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Bmw History
BMW a reputation built on quality without compromise
As an experienced driver you know the importance of keeping your BMW in tiptop condition. Regular servicing will extend your car’s life and identify defects before they become catastrophic.
When you consider the history of BMW and how the Company has built its global reputation for prestige and performance excellence booking a BMW service that is conducted with care and precision is vitally important in retaining the characteristics of this prestige car.
BMW facts you may not know
BMW has its roots in preFirst World War German aviation.
Gustav Otto son of the inventor of the fourstroke internal combustion engine set up an aircraft factory and training school in 1910. However after persistent quality problems with production his business was bought by a consortium in 1916. The company became known as Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG BFW and began manufacturing aircraft under licence from Albatros Werke. It soon became the largest aircraft manufacturer in Bavaria but at the end of the First World War demand collapsed.
Meanwhile in 1913 an engine designer Karl Rapp had set up an aircraft engine manufacturing company but vibration problems with their own engines meant that they switched production to AustroDaimler V12 engines under licence. A man called Franz Josef Popp was put in to supervise the manufacturing. He managed to persuade Karl Rapp to employ a talented design engineer from Daimler Max Friz. Friz quickly designed a new engine and made such an impact with the investors that Karl Rapp was ousted from the business in 1917. At this point the company name was changed from Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH to Bayerische Motorenwerke BmbH BMW.
However in December 1918 BMW was forced to close down by the government at the end of the First World War. However in less than three months BMW was allowed to reopen and began designing a new array of engines although the company was forced to cease aircraft engine production. At this point an Austrian financier Camillo Castiglioni had become the majority shareholder in BMW.
In the summer of 1919 BMW began building brake assemblies under licence from KnorrBremse AG and around a year later Castiglioni sold his shares in BMW to KnorrBremse.
Following the sale of his stake in BMW Castiglioni became interested in purchasing BFW which he completed in 1922. On the back of this he moved to purchase back the BMW name and engine building division from KnorrBremse. He was successful and with the merger of BFW and BMW under the BMW name he also secured the design and management skills of Max Friz and Franz Josef Popp plus valuable engine drawings and patents.
BMW began production of replacement engines whilst Castiglioni did a lucrative deal with the Czechs to licence the production of BMW aircraft engines for use by their military.
During the 1920s BMW supplied Russia with aircraft engines and Castiglioni as well as being the majority shareholder siphoned off a brokerage fee on every transaction to his ‘private’ companies.
Along with military engines BMW began to successfully manufacture small agricultural engines and motorcycles starting with the R 32 in 1923. These formed the basis of the project to design a BMW production car in 1925. Then in 1928 the company expanded into full car production with the purchase of the Eisenach Car Factory that made the Dixi or Austin Seven manufactured under license. The car became known as the BMW 3/15 and it was not long before BMW was producing its own designs.
However Castiglioni’s business dealings got himself and BMW into trouble. After selling a majority shareholding to Deutsche Bank in 1926 to raise personal funds his irregular commission payments were duly revealed. He settled out of court with a large payment back to BMW and stepped down from the board. In 1929 he sold the remainder of his shared to Deutsche Bank to prop up his finances.
The Castiglioni affair had also cost BMW. The Russian government became aware of the ‘commission’ payments and demanded compensation. BMW handed over a licence to produce the BMW VI engine for free and relations with the Russians came to an end in the early 1930s.
After successful expansion of the motorcycle and car businesses in the 1930s BMW was forced to abandon civilian production by the National Socialist Party during the Second World War and focus on the production of aircraft engines. This included the use of forced labour.
Towards the end of the war BMW was hit hard by allied bombing and when the war ended the sites in eastern Germany were seized by the Russians. Meanwhile whilst BMW survived in the West they were banned from manufacturing engines for three years and BMW car plans and their chief designer Fritz Fiedler were taken to England to begin Bristol Cars. And so it was not until 1948 that production of BMW motorcycles recommenced and not until 1952 that car production was started again.
The initial postwar car models such as the 507 and 503 were not highly profitable and in 1959 BMW discussed selling the business to DaimlerBenz. This was an unpopular move with the workforce and fortunately Chairman Kurt Golda increased his stake in the company to secure BMW’s independence.
During the 1960s the release of more sporty models spelt success for BMW. The BMW 1500 that followed the BMW 700 led to the BMW 1600 and BMW 1800 models and in 1967 two door and convertible models that became known as the BMW 02 series. These developments eventually led to the creation of the famous BMW 3 series.
The company expanded with new production facilities and a new headquarters in Munich.
Going into the 1970s the BMW 5 series replaced the sedans the coupes were replaced with the BMW 3 series and a new BMW 7 series was launched thereby giving BMW three distinct sports sedan ranges that continued into the 1990s.
BMW became a global brand in prestige car manufacturing and sales increased 18 times. Production expanded from Germany and has spread to across continents including facilities in the UK America South Africa and India. The company has also formed partnerships over time with Russian and Chinese producers.
In the mid 1990s BMW bought Rover from British Aerospace. However the company struggled to find a role for the English brands and make a profit. In 2000 it disposed of Rover to Phoenix Venture Holdings and sold the Land Rover brand to Ford. However BMW retained the Mini Triumph and other brands. BMW has since successfully rekindled the Mini brand and also gone on to secure full use of the Rolls Royce brand in 2003.
From its humble origins as preFirst World War makers of aircraft and aircraft engines BMW has survived as a result of postwar entrepreneurial spirit and grown rapidly to become a major global player in the prestige car market.
Book your BMW service with confidence
So when you book your next BMW service you can be confident that Service A Car understands the heritage of BMW and conducts BMW servicing with the passion and precision your prestige car deserves.
Happy motoring
Howard.
Chairman Service A Car
About the writer: Service A Car is the fastest growing independent car servicing specialist in the UK with a network of over 500 garages nationwide.
Winter Motorcycle Riding Gear Options
That’s it. It’s time to accept it. Winter’s here. I don’t care how much everyone is screaming about Global Warming. Cold is cold. And when you’re riding during the winter it feels that much colder. Wind chill is horrible. Compound the factor of speed. The faster you go the more the temperature drops. So the main idea behind this months TAB. How to survive the winter on your motorcycle.
Some of you silly bastards like cold weather. I’ll never understand that. Maybe it’s because I’m a skinny white boy. Not much blubber to hold in the heat. I live in the south for a reason. But even in the dirty dirty it gets cold once in a while. When the temp drops and the wind picks up I’m grabbing every piece of heavy clothing I can wear at once. If I look like the little brother from a Christmas story when I’m done so be it. Hell I’ll wear my underoo’s on the outside if it’ll keep my ass warm. Maybe that’s a bit extreme.
For those of us hardcore read: stupid enough to ride year round we need to get a little creative when thinking of how to keep warm while riding in the winter months. Ok so we all ride fighters and are not exactly particular about having fairing’s. So to get around our stubbornness we need to try and break the wind as much as possible.
Hands being the first line of defense. Winter gloves are usually a good idea. Something with GoreTex or Thinsulate is a plus. Just about every major motorcycle apparel manufacturer offers a winter glove. Most can be had for under 80 with varying stages of protection and insulation from the elements. But aside from going out and buying a name brand glove. There are other steps you can take before you shell out some dough on specialty gloves. Take a run down to either the local grocer hardware or auto parts store and pick up a box of disposable latex gloves. These are great for holding in your natural body heat. And because they are form fitting you can wear them inside your riding gloves as extra insulation. Some people may have a problem with latex. In which case a sporting goods store or outdoor outlet carry glove liners. Moving up the sleeve your wrists are prone to windblast. Even if you wear full gauntlet gloves when in the riding position and moving around your sleeves can creep up and let in the wind. Try a pair of wristbands. A definite cheap trick for keeping the wind out of your sleeves.
As far as your upper body is concerned. This is going to take the brunt of the cold. Lack of a windscreen puts you right out there for old man winter to lay into you with a constant body blow. Heavy shirts are a must obviously. But too many of these at once cannot only be uncomfortable but restrict movement. Thermal shirts are always a plus. Combined with a sweater and lined jacket. But try some of those cool max shirts as a base to your layers. Anything to wick away moisture from your body is going to keep you that much warmer. If your jacket lets through wind in certain areas try and pin point them from the inside. Seams vents perforation. The fix for this is one that holds the world together. Duct tape. Yup patch them up on the inside so the breeze doesn’t make its way through. Plus if you find yourself needing a piece for a quick fix on the road. there you go. Lastly a thin nylon windbreaker under the jacket can be a great help. Or even your rain jacket over top.
Your head and face are super sensitive. Good fullface lids with closable vents are always the way to go. If you’re in an area that gets lots of snow and super low temps you may want to look into snowmobile helmets for the winter. The ones with heated visors would be a great option. Of course one of the most common ways to keep your head warm is wearing a beanie under your lid. If that’s too thick for a comfortable fit try the sporting goods and ski shops for balaclava’s. The ones made of nylon are typically very thin. If you can get one that fits around your neck and face you’re that much ahead of the game. If you want to be super biker there’s always the classic bandanna too. This will at least keep the wind off your face and your breath will keep your face warm. Keep breath mints handy though. One more cheap trick for cutting down fog and retaining heat. If your helmet doesn’t offer a breath deflector you can make one out of duct tape. Double up the tape and form it to fit your face. Then tape it right to the inside of the chin bar. Just be sure not to leave any adhesive exposed. Most of us don’t need our mustaches waxed.
The feet and knees are always in the breeze. Ski socks are a definite plus. The longer the better too. Insulated boots are really the only way to go. The less wind that can get in the better. A great piece of gear I found was MX knee and shin guards. These are similar to Hockey shin guards. Plastic caps with foam padding and fabric liners. Also makes for another safety alternative. The cool part about these is they are thin enough to wear under loose fitting pants. The plastic blocks the wind very well while the foam helps to retain heat. These are fairly inexpensive too. They can be had for under 40. Some even under 25. For the rest of your lower extremities double up on pants. Sweat pants Track pants thermals etc.
Of course there’s always the option of heated riding gear. These can get pricey but if you plan to ride in very cold climates it’s probably a smart investment. The cheaper method is the hand warmer packs. They’re fairly cheap and some last up to 8 hours. If you plan on doing some long riding I would suggest getting some for the trip. You can put them in your shoes to keep your feet warm in your gloves to help out your hands and any place else you feel is subjected to direct cold.
So now that you look like a reincarnation of the Michelin Man what can we do to the bike that will help you out with out totally goobering it up? Well again anything that can block the wind will help. Like stated earlier your hands are the first line of defense. Dirtbike style hand guards will keep some of the wind off your mitts. If you want to keep them toasty you can invest in some grip heaters also. Now Grip heaters are a bit limited as they really only work the palm of your hand. With the hand guards in place as well your fingers will thank you. Plus if your bike has that kind of ruff and tumble look going for it they’ll fit right in.
Another idea that struck me. Heated seats. This is actually a fairly simple idea. You can pull them from any factoryequipped car. Try the local junkyards. Just make sure they can bench test them before you walk out the door. You’ll want the thermostat control with this which can be mounted under the tail for adjustment while riding. Basically heated seats are no more then a heating pad element that sits under the upholstery a top the padding. The heating elements average about 100140 degrees F. I did a search for Upholstery Heating Elements and came up with some good results and even installation instructions and tutorials for various seats. Both OEM and retro fits.
The biggest help of all is going to be getting out of the wind as much as possible. And to do that we are going to need some sort of windscreen. Now for some they may not approve of this idea but there is an upside. This could be a seasonal exercise in restyling your bike. I’m not saying you have to go back to full fairing’s but stretch your creativity and maybe try a simple upper fairing. Restyle a factory upper or make your own. Even a small fly screen can add a little redirection. When it warms back up you can go back to your original design. At least you survived another cold winter and maybe enjoyed it?!
Everyone stay warm out there and have a safe and happy holidays.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Shaun “Scrapyard” Kelly
Streetfighter Motorcycle Forum Streetfighter Apparel Art and Project Bikes
Economical New Cars That Achieve Over Fifty Miles Per Gallon In The UK
Using the words of Bob Dylan Times they are a changing and this is certainly true when we look at the habits of the new car buyer. Successive governments have failed to curb our excessive fuel demands indeed for many years cars just seemed to get bigger and bigger with fuel consumption figures dropping sometimes barely hitting double figures. Then came the troubles in the oil producing regions of the world swiftly followed by the credit crunch and all of a sudden attitudes have changed. Market forces have influenced the new car buyer and as a result the car manufacturers have moved swiftly to fill the chasm that is opening in the marketplace the need for comfortable but fuel efficient new cars. Listed below are ten economical new cars not in any particular order or indeed not even market leaders what they do have in common though is their ability to travel over fifty miles per gallon on the combined cycle. They may not be the answer to all our problems buy they are certainly a step in the right direction.
MINI Cooper 1.6 D
The 1.6 diesel MINI Cooper has had the EfficientDynamics treatment by BMW low rolling resistance tyres electric power steering an intelligent alternator control / brake energy regeneration system an automatic stopstart function and a high precision Direct Injection system are amongst the advances that have been applied to the new diesel Cooper and as a result it achieves a staggering 72.4 miles per gallon on the combined cycle.
Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion
Powered by a 1.4 litre three cylinder diesel engine that is fitted with a with a variablegeometry turbocharger that gives maximum assistance at low speeds the Polo Bluemotion is one of the leaders in its class. Volkswagen have used a few tricks to get the Polo Bluemotion to perform as frugally as it does the obligatory lowrollingresistance tyres lightweight alloy wheels and improved aerodynamics all contribute to the Bluemotion achieving 74.3 miles per gallon on the combined cycle. Exhaust gas recirculation and a particulate filter give the Polo another advantage over most cars in the UK market Co2 emissions of only 99g/km resulting in zero road tax. Low cost motoring at its best.
Audi A3 1.9 TDIe
Audi may not be the first manufacturer that comes to mind when it comes to economical cars but this just goes to show how serious manufacturers are now taking the situation we find ourselves in. The A3 1.9 TDIe is powered by a reworked diesel unit and this combined with aerodynamic tweaks lowresistance tyres and a recommended gear display mean the Audi will travel 62.8 miles for every gallon on the combined cycle. So if you youre looking for a car with green credentials but dont want to compromise on quality the A3 1.9 TDIe may tick all the boxes you require.
Citroen C1 1.0i Vibe 3 door
The Citroen C1 could just as easily be substituted with the Peugeot 107 or the Toyota Aygo as they all share the same platforms and the same engines that said the C1 was chosen for one thing and one thing alone price. Designed in collaboration between the three manufacturers all are extremely capable city cars with low road fund bandings and good mpg figures slight cosmetic differences are really the only things that set the models apart that and the fact that Citroen run slightly better offers making them the lowest priced model. Powered by a one litre petrol engine the C1 will return 61.8 miles per gallon on the combined cycle and has Co2 emissions of 108 g/km.
New BMW 1 Series 118d EfficientDynamics
Voted World green car of the year in 2008 by 47 journalists from 24 different countries the BMW 118d EfficientDynamics makes use of energy capture systems brake energy regeneration auto stopstart optimum gearshift change indicators electric power steering and lightweight body panels to achieve a quite remarkable 62.8 miles per gallon on the combined cycle. With BMW expecting sales of 700000 cars a year in Europe that have EfficientDynamics incorporated the fuel savings are estimated to be in the region of 33 million gallons quite a substantial saving by anyones book
Ford Fiesta ECOnetic
When it comes to economical new cars the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic has to be up there with the best of them. Powered by a specially tuned 1.6 litre diesel engine the Fiesta ECOnetic is the most economical Ford and possibly the most economical car around at the moment. Longer gear ratios a gear change indicator aerodynamic wheel trims low rolling resistance tyres lowered suspension and the fact that it weighs about 40 kgs less than the outgoing Fiesta mean that the ECOnetic will let you drive 76.3 miles on the combined cycle for every gallon of diesel you put in. Ford may be struggling in the US but with figures like these the Fiesta ECOnetic it sure to prove a big hit in Europe.
Volkswagen Touran 1.9 TDI DPF BlueMotion S 105 5dr
Unfortunately not everybody can utilise a small city car or hatchback after all some people do have families and this obviously restricts their choice when it comes to buying a new car. For those in that position Volkswagen has come to the rescue in the form of the Touran Bluemotion. The Extremely popular MPV sports a new front grille and air intake optimised aerodynamics lower suspension and higher gearing along with low rolling resistance tyres combined these improvements mean that the Touran Bluemotion will return 52.3 miles per gallon on the combined cycle. Proving you dont necessarily have to downsize to do your little bit.
New Toyota Prius 1.5 VVTi
When launched the Toyota Prius was seen by many as just a gimmick as a result both Lexus and its parent company Toyota have stolen a bit of a march over their competitors. Exemption from the London congestion charge has certainly helped to raise the profile of the Prius and as a result it has become a common sight on the roads throughout the UK. Powered by a 1.5 litre petrol engine and a high output electric motor the Prius switches between the two the electric motor takes charge at low speeds up to 28 mph with the petrol engine taking the strain at higher speeds. The result a combined cycle of 65.7 miles per gallon making the Toyota Prius an ideal car not only for the city but also for those who choose to commute.
Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI PD 80 GreenLine
Another offering from the Volkswagen stable to take a trip down to the wind tunnel is the Skoda Fabia Greenline it may not quite match up to the Polo Bluemotion or the Seat Ibiza Ecomotive it is however quite a bit more frugal than the rest of the Fabia range. Achieving 68.9 miles per gallon on the combined cycle the Greenline should theoretically drive 689 miles on a full tank put into perspective thats seventy miles more than a standard Fabia 1.4 TDI. The Greenline may cost a little more than its siblings but with petrol and diesel prices as they are it wont take very long before youve recouped the cash.
New Mazda 2 1.3 TS
Generally as we get older we add weight something that also seems to happen to cars. Redesigns and facelifts always seem to add a few pounds here and there and as a result larger more powerful engines are required just to achieve the same performance. Not so with the new Mazda 2. When Mazda launched the new 2 model it weighed in an incredible 100 kgs lighter than the model it replaced. Its safer five stars from EuroNCAP for adult occupants has more equipment as standard yet still manages 52.3 miles per gallon on the combined cycle quite an achievement really.
About the writer: If you are in the market for a new car make sure you look at economical cars that get more than fifty miles per gallon and green cars.