From their first car all the way to their most modern designs, we take you on a personal tour of BMW’s Car and Motorcycle museum.
Germany has a long, proud automotive heritage. After all, they can take credit for practically inventing the motor car back in the 1880s. The landscape has evolved quite dramatically over the past century, and you can truly see it through places like BMW’s car and motorcycle museum in Munich. Bayerische Motoren Werke – or BMW, to you and me – was founded in 1916. The company began manufacturing aircraft engines, but moved into motorcycles and cars in the 1920s.
From that period forward, Bavaria has heavily influenced both the aviation and automotive industries. In this video, TFL’s Roman Mica gives you a personal tour with the director of BMW’s Munich museum, Ralph Huber. The first question: What does BMW’s logo represent?
Debate has long raged in some circles over the purpose of BMW’s logo. People often think the company’s iconic blue and white roundel portrays a rotating aircraft propeller. Some also say the colors represent the flag colors of the Bavaria. It also represents the colors of the sky (“blau” and “weiss”).
Those interpretations are true, and there is a bit more history to the logo’s origins. The original shape, proportions, and layout of the logo derived from the circular Rapp Motorenwerke company logo – one of the companies that went on to comprise the modern BMW. BMW trademarked the current logo in 1917, and it survives through today with slight changes.
Check it the rest of the video above to learn about some of BMW’s coolest, most iconic models! Subscribe to The Fast Lane Car and TFLnow for more historic videos, news, and real-world reviews!
If you can’t get enough automotive history in this sitting, check out our tour of Mazda’s Heritage Collection in LA as well!
