Land Rover – All Car History Volume 11

Land Rover is a motoring legend – an icon for enthusiasts the world over, with its reputation for seeming indestructibility and rugged style.

Since the very first design appeared in 1948, the Land Rover name has become universally identified with four-wheel drive vehicles. The Land Rover story is a remarkable one that reads like a history of the 4×4 itself.

LANDROVER HISTORY

The first Land Rover appeared in 1948 – a simple and inventive working vehicle. Brothers Spencer and Maurice Wilks, Land Rover’s creators, developed the iconic vehicle that combined utilitarian simplicity with rugged, dependable quality. The earliest models were designed to be serviced in the field and were manufactured as a range of four-wheel drive vehicles.

From the 1970s onwards, Land Rovers came under increasing competition as manufacturers the world over entered the off-road four-wheel drive arena. Land Rover has been owned by various organisations, including British Leyland, British Aerospace and BMW. In 2000, Land Rover was sold by BMW to Ford but was recently bought by the Indian company, Tata Motors.

LANDROVER FACTS

Type: Subsidiary
Founded: 1948
Founder: Rover
Headquarters: Solihull, England
Key People: Geoff Polites, CEO
Industry: Automotive
Products: Automobiles
Parent: Tata Motor Company

MODELS

LAND ROVER DEFENDER – a four-wheel drive off-road utility vehicle available with a variety of body types, often used in agricultural, industrial and military roles, Increasingly, the Defender is being used as a private car.

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY – an on and off-road four-wheel drive vehicle, the Discovery is the most popular Land Rover model and is now in its third generation.

LAND ROVER FREELANDER – currently in its second generation, the Freelander is a compact crossover SUV. Launched in 1997, it quickly became the best selling compact 4×4 in Europe.

LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER – a full size luxury four-wheel SUV, the Range Rover has been in production since 1970 undergoing a wide range of changes in three different generations.

LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT – A sports – rather than off-road – orientated SUV.

DID YOU KNOW?

Early Land Rovers were constructed of a lightweight rustproof alloy of aluminium and magnesium called Birmabright which was used due to post war steel shortages and the plentiful supply of post-war aircraft aluminium. Birmabright’s resistance to rust helped Land Rovers build a reputation for being long-lasting even in the toughest conditions. In fact, it is estimated that around 75% of all Land Rovers ever built are still in use.

The early choice of Land Rover colour was mainly down to the military surplus supplies of aircraft cockpit paint after the war – so early vehicles only came in various shades of light green.

Early advertisements for Land Rovers bragged that the vehicles could be driven for thousands of miles on banana oil!

Tags: History, Land, Rover, Volume

Mg — All Car History Volume 17

MG is best known for two-seat open sports cars, but MG also produced saloons and coupés. More recently, the brand has also been used to designate sportier versions of other models belonging to the parent company. Nanjing MG Automobile Co. (NAC MG Ltd) bought the assets of MG Rover in 2005; in 2007, under these new owners, MG will restart production of the MG TF at the company’s Longbridge factory.

MG HISTORY
MG was founded in 1924, getting its name from “Morris Garages.” The first car which could be described as a new MG, rather than a modified Morris, was the 18/80 of 1928. A smaller car was launched in 1929, the first of a long line of Midgets. MG also made a name for itself in the early days of motorsport. Before World War II, MG began to produce the T-Series Midgets. MG released the MGA in 1955 and the MGB in 1962, which continued production until 1980

MG FACTS

Type: private Founded: 1924 by William Morris and Cecil Kimber Headquarters: Longbridge, England Key people: Wang Hao Liang (NAC Chairman), Yu Jian Wei (NAC CEO) Industry: Automotive Products: Cars

FEATURED MODELS

MG MGF: – a mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster first produced in 1995 MG TF: – the redesigned MG TF was launched in 2002 and named after the classic MG TF MG ZR : – a hot hatch produced by MG Rover between 2001-2005

DID YOU KNOW?

The MGB was the first new sports car for more than half a million Americans and was probably owned by at least a million more because it had second, third and even fourth owners. It was the last MG sports car sold in the USA The MGB tourer was built from 1962 to 1980, with total production reaching 386,789 units, of which nearly nine out of every ten were exported, mainly to the USA The bore and stroke dimensions (80 x 89.3 mm) of the 1.8 K Series engine used in the MGF and TF are almost identical to those of the MGB 1.8 B Series. The technology moves on, but the ideal proportions for torque and usable power remain the same

Tags: History, Volume

Volvo Cars History

Volvo Cars have a long and amazing history that spans over years and decades. Starting from 1927, to today, they have been manufacturing cars for over eighty years. And over the years, they have only improved.

Volvo Company, founded by Assar Gabrielson and Gustaf Larsson, produced its first car in a small factory at Hisingen, Gothenburg on the 4th of April in the year 1927. It was an open car with a four- cylinder engine and was called the Volvo OV4. They also produced the PV4 saloon. However, they were not successes and only 297 models were sold in that year. This was followed by two successful years with the PV651, the TR671 and the TR672 being released. Also, a more luxurious version of the PV651, called the PV652 was released. Volvo also bought the Hinsingen Factory where the cars were made.

In 1932, they passed a manufacturing landmark when they manufactured the 10,000th car. They made the first Volvo bus as well, which was called the LV70B. From 1933 to 1943, many new cars, buses and taxis were released. These were more modern and had many features that are seen in cars today. However after this, there was a difficult period for Volvo. The Second World War had broken out and this restricted the production of cars. But the year 1944 saw a significant change in the form of the Volvo PV444 and PV544. These dominated the Volvo car production till around the mid 1960′s and even caught the interest of the American market. They also released the popular Volvo 120 which was also called the Amazon.

These cars were far safer and security was even then, a main concern. The first car produced the Volvo company was the P1800, which rose to fame with Roger Moore. By 1964, the Volvo Company was pretty much booming. They had set up a company in Sweden that was capable of producing 200,000 cars a year. In 1966, the Volvo 140 family came into the market and the company hoped to secure their position with them. There were both saloon and estate models of these released, hoping to catch different people in the market.

The Volvo Company was also evolving and many new features like crumple zones, rear facing child seats, collapsible steering columns, side collision protection, and three way catalytic converter. In the 1970′s, Volvo sales soared with the release of the Volvo 240 and Volvo 340 series. In 1982, the Volvo 700 took the company into an exclusive market. The Volvo 400 replaced the 340 series and was extremely popular as it had more interior space and excellent road handling facilities.

In 1991 a new Volvo was released called the Volvo 850. It was the first front-wheel executive car and had a five-cylinder engine. It was a pleasure to drive and won great praise. They had proposed a merger with Renault but that did not come through. However, this turned out to be a boon for Volvo. This allowed the Volvo Company to develop the sleeker and smoother S40 and V40, which were instant hits. They merged safety, style and comfort and all of the other traditional values of the Volvo Company. With the 1998 Volvo S80 sedan the 1999 V70 wagon, they brought new meaning for the phrase ‘traveling in style’. In 2000, the Volvo S60 came out and in 2002, the Volvo XC90 was released. In 2003, the Volvo S40 and V50 were produced and in 2005, the C70 was released. The year 2006 saw the release of the Volvo C30.

Tags: Cars, History, Volvo

Bugatti History

The Bugatti is a classic car that dates back to the early 1900s. It was founded in France in the year 1909 by an Italian man named Ettore Bugatti. Many people found Bugatti to be somewhat of a genius though he was also referred to as being very eccentric. Bugatti himself was born in Milan. He was a very creative man that was highly respected for his amazing engineering skills. His designs were always quite artistic, a talent that he came by naturally. His own father had been a designer of fine furniture and jewellery. The need to create and design is something that was a huge part of the Bugatti family.

The Bugatti automobile was vastly different from other cars of the time. Bugatti preferred to scrape the engine block by hand so that it was as flat as it could possibly be. This eliminated the need for gaskets, which are found on most other cars, then and now. Bugatti had a personal belief that weight was always an issue and he constantly strived to find ways to make the weight distribution of his vehicle’s more efficient. He was also very dedicated to finding new and better ways of doing everything when it came to the physical construction of his cars.

One thing that makes Bugatti so unique is that only a small number of each model was made. This puts them at the top of many classic car collector lists. These cars are incredibly rare and worth a lot of money. It was just recently that a Bugatti car was discovered in the garage of a deceased man. Only seventeen of these cars were made so the discovery was a special thing as far as classic car history goes.

Bugatti is known to many as the most successful racing car of all time. The models used to race were considered to be among the best car that anyone could use in that type of event. This is the reason for much of the fame that this car now has, despite the rarity of it. Like every other car company of the time, the Second World War had a significant negative impact on sales and production. The production factory was destroyed and the property was seized during the war. Though Bugatti was determined to carry on with his work in the auto industry, he died in 1947 before he could implement any of his new design plans.

Despite a few attempts at resurrection at the hands of a family member, it just wasn’t meant to be for Bugatti and the brand began to die out. Volkswagen has since bought the name Bugatti. Bugatti models have since been produced but they are not in mass production. It is unlikely that Bugatti will ever have the success or recognition that it once had. It is now more of a car collector’s dream than anything else. Bugatti is so popular it was even turned into a fictional story by Salman Rushdie. This fine European car has had its day in the sun and now it is a wonderful part of history.

Tags: Bugatti, History

Citroen — All Car History Volume18

Citroën is a pioneering car manufacturer, with a long line of original, advanced designs and a tradition of engineering excellence and innovation. The world’s first front-wheel drive car, the Traction Avant, was thanks to Citroën. Perhaps the company’s most recognised car of all time is the 2CV, which came to be regarded as an automotive icon. Citroën’s current crop includes the C1, C2, C3, C4, C4 Picasso and Xsara Picasso, with new models such as the C6, which replaced the XM.

CITROËN HISTORY

In 1914, André Citroën set up a company that made munitions for the war. This venture proved to be a success, and by the 1920s the company became known as Citroën. The company shocked the world in 1934 with the Traction Avant, a revolutionary car with features such as front wheel drive. In 1934, Citroën was taken over by Michelin tyre company and in 1976, Citroën became part of PSA Peugeot Citroën.

CITROËN FACTS

Type: Subsidiary of PSA Peugeot Citroën Founded: 1919 Headquarters: Paris, France Industry: Automotive Products: Cars

CITROËN FEATURED MODELS

CITROËN C2 – the first Citroën with a Stop & Start environmental system, and five speed semi-automatic transmission. CITROËN C3 – a larger family friendly car, the C3 has five doors and is a “supermini” intended to replace the Citroën Saxo. CITROËN C4 – a small family car produced since 2004. The C4 was designed to be the successor to the Citroën Xsara. CITROËN C5 – a large family car produced since early 2001. The C5 replaced the Citroën Xantia in the large family car class. CITROËN SAXO – a supermini manufactured from 1996 to 2003. CITROËN XSARA – a small family car produced since 1997 in five-door estate, three- and five-door hatchback styles. CITROËN XSARA PICASSO – an MPV produced since 1999.

DID YOU KNOW?

The 2CV was affectionately known as “The Duck”. Citroën realised that there was an urgent need for a cheap and reliable car, and first introduced the 2CV to the public in 1938. Because of WWII, the production started in 1948. Since the car was such a success the production continued for over 40 years. The design underwent only a few minor changes in all those years. At the 1950 Paris Motor Show, the 2CV van was introduced. Between February 1951 and March 1978, 1,246,306 2CV vans were made. Demand was so great that there was a six-year waiting list for delivery in the 1950s. Citroën held the constructor title in the World Rally Championship in 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2000, Citroën built a heritage centre in Aulnay, Paris. These premises of 6,700 m2, house almost 300 vintage cars and concept cars, but are not open to the public. The Citroën won the bronze lion award at the Advertising film festival at Cannes in 2005. This was for the Citroën C4 film “The Dancer”.

Tags: Citroen, History, Volume18

Audi — All Car History Volume1

Audi traces its origins back to 1899 and August Horch.  When Horch was forced out of the company he had founded, he started a new company in 1909 called Audi which was a Latin translation of Horch (in German: ‘Listen’).  From the start, the company’s policy was to build cars mainly for the luxury category.

Since 1932 the Audi emblem has been the ‘four rings’, which represent its amalgamation with DKW, Horch and Wanderer to form Auto Union AG in Chemnitz, Germany. Audi supplied a wide range of passenger vehicles during the 1930s – from motorcycles to luxury saloon cars.  Volkswagen bought the company in 1964. In the 1980s, Audi dominated world rally with the Audi Quattro, and has had huge success in the Le Mans 24 Hour with its R10 prototype racer.

Audi’s progressive designs and groundbreaking technology combine to make cars which are innovative yet stylish.  The current crop of production vehicles from the Audi A3 to the Audi R8 supercar has propelled Audi to record sales during the 21st century.
Audi have produced every kind of car imaginable:  from executive cars such as the Audi A4 and Audi A6 to sports cars such as the Audi TT – from the Audi Q7 full size SUV to the Audi A2 super-mini and they show no signs of slowing down.

DID YOU KNOW?

In March 1980, the introduction of the Audi Quattro four-wheel drive sports coupe caused a sensation on the Audi stand at the Geneva Motor Show. The Quattro was the first high-performance vehicle with four-wheel drive, and is regarded as the first successful application of four-wheel drive on a road car.

In the late 1980s, a report by the U.S. TV show, “60 Minutes” rigged an Audi to perform in an uncontrolled manner. The report impacted Audi sales badly causing the company to rename the 5000 model the 100/200 in 1989

In 1994, the launch of the first Audi A8 with an all-aluminium body was a world first for a passenger car.

Audi’s legendary slogan, ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ means Advancement through Technology

AUDI FACTS

Type: Public (Xetra: NSU)

Founded: 1910, Zwickau, Germany

Headquarters: Ingolstadt, Germany

Key People: Rupert Stadler, Chairman

Industry: Automotive

Products: Automobiles, Engines

Subsidiaries: Quattro GmbH, Lamborghini S.p.A., SEAT, S.A., Cosworth Technology

Tags: Audi, History, Volume1

Porsche- All Car History Volume 9

Porsche are renowned for producing a high calibre of sports car. The German car makers have succeeded making sports car that are renowned for its quality, reliability and performance. Above all, Porsche is a prestigious sports car that can be used for everyday driving.

The collection of opulent Porsches’ includes the Boxter, Cayman, 911 and the Cayenne series, which are produced in Germany. Porsche have managed to retain the car plant despite other German manufacturers have relocated to other countries chiefly Eastern Europe.

PORSCHE HISTORY

Ferdinand Porsche founded Porsche in 1931. Interestingly, he was the engineer for the first Volkswagen created, hence the first Porsche made used machinery from the Volkswagen Beetle. The first model was launched in 1938 and 10 years later the second Porsche was released, the 356. The end of the war saw Porsche participating in motor racing which proved to be highly successful. 1963 saw the launch of the Porsche 911, the most well known model, which is still in production today due to its success by the public and on the race track.

PORSCHE FACTS

Type: Public

Founded: 1931

Headquarters: Stuttgart, Germany

Key people: Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking, CEO and President

Industry: Automotive

Products: Cars

MODELS

PORSCHE 911 - a sports car made by Porsche since 1963, the famous rear-engine 911 has undergone continuous development.

PORSCHE BOXSTER - mid-engine roadster built by Porsche since 1996.

PORSCHE CAYENNE - The Porsche Cayenne is a five-seat mid-size sports utility vehicle produced by Porsche since 2002.

DID YOU KNOW?

At the Paris Auto Show in 1974, during the height of the oil crisis, Porsche presented the 911Turbo – the world’s first production sports car with exhaust turbocharger and pressure regulator.

In 1996, the one millionth Porsche rolled off the company’s Zuffenhausen assembly line just outside Stuttgart on July 15.

Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche’s grandson, Ferdinand Piëch, was chairman and CEO of the Volkswagen Group from 1993 to 2002. With half of all shares, he also remains the largest individual shareholder of the Porsche company.

Porsche’s 2002 introduction of the Cayenne also marked the unveiling of a new production facility in Leipzig, Saxony, which today accounts for nearly half of Porsche’s annual output.

Tags: History, Porsche, Volume

The History of Bugatti

Ettore Bugatti born in 1881 in Italy designed Bugatti. His father was an artist as well as a famous sculptor. Due to his fine carpentry work, he earned reputation in Italy and other countries. Ettore Bugatti cleared his education in 1897 and joined an arts academy. There he participated in bicycle manufacture and repair processes. While in the academy, he gained valuable skills, which helped him, progress in the motor industry. At the age of 17, he designed a tricycle and fixed it with a motor. DeDion motors powered the tricycle. Prior to the century ending, Ettore Bugatti participated in motor race using the earliest Bugatti model. In 1901, Ettore Bugatti improved the appearance of the automobile with help of the Gulinelli brothers. This occurred before they presented the automobile in an international automobile exhibition held in Milan. During the exhibition, the automobile scooped the T2 prize offered by the French Automobile Club. This popularized the automobile model all around the world.

By 1911, Ettore Bugatti had developed a couple of Bugatti models used in the racing sports. Many sports drivers preferred Bugatti automobile because it had high speed. It also consumed fuel sparingly thus was economical. In the period of 1914-1918, Ettore Bugatti developed airplane engines used in the First World War. The engines had concepts used by both French as well as Americans in the construction of airplanes. Using this blend, he came up with cost effective engines. His industry expanded and employed hundreds of workers. As time passed by, he developed new Bugatti models, which had new body as well as engine designs.

In 1927, Ettore Bugatti thought of a luxurious model after introduction of Royale luxury model in 1926. Royale model was very expensive and only the affluent afforded it. It had eight-cylinder engine as well as 12.7-liter capacity. Its engine had a 300-horse power. Introduction of Royale in the market was wrongly timed because at that time, the world experienced the Great Depression. Many economies had collapsed therefore only very few people had ability of purchasing this automobile. Since a lot of capital was invested in development of Royale Bugatti model, the company faced heavy losses due to poor sales margin associated with Great Depression.

In 1932, the Bugatti Company stood again after being given a contract to build train engines by the French government. These engines were meant for high-speed trains. Using the same technology, Ettore Bugatti developed new Bugatti models used as railcars. In the twentieth century, more models have cropped up due to an advance in automobile technology. There are several Bugatti models available today. They include racing cars and luxurious cars.

Many motorists, due to its economical fuel consumption prefer Bugatti. Today, Volkswagen AG owns the brand name. Following astute management displayed by this company, many models have been developed. These models have also performed exceptionally in international automobile exhibitions. Bugatti automobile has a long history in vehicle production. This has created a strong foundation for development. Proper management and hard work has also contributed in its success.

Tags: Bugatti, History

History of Bugatti

Many people may recall the Bugatti automobile company. The company was founded in the country of France by an Italian man named Ettore Bugatti. He was one of those men that have a strange character that many others would refer to as eccentric. He was also somewhat of a genius. Like many car makers at the time, Bugatti struggled to survive during World War II but that didn’t stop them from producing some of the rarest vehicles in the world. After a series of ups and downs the Bugatti name remains today. 

The Bugatti Company quickly became known for their well designed and engineered cars. The company participated in the Grand Prix race events that many other auto makers were associated with. They had plenty of success taking part in those races. Bugatti won the very first Monaco Grand Prix. Bugatti tried to go above and beyond what competitor’s were doing with their cars. They searched for many ways to work against the disadvantage of weight by making axles of their vehicles different than others. A spring that passed through the axle made such a difference that it was noticed right away by others. 

There are certain Bugatti models that were only produced in small numbers. These models of course are incredibly rare and certainly very valuable. These cars date back to the 1930s, before the war began. Only about 2000 of these models still exist throughout the world today. Bugatti made a few different types of cars. They had some that never did make it past the prototype stage but they also had a few others. Some were designed to be regular street cars that anyone could drive. Bugatti was very successful with their racing cars and earned plenty of success and recognition because of them.

During the war Bugatti continued to manufacture cars. They worked hard on a series of race cars that had been greatly anticipated. One of these cars, a supercharged model, was cancelled after Ettore Bugatti passed away. His son had died a number of years earlier when test driving a new model for the company. The auto maker began to experience financial trouble after the death of Ettore. His family member Roland Bugatti made an attempt to resurrect the company in the 1950s. The race car that was designed in that time was unsuccessful and production had to be stopped.  

The Bugatti Company did not only produce cars though that is what they are best known for. They also produced airplanes. During this time when vehicle production was not successful, they turned their attention to creating more airplanes. In 1968 the company was sold to a fellow auto maker company that also turned to airplane production.

In the 1980s an entrepreneur named Romano Artioli bought the Bugatti name. He made plans to use the name to produce race cars, like Bugatti had always been doing. That lasted until 1998 when Volkswagen bought the rights to the Bugatti name and have owned it since. The cars that have the Bugatti name are incredibly high priced. However, they are created for speed. Bugatti has a rich history that is based on the ingenious idea of one man.

Tags: Bugatti, History

BMW History

BMW – a reputation built on quality without compromise

 As an experienced driver, you know the importance of keeping your BMW in tip-top condition. Regular servicing will extend your car’s life and identify defects before they become catastrophic.

When you consider the history of BMW and how the Company has built its global reputation for prestige and performance excellence, booking a BMW service that is conducted with care and precision is vitally important in retaining the characteristics of this prestige car.

BMW facts you may not know

BMW has its roots in pre-First World War German aviation.

Gustav Otto, son of the inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine, set up an aircraft factory and training school in 1910. However, after persistent quality problems with production, his business was bought by a consortium in 1916. The company became known as Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG (BFW) and began manufacturing aircraft under licence from Albatros Werke. It soon became the largest aircraft manufacturer in Bavaria, but at the end of the First World War demand collapsed.

Meanwhile, in 1913 an engine designer Karl Rapp had set up an aircraft engine manufacturing company, but vibration problems with their own engines meant that they switched production to Austro-Daimler V12 engines, under licence. A man called Franz Josef Popp was put in to supervise the manufacturing. He managed to persuade Karl Rapp to employ a talented design engineer from Daimler, Max Friz. Friz quickly designed a new engine and made such an impact with the investors, that Karl Rapp was ousted from the business in 1917. At this point the company name was changed from Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH to Bayerische Motorenwerke BmbH (BMW).

However, in December 1918, BMW was forced to close down by the government at the end of the First World War. However, in less than three months BMW was allowed to reopen and began designing a new array of engines, although the company was forced to cease aircraft engine production. At this point, an Austrian financier, Camillo Castiglioni, had become the majority shareholder in BMW.

In the summer of 1919, BMW began building brake assemblies under licence from Knorr-Bremse AG, and around a year later Castiglioni sold his shares in BMW to Knorr-Bremse.

Following the sale of his stake in BMW, Castiglioni became interested in purchasing BFW which he completed in 1922. On the back of this, he moved to purchase back the BMW name and engine building division from Knorr-Bremse. He was successful, and with the merger of BFW and BMW, under the BMW name, he also secured the design and management skills of Max Friz and Franz Josef Popp, plus valuable engine drawings and patents.

BMW began production of replacement engines, whilst Castiglioni did a lucrative deal with the Czechs to licence the production of BMW aircraft engines for use by their military.

During the 1920s, BMW supplied Russia with aircraft engines and Castiglioni, as well as being the majority shareholder, siphoned off a brokerage fee on every transaction to his ‘private’ companies.

Along with military engines, BMW began to successfully manufacture small agricultural engines and motorcycles, starting with the R 32 in 1923. These formed the basis of the project to design a BMW production car in 1925. Then in 1928 the company expanded into full car production with the purchase of the Eisenach Car Factory that made the Dixi (or Austin Seven manufactured under license). The car became known as the BMW 3/15 and it was not long before BMW was producing its own designs.

However, Castiglioni’s business dealings got himself and BMW into trouble. After selling a majority shareholding to Deutsche Bank in 1926, to raise personal funds, his irregular commission payments were duly revealed. He settled out of court with a large payment back to BMW and stepped down from the board. In 1929, he sold the remainder of his shared to Deutsche Bank to prop up his finances.

The Castiglioni affair had also cost BMW. The Russian government became aware of the ‘commission’ payments and demanded compensation. BMW handed over a licence to produce the BMW VI engine for free and relations with the Russians came to an end in the early 1930s.

After successful expansion of the motorcycle and car businesses in the 1930s, BMW was forced to abandon civilian production by the National Socialist Party during the Second World War and focus on the production of aircraft engines. This included the use of forced labour.

Towards the end of the war, BMW was hit hard by allied bombing and when the war ended, the sites in eastern Germany were seized by the Russians. Meanwhile, whilst BMW survived in the West, they were banned from manufacturing engines for three years and BMW car plans and their chief designer Fritz Fiedler were taken to England to begin Bristol Cars. And so it was not until 1948 that production of BMW motorcycles recommenced and not until 1952 that car production was started again.

The initial post-war car models, such as the 507 and 503, were not highly profitable and in 1959, BMW discussed selling the business to Daimler-Benz. This was an unpopular move with the workforce, and fortunately Chairman Kurt Golda increased his stake in the company to secure BMW’s independence.

During the 1960s the release of more sporty models spelt success for BMW. The BMW 1500 (that followed the BMW 700) led to the BMW 1600 and BMW 1800 models and in 1967 two door and convertible models that became known as the BMW 02 series. These developments eventually led to the creation of the famous BMW 3 series.

The company expanded, with new production facilities and a new headquarters in Munich.

Going into the 1970s, the BMW 5 series replaced the sedans, the coupes were replaced with the BMW 3 series and a new BMW 7 series was launched, thereby giving BMW three distinct sports sedan ranges that continued into the 1990s.

BMW became a global brand in prestige car manufacturing and sales increased 18 times. Production expanded from Germany and has spread to across continents, including facilities in the UK, America, South Africa and India. The company has also formed partnerships over time with Russian and Chinese producers.

In the mid 1990s, BMW bought Rover from British Aerospace. However, the company struggled to find a role for the English brands and make a profit. In 2000 it disposed of Rover to Phoenix Venture Holdings and sold the Land Rover brand to Ford. However, BMW retained the Mini, Triumph and other brands. BMW has since successfully rekindled the Mini brand and also gone on to secure full use of the Rolls Royce brand (in 2003).

From its humble origins as pre-First World War makers of aircraft and aircraft engines, BMW has survived as a result of post-war entrepreneurial spirit and grown rapidly to become a major global player in the prestige car market.

Book your BMW service with confidence

So when you book your next BMW service, you can be confident that Service A Car understands the heritage of BMW and conducts BMW servicing with the passion and precision your prestige car deserves.

Happy motoring,

Howard.

Chairman Service A Car

Tags: History