Used BMW

BMW is a name in the automotive industry that needs little introducing. However, not a lot of people know the full history behind a company that has filled the streets of so many towns and cities throughout the world with new and used BMW cars and motorcycles.

Formed as Bayerische Motoren Werke AG in 1916, the company began life as an aircraft motor production business, but was forced to cease production due to the Versailles Armistice Treaty following the resolution of the First World War. In 1923, once the terms of the treaty began to be lifted, BMW soon focused its efforts towards the production of motorcycles and by 1928, automobiles.

It was at this point that BMW’s famous blue and white logo was retrospectively explained by company representatives as being a depiction of the blades of an aircraft propeller cutting through blue sky. It is thought that the logo is actually an adapted version of the white and blue flag of the then free state of Bavaria, where the company was founded.

In the Second World War, the German Luftwaffe again used BMW to create aircraft motors, but in the years following the war, the company’s automotive department hit difficulties and only survived due to the moderate success of BMW’s role in producing the Italian Iso Isetta. These small cars were powered by a modified form of BMW’s motorcycle engine.

In the years that have followed, the company has gone from strength to strength, witnessing a particular boom over the past twenty years. The success of both new and used BMW vehicles has allowed the company to branch out and enter competitive teams in a range of motorsports. Formula One, probably the most popular global motorsport, has seen a BMW team take part for many years, with the company’s sole championship win coming in 1983.

BMW have enjoyed a greater deal of success in other motorsports, with drivers in their vehicles having won 24 European Touring Car Championships and four World Touring Car Championships, including three in a row between 2005 and 2007. Furthermore, BMW motorcycles have won the famous Paris Dakar Rally event six times, while also achieving victory in the Le Mans24 hour race in 1999.

The company has developed a reputation for producing high end performance and luxury vehicles. New and used BMW vehicles are often a popular choice for chauffeurs and company cars as they are seen to convey a level of class and gravitas.