created was the BMW 3/15 which was based on the Dixi 3/15 model, a product of Dixi Automobile Werke AG which was acquired by BMW in 1928. And now we are going to share 10 interesting things about BMW cars, which you don’t know yet.
10 Interesting Things About BMW Cars
1. The BMW car logo is not based on an airplane propeller
Many say that the BMW car logo is made based on the rotation of an airplane propeller in the past when it was flying. That information is totally wrong. The round shape on the outside of the BMW car logo is based on the logo used by Rapp Motorenwerke, while the blue and white color in the center is taken from the colors of the Bavarian flag, the city where BMW was born.
2. The BMW Tower in Germany is based on a 4-cylinder engine
BMW is so proud of its 4-cylinder engine that their headquarters building in Germany is even made to resemble the engine’s shape. The building consists of 2 parts; the main building that looks like a 4-cylinder engine, and the BMW museum with a large BMW car logo on top.
3. In 1959 the BMW car almost became part of Mercedes-Benz
In 1959 BMW cars almost went bankrupt due to the financial crisis that hit them. Seeing this, the parent company of Mercedes, Daimler-Benz, was trying to acquire this eternal competitor. Knowing this, a number of minor shareholders and all employees of BMW cars do not accept the fact that Mercedes will buy ‘them’. Then manifested the craziest cooperation throughout the automotive company; all employees of BMW cars from the top to the bottom, together with the shareholders, work together with their own money to buy back BMW shares in order to save the company.
This made Herbert Quandt, one of the shareholders involved in the collaboration, decide to spend more money and agreed to do a total restructuring of BMW cars. To this day, the Quandt family still has a large share in BMW thanks to his services in 1959.
4. BMW has created Lamborghini in the 1970s
In the mid-1970s, Lamborghini collaborated with BMW to create a premium racing car. The plan is that BMW cars will provide engines and suspensions for the car, while Lamborghini finishes the rest. But until the deadline, Lamborghini did not succeed in completing the prototype of the car.
As a result BMW took over the project and collaborated with Baur to create a racing car that we later became familiar with the BMW M1 car. Yes, this incident was the forerunner of the M Series BMW cars that we currently know about.
5. Elvis Presley is enshrined as the name of one of the BMW car series
Elvis 507 is the name for the BMW 507 series which was released in the 1960s, because the King had owned and driven the car before. Decades after the King drove a BMW 507, the whereabouts of the car were no longer known. Until finally Jackie Jouret, an automotive journalist from Bimmer Magazine, wrote his research on the car in 2006.
The conclusion of his research stated that the BMW 507 used by Elvis Presley was coded 70079. He also wrote that anyone who owns a BMW 507 with this code can contact his editor. A year later, a man named Jack Castor contacted Jackie Jouret. Castor confessed that the car was with him. And after being visited, it is true that the BMW 507 coded 70079 has been looking for so far. BMW also carried out further investigations of the car and it was true, the car had been used by the King, before he started conscription.
6. Before Tesla, BMW had created an electric car in 1972
Before Tesla was famous for its electric cars, BMW had already created an electric car in 1972, to coincide with the implementation of the Munich Olympics. This car is named BMW 1602e. Powered by 12 batteries and has 50 horsepower. When fully charged, this BMW car can go up to 20 kilometers. However, BMW did not release this car widely but only as a concept model designed to enliven the Munich Olympics.
7. In essence a BMW car is a LEGO toy
Yes, because you can assemble this BMW car and tinker with some of its parts as you like. For example you could use the rear suspension from a BMW M Coupe in the 2000s for your 3 Series E30. You can also use the brakes and front suspension from a 1990 BMW M3 E36 to a Z3.
8. BMW is the official owner of Rolls Royce and Mini Cooper
Who doesn’t know Rolls Royce and Mini Cooper? Of course everyone knows, right? Yes, currently both brands are owned by BMW. In other words, the 2 best car brands in the UK are owned by German companies. Very interesting.
9. The front grill in every BMW car is called the Kidney Grill
The grill, or the front of a BMW car, is what lets people know that a car is a BMW. BMW named the grill the Kidney Grill.
Kidney Grill was designed by a BMW designer named Franz Fielder who, was later implemented by BMW in the BMW 303 in 1933.
And to this day, the Kidney Grill is present in all BMW cars.
10. Another characteristic of BMW is the Hofmeister Knick
Apart from the Kidney Grill, another characteristic of BMW cars is the Hofmeister Knick. Hofmeister Knick is the name for the typical BMW curve on the rear window.
This design was originally introduced by Wilhelm Hofmeister to BMW in 1961 and since then, all BMW cars and followed by several other manufacturers have adopted a rear glass curved model similar to the Hofmeister Knick.
These are 10 facts about BMW that you don’t know. Not only that.