17/09/2025
https://refer9.com/gold/ox6m6
https://refer9.com/gold/ox6m6
1. BMW Started by Making Aircraft Engines
BMW was originally founded in 1916 as an aircraft engine manufacturer. Its early engines powered planes during World War I, which is also why the blue and white logo is often (incorrectly) said to symbolize spinning propellers—though it’s actually based on the Bavarian state flag.
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2. BMW Built Its First Car Using Austin 7 License
BMW’s first car, the BMW Dixi (1929), was actually a licensed version of the British Austin 7. It marked BMW’s entry into automobile manufacturing.
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3. The “M” in BMW M Stands for
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4. BMW Owns Rolls-Royce (Sort of)
BMW bought the rights to the Rolls-Royce name and logo for cars in 1998, after a complex deal where Volkswagen got the factory and design rights, but BMW got the brand name.
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5. BMW Almost Merged with Mercedes-Benz
In the 1950s, BMW was in financial trouble, and Daimler-Benz (Mercedes’ parent company) tried to take it over. The deal was stopped thanks to a group of small shareholders and a major investment by industrialist Herbert Quandt.
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6. BMW Designed a Jet-Powered Supercar
In the 1980s, BMW experimented with the Nazca M12 and C2, concept supercars with jet-like designs. One model even had a V12 engine capable of 200+ mph, but it never went into production.
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7. BMW Built Electric Cars in the 1970s
Long before Tesla, BMW was experimenting with electric vehicles like the 1602e, shown at the 1972 Munich Olympics. It had a 43-horsepower motor and a range of just 60 km.
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8. BMW Built the Fastest Motorcycle in the World (At the Time)
In 1937, the BMW WR 500 set a motorcycle land speed record of 173.7 mph (279.5 km/h). That record stood for nearly 14 years.
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9. BMW Created One of the First Turbocharged Production Cars
The BMW 2002 Turbo, released in 1973, was Europe’s first production car with a turbocharged engine.
