A look at the impressive history of BMW

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BMW has firmly set its mark in the world of motoring and with such an impressive reputation, has every right to go down in history as one of the UK's favourite car manufacturers. But where did it all begin? CoverGirl Girl Car Insurance Services, the experts in woman car insurance, takes a look at BMW's life so far.

There are many car brands out there on the roads today, but none can compare to the magnificence of BMW. With its flush designs and fantastic performance, there's no wonder why so many people choose to buy a BMW.

From planes to cars
The origins of BMW can be traced back as far as 1913 to a Bavarian man, who went by the name of Karl Friedrich Rapp. Working as an engineer for a German aircraft company, it would be this early encounter with the aircraft industry that would later go on to influence BMW's logo, the now famous symbol of the three propellers.

From an early stage, Rapp showed signs of becoming a much experienced businessman and later went on to open his very own shop building small aircraft planes. His company, Rapp Motoren Werke, merged with Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik to form the company that we now know as BMW, Bayersiche Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works).

In 1917, the company had its very own aircraft engine go into production but this enterprise was short lived. Soon after the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, BMW were prohibited from building aircraft engines and the company switched its form of trade to air brakes for railway cars. But soon, BMW turned its hands to motorcycles and in 1928 the R 32 went into production, with a total of 3,090 being made in the three years that it was manufactured.

The first BMW car
Proving already that they could succeed at the production of almost any mode of transport, BMW created their first ever car in 1928, the Dixi 3/15 PS. The vehicle could reach a top speed of 50mph and in 1930 the new improved version of the model scored a victory winning in the world of motor racing.

The Dixi led the way for future models to roll off the production line including the BMW AM 4, the 303 saloon and the 328. But with an already turbulent past, BMW underwent more difficulties following the Second World War, with factories in ruins and a three year ban imposed by the allies for BMW's contribution to creating aircraft engines during the war.

Still years before people were buying online car insurance, the 1950s saw a new light for BMW and in 1955, the company produced one of their most popular models ever, the Isetta 250. This little car fitted right in with the wave of the mini-cars of the decade and was powered by a motorcycle engine with just one single door at the front of the vehicle. In the seven years that this little BMW was produced, a total of 161,728 were built.

BMW continued to grow and in the 1960s created the 1500, a vehicle know for its striking design and 1499cc engine which could reach an impressive top speed of 92mph. Over the years, the 1500 was produced in several ranges including the 1600, 1800 and 2000 and in total, 334,165 models were manufactured before production ceased. Following the success of the 1950s and 1960s, BMW went on to manufacture the first generation 5 series, the E12, leading the way for the 3 series along with the 7 series several years later.

Moving on into the 1990s, BMW returned to its first love of aircrafts and formed BMW Rolls-Royce GMBh alongside Rolls Royce. This relationship proved to be eventful over the coming years and in 1998 BMW officially bought the rights to the Rolls Royce name and logo from Volkswagen. Two years later, BMW also sold the Rover Group PLC, which they had acquired the rights to in 1994 - a shrewd business move by BMW after they suffered heavy losses.

In the new millennium, BMW continues to produce some of the best models of today, placing a special emphasis on performance, style and technology. With such an impressive history, it only makes sense that BMW will continue to grow from strength to strength in the future.

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*A replacement car can normally be arranged under one of the following conditions: (1) Comprehensive policyholders – a replacement car may be available under the terms of your insurance policy. Please check your policy details for more information. (2) Non fault accident – where we have the name, car registration number and insurance details of the person who caused the accident, we can supply a replacement car. This is done on a credit hire basis which means the costs for this service will be passed onto the insurance company of the person who caused the accident. We may not be able to arrange a replacement car where we are unable to get an admission of liability from their insurance company, or where the driver is untraceable or uninsured. (3) Repair garage – if your car is booked in for repairs following an accident, the repair garage may be able to provide a replacement car (subject to availability).