Driving Around In Your Los Angeles BMW

No matter where you buy your Los Angeles BMW, it's where and how you drive it that matters. Few experiences can match driving in a powder blue BMW sports car with the top down, wind in your hair, stars in the sky, stereo blaring and the heated seats, oh yes, the heated seats!

Automobile Manufacturer

Although BMW did not become a manufacturer of automobiles until 1929, their history as an engine maker goes back to 1916 when Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFw) in Bavaria joined forces with Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach in Thuringia to make aircraft engines. The first automobiles they manufactured were British cars for the German market.

Motorcycle Sideline
When BMW began making their own cars in the 1930s, they were mostly sporty, beginning with the 328 roadster. When the two companies merged to become BMW, what started out as a motorcycle sideline grew to become an important part of the business. The BMW logo is based on the blue and white checks of the Bavarian flag.

Tumultuous Company
The period after WWII proved to be a tumultuous one for the company. The Munich plant had been pretty much bombed to rubble and many of the surviving sites were taken over by the Soviets. Moreover, BMW was banned by the Allies from producing automobiles for three years. During the ban, the company survived by manufacturing bicycles and kitchen supplies. The factory at Eisenach had been taken over by the Soviets, who proclaimed to manufacture BMWs for sale until 1951, at which time the Bavarian company stepped in and prevented them from using the trademark name, logo and signature 'double kidney' radiator grille.

Passenger Cars
The company restarted making passenger cars in 1952 but with great difficulty. The BMW 507 and 503 were too costly to build profitably at low volume. By the end of the decade, BMW was concentrating on making bubble-cars such as the egg-shaped Isetta.

Hofmeister Kink
The trademark 'Hofmeister kink' was formally launched in the BMW 1500 at the Frankfort Motor Show in 1961. The kink is a low forward bend in the C-pillar of the car, the piece of metal separating the rear windows from the glass in the rear. It was a subtle way of indicating that all beamers have rear-wheel drive.

Takeover Attempts
By 1963, the company had survived two takeover attempts and was back on its feet. For the first time since before WWII, BMW was in a position to offer a dividend to its shareholders. In the 1990s, BMW began a joint venture with Rolls Royce Motors that meant the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph and the Bentley Arnage would use BMW engines. In 1998, BMW acquired the rights to use the name Rolls-Royce and RR on cars.

Other Models
In the UK, the BMW Group employs 8,000 people, one tenth of whom are engaged in producing Rolls Royce motor cars. In addition to BMW automobiles and motorcycles, the BMW plant in Oxford builds the iconic Mini, immortalized in the film, 'The Italian Job, ' starring Michael Caine. The United Kingdom is the only country in the world where all three BMW brands, BMW, Rolls Royce and Mini, have manufacturing operations with the BMW auto dealerships.