The Growth of BMW

The Early years-1913-1920

Circa 1913• Karl Rapp establishes Rapp-

Motorenwerke • He manufactures his own aircraft

engines • However,they suffer from

problems with vibration that Rapp is unable to fix

• Switches to building Austro-Daimler aircraft engines under license .

Circa 1913• Gustav Otto sets up a shop

building small aircraft. • Son of the inventor of the four-

stroke internal combustion engine

• He enjoys great success with his Bayerische Flugzeugwerke.

Circa 1916• The Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG

(BFW) is founded.

• Gustav Otto merges his three-year-old aircraft factory

• Rapp owns the Rapp Motoren Werke, which is renamed Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH

• first CEO is Franz-Josef Popp.

Circa 1917• Two Austrians, Franz-Josef Popp

and Max Friz, backed by a Vienna financier, Camillo Castiglioni, take over Rapp's business and rename it Bayerische Motoren Werke – BMW

• BMW's first aircraft engine -- the Type IIIa -- goes into production.

Circa 1917• A water-cooled six-cylinder inline

engine, it features a unique "high-altitude carburetor"

• Allows it to develop full power at altitude.

• Developed by Friz

Circa 1918• The Bavarian Motor Works

becomes a public company • BMW's first notable success was

the 6-cylinder BMW IIIa engine

• Powered a biplane to 5,000 meters altitude in just 29 minutes.

Circa 1919• Franz Zeno Diemer sets a world

altitude record • record of 9,760m (32,013 ft.) in an

aircraft powered by a BMW Type IV engine.

• The Treaty of Versailles prohibits the production of aircraft in Germany

• Otto closes his factory • BMW switches to manufacturing

railway brakes .