The History of BMW Motors

Origins: Aircraft Engines

BMW was founded in Munich in 1916, originally producing engines for aircraft during World War I. The company's first major success was the BMW IIIa, a straight-six aero engine introduced in 1917, prized for its high-altitude performance thanks to an early carburetor design that maintained power in thin air.

In 1919, a modified BMW IV engine helped set a world altitude record of 9,760 meters. The famous roundel logo is often associated with a spinning aircraft propeller, though BMW itself later clarified it derives from the Bavarian flag's blue-and-white colors.

The Treaty of Versailles banned German aircraft engine production after the war, forcing BMW to pivot — first to farm equipment and railway brakes, then to motorcycle and engine manufacturing.

The Motorcycle Boxer Engine

In 1923, chief engineer Max Friz designed the R32, BMW's first complete motorcycle. It introduced the flat-twin "boxer" engine mounted transversely in the frame — a layout paired with shaft drive that remains a BMW motorcycle hallmark a century later.

• R32 (1923): 494cc air-cooled boxer twin, 8.5 hp
• R37 (1925): Sportier overhead-valve variant
• R63 / R47: Displacement and performance growth through the late 1920s

Entering the Automobile Business

BMW entered car manufacturing in 1928 by acquiring Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, initially building a licensed version of the Austin Seven as the BMW 3/15. By the mid-1930s, BMW was designing its own engines, notably the M78 straight-six used in the elegant BMW 328 (1936), whose hemispherical-head cross-pushrod six produced remarkable power for its size and underpinned multiple racing wins, including the 1940 Mille Miglia.

During World War II, BMW again produced aircraft engines, most notably the BMW 801 radial engine and the pioneering BMW 003 — one of the earliest production jet engines. Wartime production came at a well-documented human cost, including the use of forced labor, a history BMW has since publicly acknowledged and researched.

Postwar Recovery and the "New Class"

Postwar restrictions again barred BMW from building engines, and the company survived on kitchenware and bicycles before returning to motorcycles in 1948. Car production resumed with expensive, low-volume luxury models that nearly bankrupted the company by 1959.

Salvation came with the "Neue Klasse" (New Class) sedans, launched in 1962, powered by a new overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine family. This engine's balance of efficiency and sportiness defined BMW's modern identity and evolved directly into the six-cylinder units that followed in the 1968 BMW 2500/2800.

The Rise of M and the Straight-Six Legacy

BMW Motorsport GmbH ("M") was founded in 1972. Its first standalone road engine, the M88 straight-six, powered the mid-engined M1 supercar (1978) and later the E28 M535i and E24 M6.

The 1980s and early 1990s cemented BMW's reputation for smooth, high-revving inline sixes:

• M20 (1977–1993): SOHC six that replaced four-cylinder units in mid-range models
• M30 (1968–1993): BMW's longest-serving six, used across sedans, coupes, and the 7 Series
• S14 (1985–1991): Four-cylinder derived from the M88 six, powering the original E30 M3
• S38 (1986–1995): High-revving six for the E34 M5 and E31 8 Series
• M60 / M70 (1987–1996): BMW's first modern V8 and V12 engines

Variable Valve Timing and the Turbo Shift

BMW's VANOS variable camshaft timing (introduced 1992, refined as Double-VANOS in 1996) and later Valvetronic throttle-less valve control (2001) pushed naturally aspirated efficiency to its limits — exemplified by the high-revving S54 and S65 engines in the E46 M3 and E90/E92 M3.

From the mid-2000s on, BMW shifted its mainstream lineup toward downsized turbocharged engines for efficiency and emissions reasons:

• N54 (2006): BMW's first mass-production turbocharged, direct-injection six since the 2002 Turbo
• N55 (2009): Single twin-scroll turbo successor, simplified and more efficient
• B58 (2015–present): Modular inline-six widely praised for reliability and tuning potential
• S55 / S58: Twin-turbo M engines for the F80 M3 and G80 M3/M4

Electrification and Beyond

BMW's i sub-brand launched in 2013 with the i3 (electric city car) and i8 (plug-in hybrid sports car), signaling a shift toward electrified powertrains alongside continued combustion development.

Today BMW builds a parallel range of combustion, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric drivetrains on shared vehicle architectures, including the modular fifth-generation eDrive electric motors debuting on the Neue Klasse platform — a name deliberately echoing the company's 1962 turning point.