BMW: The Initial Years

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 .