who was the one man responsible for bringing bmw to america
is the bmw logo meant to look like a propeller on a plane
what is the right nickname for bmw beamer or bimmer
and how did the 3.0 csl or batmobile as was called managed to have such a big
wing which was against regulations we'll answer these questions and more as
we take a drive through the eventful history of bmw
it's december 9 1959 it's the annual general meeting of the bmw
group things are tense there's a takeover bid from daimler-benz
on the agenda smaller shareholders employees
and their trade unions are against it they argue that the company and workers
have been valued too low finally the meeting is adjourned without
a resolution which results in limited time off
from daimler expiring bmw's major shareholder herbert quan
is swayed by the workers feelings and decides to invest more money in bmw to
save the company it's now 1961. bmw releases a new class of sedans that
puts it back in the front seat as a successful modern car maker
the 1500 is praised for all round visibility from the driving position
and its large tall luggage compartment it's a new car for a new era it's
credited with saving bmw fast forward to the 70s bmw releases the
5 series followed by the 3 6 and 7 series the 3 series is the
standard bearer for bmw quality and its best selling model ever
let's take a little detour to new york to meet another important character in
the bmw story he is a new york car dealer named max
hoffman max is the man who single-handedly
brings bmw to america long before the company starts manufacturing in the u.s
it isn't just bmws millions of americans love
european automobiles now and way back in the 50s they wouldn't have been able to
drive those autos without the efforts of max
in fact his contribution is so great that he is inducted into the automotive
hall of fame and strangely enough it all starts with
him introducing american cars to europe max is born in
austria and works for his father's bicycle
manufacturing operation he is an amateur racing car driver so we
can see that from an early age he loves cars
he starts his career in austria importing american expensive
imports into europe now it's 1938 the rise of the third reich has spread
to austria max it was jewish ancestry relocates his business to paris but when
britain and france declare war in germany
it crosses the atlantic to settle in the new york area
since the car manufacturing market has ceased in europe he temporarily
successfully runs a costume jewelry business
once the war is over he starts up car dealer business with shops in manhattan
and los angeles he tells people that european cars are
at a level never seen in the us he creates a massive interest in
european cars he becomes the sole importer and distributor for
mercedes-benz and bmw and eventually volkswagen but he doesn't
just sell cars he actually influences european car
makers to follow american trends it's the 1960s he convinces bmw to
follow america's popular hot rod and muscle car formula
to fit large engines at the lightweight versions of the 2500 and 2800 sedans
and establishes a line that becomes the famed 7 series
fast forward to 1975 bmw buys the distribution rights from max
who retires from the business it's a significant year for bmw as it
marks the opening of the brand's first dealership in america the brand takes
off with the vengeance around the same time bmw releases one of
its wildest cars ever the 3.0 csl is bmw's first attempt at road going
sports car it becomes known as the batmobile
because of its big wing it's designed for superheroes on the road
the only problem is that german law does not allow cars to have such big wings
so bmw puts the wings on the trunk so car owners can bolt it on themselves
the new bmw motorsport division rules the european sedan racing scene for six
years only interrupted for a bit by the ford
capri r s 3100 fast forward 10 years
and a bmw m5 the high performance version of the 5 series is the fastest
production sedan in the world a few years later bmw buys rover
and with it the mini brand as well as rolls royce bmw
releases its first sports utility vehicle the iconic bmw
x5 in 2018 nearly 40 percent of the brand sales
are generated by the bmw x models bmw star is not only one but three james
bond films including the bmw z3 the z8 and the massive v12 powered
750il by now bmw is expanding its
manufacturing facilities globally its first plant out of germany is in
south africa just over 20 years later bmw opens its
first manufacturing facilities in south carolina
today this plant is the largest bmw plant in the world
it delivered 411 620 vehicles in 2018 as global demand for crossovers sword
let's talk about bmw's nickname in the english speaking word
some people in the u.s say that beemer should be used specifically for
motorcycles and bimmer should be used for car
and they're exactly right the nickname beamer comes from the uk
in the uk motorcycles were nicknamed beezers the term beamer was used to
distinguish bmw from motorcycles that were manufactured
in britain over time the other way of spelling it b-e-a-m-e-r
was also used the fact that resembles beam seems to be
coincidental americans initially called bmw cars beamers
like the motorcycles except the boston chapter of the bmw club which called
them bimmers eventually bammers won and bmw
cars are called by that by bmw fans all over the world
so beamer for a bmw motorcycle and bimmer for a bmw
car fans have also wondered about the origin of the bmw logo
many fans think it is a propeller this would make sense since the company
starts out by manufacturing aircrafting it's also because of an ad in 1929 that
depicts the bmw emblem as a propeller the company is
registered to manufacture engines for cars boats and planes
there's an advert for boats too along this one the logo looks more like a
steering wheel the truth is that the logo is actually
based on the rap motor working gmbh logo you can see the
double circle is the same then blue checks inside the circle are
the state color of the flag and the free state of bavaria
you'll see that on the bmw logo the blue and white colors are inverted
this is because local trademarks didn't allow the state's flags on commercial
logos what i find somewhat pleasing is if you
look at the flag of bavaria it looks like a blue checkered racing flag to me
what a better way to represent one of the major car manufacturing brands of
the world than a racing flight bmw has also been at the forefront of
technology and innovations that make the driving
experience better for drivers in 1983 their first diesel sedan set a
standard as the world's fastest series produced diesel engines in 1988
they brought out the first ever electronically controlled anti-lock
braking system for series produced motorcycles
in 1991 they released the first series produced three-way catalytic converter
and the same year the bmw e1 was the first
thorough bred electric car in the modern age it may come as a surprise to know
that bmw has been pursuing eb cars for over 40 years
the first car the 1602e was used in the 1972 olympics in munich
to lead a pack of long distance running obviously the lack of internal
combustion engine saved the runners from inhaling tons of fumes
it used 12 12 volt batteries with a combined weight of 771 pounds and could
only go 37 miles an hour on one charge so it wasn't a huge
success the ls electric was a secret project a few
years later followed by the bmw e1 we mentioned before that took a giant
leap forward it had a range of 150 miles and two hour
rapid charging time but didn't make it into product
bmw ran a test leasing mini electrics in 2008. today bmw has one of the
fastest all-electric cars in the road the bmw
i3 it goes 0-60 in 6.4 seconds the still to be released i-4 has a range
of 373 miles and reaches 62 miles an hour and 4 seconds
with top speeds in excess of 124 miles an hour
in true bmw style the company commissioned famous movie soundtrack
composer hans zimmer create the sounds the car will make
because silent electric cars are dangerous
especially at low speeds no one can hear them he's the composer who created the
soundtrack for movies like pirates of the caribbean and lion king
bmw wants to make sounds that are emotional will capture both bmw's past
and future it's fun to imagine what sounds they might choose from bmw's long
and coral for history past sounds could hint at the sound of
the wind in the first bmw engine they saw on aircrafts or the
sounds of war or this throaty growl of a v8 or the low
hum and the tire on the speeding track and what would the future of bmw sound
like guess we'll have to wait for this bmw to come out to find out
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