Welcome to this new series Logo, historypodcastAutoPlus.fr which traces the history of brands through their logos.

For this 13th episodewe return to the story of a mythical builder who came straight from Bavaria… BMW ! With a rich and fascinating history, the German brand has traveled through the ages and created legendary models, including the M Motorsport series of racing cars… A look back at the history of BMW, traced through the history of its logo!

Munich spirals originate at the beginning of the last century

It all started in 1916. We are in the south of Germany, in Munich, the capital of Bavaria

At that time, two pioneers of German aviation, Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto, decided to bring their activities together.

Both are interested in mechanics, and in particular, they make aircraft engines. One leads Bayerische Flugzeugwerkeand the other Rapp Motorenwerke.

But their union called BFW will not last. In 1917, the young company had already changed its name, and this time it became BMW. There Bayerische Motoren Werkeliterally “Bavarian Engine Factory”, then began its activities.

But that’s not all. Our two founders obviously needed a logo!

The solution is all found. The emblem of the Bavarian firm will simply occupy the black circle of the Karl Rapp logo, and in the center – the blue and white colors of Bavaria.

By the end of the first war, BMW was busy producing its first aircraft engines. And the company will be noticed. Its 6-cylinder engines, which already develop 185 horsepower, are extremely efficient.

Designed to be fitted to German Fokker aircraft, they are delivered to the production plants as is. The famous BMW logo can then be seen for the first time on the cover of the engine assembly manual.

But what about the logo?