The Origins of a Legend
The BMW brand goes all the way back to the year 1916, when several advanced engine companies became one, though they were called (BFW) at the time. The logo was created shortly afterward, and like classic brands like Coca-Cola, it hasn’t really changed since. It’s always included the stately silver lettering in a black ring wrapped around the cross-sectioned Bavarian state colors. It started as only an engine manufacturer and soon grew into a company that produced state-of-the-art vehicles too. In 1932, they moved on from just motorcycles as their only complete vehicle product to automobiles as well.
For several years during WW2, BMW stopped manufacturing anything but airplanes and their engines. Once the war ended, the U.S. military ordered the various automotive plants to be dismantled and forced BMW to lose the power of disposal until 1955. Unfortunately, much of BMW’s factory equipment was dismantled and shipped all over the world as reparation for the war.
