10 interesting facts about BMW
BMW, founded in 1916, is one of the largest car manufacturers in the world. Cars from Bavaria stand out for their character and performance. Thanks to the fact that BMW produces cars for all types of customers, this brand has won a huge number of fans around the world. BMW will offer you cars for every taste – urban, family, electric, off-road, for racing on the track – it's all in the brand's lineup.
Today, BMW needs no introduction, as the brand has become a leader in the production of cars and sets many trends. But there are a lot of details that few people know about, and in this article you will learn 10 little-known facts about BMW.
1 BMW headquarters is a 4-cylinder engine
The BMW headquarters is one of the most famous buildings in terms of architecture and stands out for its unusual design. Its emergence was facilitated by the rapid development of the company in the 60s, when BMW was forced to rent offices for its employees in different parts of Munich, where the car factory was located. The company management organized a competition in which several architects took part, but most of all the management liked the project of Karl Schwanzer. The 22-story building consists of 4 cylinders, as if hovering above the ground.
2 The first BMW electric car was released in the 70s
Many people believe that electric cars appeared with Elon Musk's company Tesla, but BMW released their first electric car back in 1972. Two BMW 1602 Electric were created in collaboration with BOSCH specifically for the Olympic Games in Munich and were used as cars for the organizing committee. The BMW 1602E was equipped with a 43 horsepower engine that accelerated the car to a top speed of 100 km/h.
3 BMW owns Rolls-Royce
BMW owns the British company Rolls Royce, which has been producing its luxury cars since 1904. In 1998, the Rolls Royce brand entered the BMW AG group.
4 BMW produced aircraft engines
BMW was founded during World War I to solve the shortage of fighter aircraft in Germany. BMW arose from the renaming of Rapp Motorenwerke, an aircraft engine company based in Munich, the capital of Bavaria in southern Germany. But at the end of the war, production was closed due to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which prohibited all German manufacturers from producing military equipment.
5 The colors of the logo repeat the flag of Bavaria
Many people think that the BMW logo depicts a propeller, but this is not entirely true. The BMW logo is inspired by the cells of the Bavaria flag, and the propeller story was invented as part of an advertising campaign, reminiscent of BMW's roots.
6 BMW made a car for Lamborghini
In the late 1970s, Lamborghini entered into a contract with BMW to jointly build a new supercar, but due to disagreements, Lamborghini withdrew from the project and BMW continued development on their own. This is how the BMW M1 coupe was born.
7 Branded grille called “kidneys”
Little is said about this, but still in certain circles the BMW double grille is called “kidneys”, although the name “nostrils” is more common.
8 BMW continues to produce parts for classic cars
As you know, BMW is quite kind to its customers and fans of the brand, therefore, even for lovers of the classics, BMW releases new spare parts. For example, any owner of a BMW 2002 will be able to order new parts for his car from the factory.
9 BMW supplied engines for James Bond's Aston Martin DB5
This fact surprised many Bond fans. Actor Daniel Craig, during a meeting with the Prince of Wales, let slip that the Aston Martin DB5 has a BMW engine. In fact, we are talking about cars for stuntmen, i.e. replicas. The standard DB5 engine isn't powerful enough for spectacular drive-throughs, and no film crew would dare to use the original car worth several million dollars, so replicas were made for the film with plastic bodies and BMW s54 engines, which can be found in the M3 E46.
10 BMWs created the fastest motorcycle on the planet
The BMW Group also has a BMW Motorrad division that manufactures motorcycles. In 1937, their motorcycle, driven by Ernst Hänne, set a world record, accelerating to an incredible speed of 279 km / h for those times, and this record lasted 14 years.
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