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www.bmw-mobiletradition.com | Mobile Tradition | Volume 03 | Issue 03 | November 2005History moves with us

Mobile Tradition liveFacts and background

BMW radial engines – aircraft construction in the 1930s 8

BMW and Daimler-BenzCooperation between the two companies in the motoring sector from1926 to 1934 Page 42 – 45

Architecture and zeitgeistLooking back on the BMW Museum,which opened in 1973 Page 46 – 49

Radial engines by BMWIn the 1930s, BMW strengthened itsposition with successful aircraft engines

Page 18 – 25

Willy HuberA lake-dwelling metal artist built thefirst postwar BMW racing bodies

Page 32 – 37

Anniversaries in 2005

M 2 B 15 – BMW’s firstmotorcycle engine Page 10

Farmobil and three-wheelersSmall utility vehicles by BMW

Page 12 – 15

85 years ago

75 years ago

15 years ago FIZ is opened Page 11

“These, gentlemen, are the future WorldChampions of the sidecar class!” pro-claimed four-times title-winner Eric Oliverafter the first World Championship race inBarcelona’s Parque Montjuïc in 1955. IfFaust and Remmert carried on performingas they had done that day, he continued,

they would dominate the event as nobodycould hold a candle to them any more.And he proved right. At the close of theseason the two privateers Willi Faust andKarl Remmert were World Champions andplayed their part in BMW’s legendary runof sidecar victories.

Willi Faust and Karl Remmert

International Tourist Trophy 1955: Noll/Cron ahead of Faust/Remmert in the Manx Arms Corner.Above right: Faust (left) and Remmert win the 1955 German Grand Prix.

Man of transitionErnst Kämpfer was BMW’s unofficialhelmsman in the late 1950s

Page 52 – 55

Surprise World ChampionsWilli Faust and Karl Remmert were therising stars of sidecar racing in 1955

Page 56 – 59

In the shadow of the castle –BMW 3/15 DA 3 Wartburg

Page 10

BMW GroupMobile Tradition

Editorial

Dear Friends of the BMW Group,

Today BMW enjoys a reputation primarily as a producer of premium automobiles and high-quality, sophisticated motorcycles. But the company’s exciting past abounds with plenty ofother tales. There’s the story of BMW’s utility vehicles in the 1930s and ’50s, for example(page 12), while a major feature on BMW aero-engines shows how BMW persuadedGermany of the merits of the radial engine (page 18). This achievement is typical of manyBMW ventures, as exemplified in such concepts as the BMW GS Series (page 41) or the sen-

sational architectural coup that is the BMW Museum (page 46). And it is backed by many more storiesthat make up the BMW heritage. As you can see, we have again put together a smorgasbord of topicsfor you in this latest issue. Plenty to read – and plenty to look forward to.

Enjoy!

Holger LappDirector BMW Group Mobile Tradition

Contents Issue 03.2005 The Farmobil during offroad testing.

Page 02

10 Anniversaries in 2005 BMW’s first motorcycle engine – 3/15 PS DA 3 – FIZ opens

12 BMW Farmobil and three-wheelers Small utility vehicles by BMW

16 Classic Calendar 2006 Wind in your face since 1929

18 BMW radial engines Aero-engine construction in the 1930s

26 Mini estates The countrified family car – ideal for transport and leisure

29 Summer and Filmparty review Festival atmosphere at the BMW Museum

32 Metal artist BMW mechanic Willy Huber

38 Biker Meeting review Festive atmosphere at the 25th anniversary of the BMW GS Series

42 BMW and Daimler-Benz Cooperation in the car sector between 1926 and 1934

46 Architectural trademark A retrospective of the BMW Museum, opened in 1973

50 First female customer Hanni Bakker – the first woman to own a BMW Isetta

52 Man of transition Ernst Kämpfer – unofficial chairman

56 Surprise World Champions Willi Faust and Karl Remmert

Responsible: Holger Lapp BMW Group Mobile Tradition

Schleissheimer Strasse 416 / BMW AlleeD-80935 München

www.bmw-mobiletradition.comPictures: Mobile Tradition image archive

Concept / Realization: von Quadt & Company

Publication Details

Mobile Tradition live –anthology 2003 – 2005Paperback, 497 pages, 1,130 illu-strations, many in colour.BMW Mobile TraditionSchleissheimer Strasse 416D-80935 München

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To bring the past alive – that is the missionof BMW Mobile Tradition. Nowhere elsecan you experience the fascinating andmultifaceted history of the company moreintensely than in this comprehensiveanthology of Mobile Tradition live. You, asfriends of the brand, are the first to beinformed of this exclusive offer. 500 pages arranged according to subjectareas present articles spanning three yearsof Mobile Tradition live and covering everyaspect of the BMW past. This richly illus-trated publication features captivatingbackground stories on the products andevolution of the BMW enterprise. As this is a strictly limited-edition publi-cation, we recommend that you use theattached reply card to make sure youdon’t miss out on your Mobile Traditionlive anthology.

EUR 39.90 Limited edition!

Place your order now.We have 20 BMW 507 keyrings to give away to 20 lucky winnersamong the first 100 orders received.

The keyring retails at EUR 19.90 and is modelled on the famous wheelknock-offs of the legendary BMW 507 from the year 1955.This high-quality and totally scratchproof keyring is available fromBMW Mobile Tradition in a limited edition of 1,955.

500 pages – more than 1,000 picturesThe best of three years of Mobile Tradition live

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BMW Mobile Tradition

anthology2003 – 2005

Facts Automobiles Motorcycles Aircraftengines Motor sport Company Portraits

Events Anniversaries Book launch

Mobile Tradition liveBMW

If there is no card attached, you may order the Mobile Tradition live anthology2003 – 2005 by telephone, fax or email.Jan Roll, BMW Mobile TraditionPhone: +49 (0)89 38 21 08 84 Fax: +49 (0)89 38 23 73 63 Email: [email protected]

Facts Fakten Faits Fatti

Holger Lapp, Director of BMW MobileTradition, and Johann Raiger, whoheads BMW’s company archive, proudlytook delivery of the muscle car generat-ing 170 bhp at 4,200 rpm. A push of thestarter button next to the steering wheelstirs the six-cylinder biturbo dieselengine to life. This power unit in theDesert X5 comes straight from the BMWpre-development division for dieselunits in Steyr, Austria. With a view toconserving the driveline, it was decidedto stick with a torque of 570 newton-metres rather than a possible 700 Nm.The Dakar Rally has been held annuallysince 1979, largely on the African conti-nent. The toughest and longest offroadsporting event is also the world’s best-known desert rally, more familiar as theParis-Dakar. It is divided into three maincategories: motorcycles, cars andtrucks.BMW has been involved right from thestart and has claimed a raft of success-es with its BMW GS motorcycles. In1981 and 1983 Hubert Auriol won theDakar, while in 1984 and 1985 victory

went to Gaston Rahier. Following alengthy absence, the company returnedto the event in 1998 with its single-cylinder bikes based on the BMW F 650.In 1999 and 2000 the winner wasRichard Sainct, who demonstrated thereliability of the single-cylinder Endurobikes.The X-Raid Team, managed by SvenQuandt since 2002, made a sensationalfirst appearance in the Dakar. In 2003they celebrated a stage win togetherwith overall victory in the 4x4 diesel cat-egory. Khalifa Al Mutaiwei in the BMWX5 X-Raid succeeded in winning theRaid Rally World Cup in 2004, while2005 saw ex-world skiing champ LucAlphand gain fourth place in the BMWX5 diesel.For the 2006 Dakar Rally, the X-RaidTeam from Trebur in the German state ofHesse have announced that Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar and South African AlfieCox will be in the driver line-up. Thesetwo seasoned desert drivers will be gun-ning for overall victory in a new BMWX3CC diesel.

Presentation of a BMW X5 by manager Sven Quandt of the X-Raid Team fromTrebur in Hesse – another gem for BMW Mobile Tradition’s motor sport collection

Page 04

BMW X5

Engine

Output

Transmission

Weight

Brakes

Displacement

Top speed

six-cylinder inline diesel

270 bhp at 4,200 rpm

six-speed manual

1,900 kg

inner-vented disc brakes withfour-piston brake callipers

2,999 cc

185 km/h

Above: A glance inside the cockpit of the Desert X5: Sven Quandt points out details of the BMW X5 X-Raid. Below, from right: Sven Quandt, Team Manager of the X-Raid rally team, presents the powerpack to Holger Lapp,

Director of BMW Mobile Tradition, and Johann Raiger, head of BMW’s company archive.

Mobile Tradition live / Issue 03.2005 Page 05

The desire of many families, workers andemployees to get to destinations nearand far independently of public transportand sheltered from the elements led to aflood of designs in early 1950s Europethat sought to marry the ride comfort of asmall car with the maintenance costs of atwo-wheeler. In 1953, Commendatore Rivolta inBresso, Italy launched the patented Isettafront-opening door design in an attemptto keep customers in tow who were keento move on from their ISO two-wheelers.At BMW in Germany, where the moodhad tired of two-wheelers, the Isettalicence presented a chance to jump ontothe fast-departing bandwagon.It was to become a success story thatwould save the undercapitalized plant inMunich, with its upmarket car and motor-cycle image, right into the 1960s.The book BMW Isetta – Ein Auto bewegtdie Welt (BMW Isetta – A Car Moves theWorld) not only shows the 50-year-old

Isetta and the original ISO design, whichbattled unsuccessfully against FIAT inItaly, but also gives a detailed account offailed competitors such as Hoffmann ofDüsseldorf and fellow licensee buildersin France, Britain and Brazil. BMW off-shoots like the little-known scooter pro-totypes and the more upmarket BMW600 and 700 models are also given dueexposure. No technical details or politi-cal and economic circumstances thatimpacted on the Isetta’s global careerare overlooked.As well as excerpts from BMW documentsnever previously published, there are spe-cial chapters devoted to the individualvariants, colour options and equipmentlevels, rendering the book of interest notjust from a historical point of view but alsoof use to restorers.BMW Isetta – Ein Auto bewegt die Weltby Manfred Seehusen and AndySchwietzer is published by BodensteinerVerlag at a cost of 29.90 euros.

BMW Isetta – half a century old

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Facts

BMW Isetta – Ein Auto bewegt die Welt192 pages, Euroformat, over 200illustrations, many in colour.Bodensteiner VerlagAndy SchwietzerNeuwallmodener Str. 14D-38729 WallmodenISBN 3-9806631-2-4

A few weeks ago, Dr Michele Blandinoand his wife Barbara dropped by at BMWMobile Tradition while on a businessvisit to BMW. Dr Blandino is currently ManagingDirector of Carrozzeria Bertone Spa andwas delighted to come face to face withthe BMW 3200 Coupé and the onlyBMW 3200 CS Cabriolet built by hispredecessors – and to be allowed to getbehind the wheel of these models. It wasat the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show thatBMW had presented the last of the bigeight-cylinders to derive from the BMW501. Nuccio Bertone was the manbehind the design of the elegant BMW3200 CS Coupé. By request of DrHerbert Quandt, Bertone adapted aBMW 3200 CS Coupé into a Cabriolet in1962, but for reasons of cost it remaineda one-off model.A brief retrospective of more than 90years of Bertone shows how a four-manoperation evolved into an automotivefactory with a production capacity ofsome 70,000 units:In 1912, 28-year-old carriage-builder

Giovanni Bertone set up his own smallworkshop as a family business for build-ing and repairing carriages. Coachworkby Bertone was already very popular atthat time, distinguished as it was byexceptional elegance. Then in 1914,Giuseppe (“Nuccio”) Bertone was bornand in due course followed in his father’sfootsteps.After the 1940s and the years of war andreconstruction, Bertone developed intoa successful car factory in the 1950s,while in the 1960s the company focusedon implementing various GT conceptsbefore undergoing radical changes inthe ’70s and collaborating with world-famous exclusive marques. Through the’80s and ’90s, too, it proved a success-ful, “upwardly mobile” enterprise.Nuccio Bertone died on 26th February1997, just days before the GenevaMotor Show. It was a particular blow tothe staff of Turin-based CarrozzeriaBertone.Bertone has had a reputation for unusu-al design thanks to the countless carbodies on which the company has left its

stamp. To this day the name is a bywordfor the best in Italian car design – a tradi-tion that goes back more than 90 years.

Bertone calls in at BMW Mobile Tradition

Dr Michele Blandino, Managing Director ofBertone, in the unique BMW 3200 CS

Cabriolet. Below: His wife Barbara Blandinoon a BMW C1, a blend of motorcycle and car

designed by Bertone in 1999.


Page 06

World’s first BMW Z8 Club founded in Munich

Z8 aficionados from around the world are already celebrat-ing tomorrow’s classic

BMW Z8 Club meeting: future classics outside the BMW Research & Innovation Centre in Munich.

On Saturday, 11th June 2005, 130 Z8 devotees from Germany,Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland and the USA gathered inMunich to found the world’s first BMW Z8 Club. 68 of these fas-cinating 400 bhp sports roadsters converged on Munich for theoccasion. With the backing of BMW Group Mobile Tradition, thefounding meeting was held on its premises. Olaf Hetze, theman who initiated the club, was voted in as its first president.

At the top of the agenda was a tour of BMW M GmbH.Professor Ulrich Bruhnke, chief executive of BMW M, along withvarious experts from the development and production phase ofthe Z8 were on hand to answer questions from the auto fans.Following a photo call outside the BMW Research andInnovation Centre, it was off to BMW Mobile Tradition inSchleissheimer Strasse, where a range of individual models andprototypes from the BMW Z8’s development period could beviewed. This was followed by the official part of the occasionand the founding of the BMW-accredited type club.

On Sunday the cars belonging to the BMW Z8 Club mem-bers could be admired en masse during their first joint outingthrough the Bavarian Alps on their way to Bad Wiessee. Theworldwide fascination with the Z8 is closely allied to the leg-endary BMW 507 from the year 1955. The BMW Z8 representsa revival of the concept behind that fifties classic and ranks asits modern-day rendition: breathtakingly beautiful with classicproportions and featuring innovative technology – in a word, therevival of a legend.

Holger Lapp, Director of BMW Group Mobile Tradition:“The BMW Z8 symbolizes the bridge from the past to thepresent and on into the future. In many respects it is the mod-

ern-day interpretation of the BMW 507 theme. As a ‘futureclassic’ it will give its owners pleasure for many years to comeand has already become a sought-after collector’s item withlasting value.”

Back in 2003, readers of the car journal Motor Klassik hadsimilarly recognized the powerful cult potential of the Z8 andplaced it first by a long way in their vote for the “Classic of theFuture” in the convertible category. The chief criteria in thischoice were timeless values and aesthetics.

The conditions of its production also favoured a swift riseto classic status. The model was only produced from 2000 to2003, with a total of 5,703 units being built during this period.Even before the launch of series production the BMW Z8achieved international fame as James Bond’s “official car”, asalso reflected in the 3,000 or so models exported to theUnited States.

The Z8 entered the marketplace with a price tag of127,000 euros. Currently, well-preserved models are availablefor around 100,000 euros, underlining the high value retentionof the Z8 on the road from new car to classic. This is also cor-roborated by current demand for the roadster. Olaf Hetze: “Ihave already had a number of enquiries from potential buyersinterested in acquiring as-new models, but on the sales sidethere hasn’t been a single appropriate offer so far. And I don’treally think any of our club members would be willing to partwith their Z8.”

Further information on the Z8 Club e.V. is available atwww.press.bmwgroupcom or http://www.z8-club.de


The “cult car” label is popular and fre-quently bestowed. But there is one carthis indisputably applies to: the BMW2002. Like few other cars besides, thismodel embodies the spirit of the early1970s. And it is this zeitgeist phenome-non that BMW Mobile Tradition is cur-rently reproducing with the help of spareparts. The best thing about it is that visi-tors to the BMW Museum next to theOlympic Tower can follow its progress ona daily basis at the Museum’s “glassworkshop”.

In the beginning was the number

What triggered the project was the factthat Mobile Tradition, the heritage divi-sion of the BMW Group, can today pro-vide an estimated 90 percent of all spareparts for the BMW 2002. That makes

parts supply for this recent classic –which can be researched on the internetat www.bmwmobiletradition.com – out-standingly good.

It didn’t take long for the idea ofrebuilding a BMW 2002 to be hatched.The work is based on an originalbodyshell from the 1970s. The few spareparts not available in Mobile Tradition’sstock are being sourced from a donor caror remanufactured by hand. With theerection of the glass workshop on thegrounds of the BMW Museum Exhibitionnext to the Olympic Tower, moreover, theperfect location has been found to givethe 250,000 or so annual visitors aunique chance to watch its construction“live”. Should the BMW 2002 tii everhave to be taken out of the glass work-shop for specialist work, there’s an

immediate replacement waiting to occu-py the hydraulic ramp in the shape of aBMW 3.0 CSL. The project, scheduled tocontinue until the end of the year, is in thecapable hands of master car mechanicArthur Heimann and the head of theBMW Group Mobile Tradition workshop,Klaus Kutscher. Using several thousandOriginal BMW parts, Arthur Heimann isputting together a more than 30-year-oldnew car.

Cult car – cult colour

This new car, model year 1973, will havea powerful heart: a 2.0-litre four-cylinderproviding 130 bhp will pump life into theBMW 2002 tii. In the days of the Beetle,190 km/h with moderate consumption of9 litres/100 km was not to be sniffed at. A0 to 100 km/h spurt in 9.4 seconds drovefamily men into raptures and thenstraight to their nearest BMW showroom.At the time the dream car was to be hadfor 14,400 marks. The historical hue ofthe day – literally – was reflected in thepaintwork options of the time: Verona,Golf and Colorado were among the vividfinishes available. But the hallmark bodycolour of the day was Inka, a strongshade of orange. And that’s the body-work colour of the BMW 2002 tii current-ly being built – a true gem of the 1970s.

The restoration project can bewatched daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. atthe BMW Museum Exhibition on theSpiridon-Louis-Ring.

Glass workshop:BMW rebuilds the cult car of the 1970s

Highlight: BMW 2002 tii with Inka paintwork.

Visitors can watch the live progress of the bodyshell to a complete BMW 2002 tii through the “glass workshop”.



Page 08

Pickerington, Ohio. The name says itall: calling itself “Motorcycle Hall ofFame” without any false modesty, this

museum in Columbus, Ohio is backed bythe American Motorcyclist Association(AMA), the umbrella organization for

American bikers.The museum houses

around 140 milestones ofmotorcycling history,starting with a replica ofthe Daimler Riding Carand continuing all theway to the latestmotocross championshipbikes. A well-stockedlibrary and numerous tro-phies, posters, dioramasand scale models, as wellas a wide-ranging collec-tion of bikers’ gear, com-plement this presenta-tion of the history ofmotorcycle riding.

The Hall of Fame

At the core of themuseum is the Hall ofFame, where to datemore than 200 peoplewho have rendered serv-ices to the world ofmotorcycles are hon-oured.

Among them areBMW Superbike riders

Reg Pridmore and Steve McLaughlin, aswell as John Penton, who rode a BMW R69 to set up a new record for the NewYork to Los Angeles distance (“fromcoast to coast”) with a time of 52 hoursand 11 minutes.

Peter Fonda has also been hon-oured for his role in the cult movie EasyRider, as has designer Craig Vetter forhis pioneering work in the field of motor-cycle fairings.

Focus on sporty production bikes

This illustrious circle presents a worthycontext for a special exhibition jointlyorganized by BMW of North Americaand collector Peter Nettesheim: “BMW:The Mastery of Speed” turns its atten-tion to the sporting past of the BMWbrand.

But it is not so much a case of racingsuccesses and competition bikes.Rather, it is the sporty production mod-els that take centre stage, allowing theexhibition to span an arc across eightdecades – from the BMW R 47 of 1927to the freshly launched BMW K 1200 R.

The BMW classics on display(including the BMW R 5, BMW R 90 Sand BMW K 1 models) hail from the com-prehensive collection of BMW enthusi-ast Peter Nettesheim of Huntington,New York. “All my motorcycles are road-

Special exhibition in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Ohio

BMW: The Mastery of SpeedSince opening on 20th July 2005, a new exhibition at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington/Ohio has been showcasing a panoplyof rare BMW motorcycles, exceptional background histories and artworks from BMW’s own archives never before seen in public. Some of theexhibits have been personally provided by the curator and well-known collector Peter Nettesheim.

Above left: Mark Mederski (left), Director of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, and Laurence Kuykendall of BMW of North America at theopening of the exhibition. Centre: Sporty classic from the 1970s: a BMW R 90 S. Right: A glimpse of the exhibition.

The exhibition curator: Peter Nettesheim, a BMW enthusiastfrom Huntington, New York.

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ready. When they were delivered here,Mark Mederski, the Director of theMuseum, wanted to put down tin bathsto catch the oil. I had to explain to himthat my motorcycles come fromGermany and therefore do not shed anyoil!”

Mederski, who was more thanhappy to dispense with his tubs afterbeing thus enlightened, is especiallyimpressed by the sporting componentof the brand: “Long before most othermanufacturers, BMW understood the artof developing high-performance motor-cycles. This exhibition not only tracesBMW’s sporting genes back to theirroots but also gives visitors the opportu-nity to follow their evolution with thehelp of several of the brand’s most sig-nificant models.”

80 years of heritage

Laurence Kuykendall, spokesman forBMW Motorcycles of North America,adds: “BMW is a comparatively smallmotorcycle brand in the United States.Only few people know that our two-wheeled heritage goes back 80 years. Ifyou look at our latest models, youshould spare a thought for what theolder models achieved in the sportingarena.”

The exhibition on the internet

Numerous members of BMW Motor-cycle Owners of America were alsopresent at the opening of the exhibitionas it coincided with the 33rd AnnualMeeting of the clubs, which was takingplace at the same weekend just a fewmiles away in Lima, Ohio. The exhibition runs until June 2006.Those interested can find furtherdetailed information on the MotorcycleHall of Fame at the following internetaddress:

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org


Pictures at an exhibition: text and picturepanels complement the exhibition (right).Adding the final touches before the opening(bottom).

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75 years ago

After the first BMW automobile, a 3/15PS DA 2, had emerged from the factoryin March 1929, keen sports motoristsclamoured for a sporty version of thissmall car. BMW complied with the wish-

es of its customers and in April 1930unveiled the Type 3/15 PS DA 3Wartburg, a rather special automotivetreat modelled on the English Austin 7“Ulster”. Its light-alloy bodywork reflect-

ed the prevailing sports car fashion inminiature with its long bonnet, fold-down windscreen and sharply taperingboat tail. The construction team had retuned the750 cc four-cylinder engine poweringthe diminutive roadster from 15 to 18horsepower thanks to an increasedcompression ratio, a copper intake man-ifold and a dual exhaust system. Thatenabled the 2-seater – which weighed inat just over 400 kilograms – to achievespeeds of more than 90 km/h, and itsoon turned into a popular and success-ful competition car. BMW paid specialtribute to its place of birth: for the firsttime since 1903, a car was endowedwith the Eisenach trademark. Just 150examples of this alluring roadster, whichkick-started BMW’s motor sport history,were produced up until 1931.

Anniversaries in 2005

In the shadow of the castle: the BMW 3/15 PS DA 3 Wartburg


BMW came into being towards the close of the First WorldWar as an aircraft engine factory and rapidly earned a reputa-tion thanks to its BMW IIIa high-altitude unit. After the war,however, when the Treaty of Versailles banned the manufac-ture of aero-engines in Germany, BMW lost virtually its entirebusiness portfolio. The production of truck and marineengines was not an economic success. That enabled factorymanager Martin Stolle, himself a keen motorcycle rider, topush through his proposal for building a motorcycle engine.Stolle took his lead from his own Douglas bike and designed a500 cc side-valve flat-twin Boxer. This unit, the first examplesof which were completed in December 1920, was supplied byBMW to numerous motorcycle manufacturers throughoutGermany, including Victoria, Helios, Bison, SMW, Corona andHoco. With the M 2 B 15, BMW laid the foundation stone for asecond product line: in September 1923 the companylaunched its first motorcycle.

85 years ago

M 2 B 15 – the first BMW motorcycle engine

A design principle which BMW has perpetuated to this day: the Boxerengine. The M 2 B 15 marked the start of BMW motorcycle production.

Fast and easy handling: cutting a dash withthe BMW 3/15 PS DA 3 Wartburg.

Mobile Tradition live / Issue 03.2005

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Anniversaries

15 years ago

In the 1970s, both the Munich produc-tion plant and the BMW office tower weregetting more and more crowded. Manydepartments had had to move to externalpremises, which seriously hamperedcommunication and the exchange ofinformation. Against this background, theidea of building a new Research andEngineering Centre, known in German bythe abbreviation FIZ (Forschungs- undIngenieurszentrum), began to assumeconcrete shape in the early 1980s.

The concept for the new research,development and production facilityenvisaged open and transparent struc-tures. This new complex sited in thenorth of Munich was designed to enableall product and plant planning anddevelopment departments, along withthe logistics and personnel divisions, todirectly coordinate their goals andstrategies by the shortest possibleroutes. The new “FIZ” thus enabled anovel approach to work organization.

With the completion of “Stage 3”, theBMW Research and Engineering Centrewas officially inaugurated in spring of1990 after almost six years of construc-tion work. Fed by an investmentapproaching 1.4 billion deutschmarks, afacility of over a million cubic metresgrew up on a footprint of more than100,000 square metres.In autumn of 2001, this “think tank” wasrenamed the “Research and InnovationCentre”.

Research and Engineering Centre (FIZ) opens its doors

The FIZ building, which opened in 1990 next-door to BMW Mobile Tradition, soon became known thanks to its striking architecture. An advertisement shows the divisions of the newly inaugurated Research & Engineering Centre.

It was before the Second World War thatthe Bayerische Motoren Werke began toturn their attention to utility vehicles. Inthe early 1930s BMW developed athree-wheeled delivery van of the kindalready on offer from other companies.But by the time this reached the market-place, it had been overtaken by ongoingdevelopments in that vehicle segment.As a result, production ran to just a fewhundred examples. At the end of the1950s the Fahr mechanical engineeringcompany in Gottmadingen securedBMW AG as partners and engine suppli-ers for a lightweight transport vehicle.But the road to volume productionproved a long one. In the end, the so-called “Farmobil” was not manufactured

in Gottmadingen but produced underlicence in Thessaloniki, Greece, from1962 onwards. Starting in the summer of1965, BMW became the sole distributorfor Germany.

BMW F 76 and F 79 delivery three-wheeler

The BMW three-wheeled delivery vansdesignated the F 76 and F 79 occupy aspecial niche in BMW’s model history –not only because of their unusualappearance but also on account of theirgenesis. Whereas previously all cars hadbeen developed and manufactured inEisenach, the development and con-struction of the prototypes of these car-like vehicles took place in Munich, with

volume production handled by Eisenach.The increase in production capacity atthis plant also secured workplaces: inthe winter of 1931/32, due to the gener-al economic crisis, the workforce hadhad to be slashed to around 600, where-as by summer of 1932 it had grown backto 1,200.

Following the takeover of the Dixiplant in Eisenach, BMW had quicklymanaged find a footing in the automobilemarket. During the Great Depression inthe late 1920s, the BMW 3/15 PS carhad proved a safe seller, and by the early1930s there were already plans for farmore luxurious cars. Sales of BMWmotorcycles, moreover, already a bywordfor quality, were flourishing.

Small utility vehicles by BMW

By Kai Jacobsen

The Farmobil 700 at the Acropolis in Athens.

Even connoisseurs of BMW history are frequently unaware that, in its more remote past, the company was also involved with utility vehicles.Two such models were the F 76 and the F 79 three-wheeler delivery vehicles of the 1930s, as well as the Farmobil, which was built after theSecond World War.

In the expanding sector of small deliveryvehicles BMW had so far only launched acube-van variant of the 3/15 PS, sales ofwhich did not take off, however, onaccount of its fairly low cost-benefitratio. Numerous companies, includingBorgward and Tempo, had since the1920s been offering so-called “front-loaders” – affordable three-wheeledvehicles featuring a motorcycle saddleover the single rear wheel and a largepayload area on the front axle. By usingthe tried and tested BMW single-cylin-der motorcycle engines of the R 2 and R4, BMW was now also in a position tobuild such a vehicle from 1931 on.

In December 1932, the Type F 76was launched: a BMW three-wheeleddelivery van with a Cardan drive and a200 cc fan-cooled engine giving 6horsepower. It came with a price tag of1,350 reichsmarks and boasted a two-seater driving bench – optionally fullycovered – and a high load capacity of650 kg. Steering was by means of a carsteering wheel, and the rear wheel had asprung suspension arm. The loadingarea measured 1,600 x 900 mm butcould be increased to 1,600 x 1,400 mm.In 1933, an optically identical F 79 modelwas added, featuring a 14 horsepower400 cc single-cylinder engine, for whichBMW was asking 1,500 reichsmarks.

Another interesting and crucialaspect of the delivery three-wheeler wasthe fact that anyone over the age of 16

could drive it. It required neither a drivinglicence nor any kind of vehicle tax.

The loading area of the BMW three-wheeled van was optionally available asan open platform, a closed bonnet com-partment or a wide payload area with tar-paulin and bows. In the standard version,the driver and passenger seat were openon all sides. Options included a frontwindscreen, roof, rear wall and canvasside doors.

Despite their high quality, neithervariant succeeded in securing the hoped-for sales success. In the early 1930s,developments were already moving awayfrom the motorcycle-like front-loadertowards a more car-like enclosed three-wheeled delivery van with a fixed driver’scab and single front wheel. As a result, bythe time production was phased out inmid-1934, sales had totalled just 600BMW delivery three-wheelers.

An F 79 was added to the BMWMobile Tradition collection back in 1997.In summer 2004 it was joined by an F 76.This came from the Mack family ofWernburg in Thuringia. Frau Mack’sfather had acquired the F 76 in Leipzig inthe early 1950s from the HermannGreiner car repair workshop. The Greiner

business had been using the three-wheeled delivery vehicle for a wholerange of transport and supply require-ments since 27th February 1939. Priorto that, on 11th November 1936 it hadbegun rendering good services to themagazine distribution business of CarlFritzsche. Unfortunately there are norecords to show by whom and for whatpurpose it was used between its produc-tion (1933) and November 1936.

The BMW Farmobil

In 1955, in the then tractor division of theFahr AG mechanical engineering factoryin Gottmadingen near Lake Constance, asmall development team was taskedwith designing a light transport vehiclefor agricultural use.

It was given the designation“Farmobil”, a modification of“Farmmobil”. The brief for this utilityvehicle specified a maximum permissi-ble weight of 1,000 kg, a wheelbase of1,800 mm and a track of 1,300 mm. Forthe engine, an output of 20 horsepowerand a five-speed gearbox were planned.

In spring of 1956 the first prototypewas ready. Powering the vehicle was arear-mounted 20 horsepower Horextwin-cylinder engine taken from theImperator motorcycle. Horex had adapt-ed the engine for use in small vehiclesand had also offered it to Fahr. The trans-versely mounted power unit was coupledwith a four-speed transmission. The

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Automobiles

In Hamburg, Shell bought two of BMW’s practical three-wheeler vans.


Top: BMW Mobile Tradition’s F 76 three-wheeler delivery van in the condition in whichit was acquired by the Mack family.Bottom: BMW F 76/F 79 with enclosed caband tarpaulin over the load space.

Small utility vehicles by BMW

rear-wheel-drive unit was fitted with arubber spring in front of the rear rockerarm on each side. A linkage connectedthe front and rear swing-arms.

Test drives showed that the chassiswas not suited for its intended use, andthe engine revealed major vibrationproblems. These negative test resultsled to the development of a vehicle withindependent wheel suspension featur-ing spring struts with rocker armspushed at the front and pulled at the rear.Power was again provided by a Horexengine – though this was an improvedversion. Gear-changing was handled bya Selectromat transmission, a five-speedpreselector gearbox jointly developed byGetrag and Fahr.

The utilitarian, though elegantlydesigned vehicle was based on a tubularframe with welded panels and had – likethe BMW Isetta – just one front-openingdoor. Between the axles there was aloading pan.

During the subsequent trials, largelyon unmetalled country lanes, it emergedthat neither the engine nor the gearboxwere up to the rough demands of every-day use. At an in-house presentationthe body with its front-opening dooralso came in for criticism. Only the vehi-cle’s outstanding offroad capabilityearned any praise.

But since there was a demand forsuch a vehicle in the market, it wasdecided in 1958 to develop a newmodel – in collaboration with BMW. Thebasic dimensions were largely main-tained while the new self-supportingbody was given side access and fea-

tured removable doors and top. Theengine and transmission (again rear-mounted) now derived from the BMW600, as did the engine and transmissionmountings and the gearshift. As before,it was a real-wheel-drive configuration,but the lack of all-wheel drive wouldprove a disadvantage in due course.

The individual wheel suspensionremained unchanged, but the strut/rock-er design was replaced by separate coilspring/damper units with lower wish-bones. At the same time spring travelwas increased to 250 mm, which signifi-cantly improved ride characteristics in allload conditions. Instead of rack-and-pin-ion steering, the designers now chose aZF Gemmer steering system.

At the 45th DLG (GermanAgricultural Society) travelling fair inFrankfurt in early May 1959, the Farmobil600 was introduced to the public at largefor the first time. Test drives with the 20bhp twin-cylinder Boxer engine by BMWrevealed hardly any problems, but therewere difficulties with the self-supportingbody in relation to the chassis.

At the Hanover Industrial Fair, too,which had assumed even more impor-tance in the light of the forthcomingEuropean Economic Community, theFarmobil 600 was unveiled in spring of1960. That same year, work began on anew prototype. The air-cooled Boxerengine along with the transmission nowderived from the BMW 700 launched in1959. The gearshift, brakes and wheelsuspensions also came from the 30 bhpBMW. In Munich it was hoped that the

vehicle would enter military use, whichwas why they backed its further develop-ment.

Two vehicle versions with a roundeddesign emerged: one was the flatbedtruck with removable half-doors andplug-in windows, and the other the ver-sion with a fixed driver’s cabin. The bodywas much improved thanks to a strongerunderstructure. In order to improve thestiffness of the front wall, the tunnelcross-section was increased. The steer-ing and suspension (spring travelfront/rear 240/225 mm) were slightlymodified. The loading area (1,652 x1,470 mm) featured a recess to accom-modate seats. Standard equipment nowalso included heating with defroster jets.

It is assumed that in early 1961 theplan was to dispense with the roundedbody design in order to save on toolingcosts for later volume production. Withina short space of time, a sharp-angledbody, similar to the Steyr-Puch Haflinger,was developed and built. For this revisedmodel the engineers included, asplanned, front and rear power take-off,which could be engaged and disen-gaged from the driver’s seat. A steadyengine speed was ensured by a regula-tor attached to the power unit. With this,the Farmobil could now also be used asan implement carrier for trade and agri-culture.

15 examples of the Farmobil 700were built in the tractor testing divisionfor endurance tests and extended trials.The original plan was to have theFarmobil manufactured by Fahr inGottmadingen, but this did not material-ize as Fahr signed a contract withKlöckner-Humboldt-Deutz (KHD) for the

A woodsman driving across his territory in1965.

A Farmobil 700 on offroad tests in autumn1960.

manufacture of Deutz tractors. This wenthand-in-hand with a 25 percent acquisi-tion of Fahr by KHD. That left no morefree capacity for the Farmobil, and so theFahr mechanical engineering companygranted a licence for building the vehicleto the Greek brothers Gerasimos andPeter Kondogouris. The latter had previ-ously worked for the Fahr company. Inthe 1950s the brothers’ business hadplayed a major role in selling second-hand BMW motorcycles for constructingthe “motorized donkey carts” so popularin Greece. In Thessaloniki they foundedthe company FARCO A.E. and set up amanufacturing plant. Production wasvery simple as only a few special toolswere required. And so by 1962, the firstFarmobil 700 models built there wereready for delivery. FARCO had not onlytaken over their production but also han-dled distribution for the Balkans and theNear East. In autumn of 1961 the com-pany had already exhibited the Farmobilat trade fairs in Thessaloniki, Izmir(Turkey), Zagreb (Yugoslavia) andDamascus (Syria) – to great acclaim fromthe public and with healthy sales.

In 1963 the Chrysler corporationbought out the FARCO company andwith it the Farmobil production lines.FARCO A.E. was renamed ChryslerHellas S.A.I. The Americans hoped forsuccessful sales in the USA after a testmodel had been successfully trialled inthe state of Michigan. But ultimately thevehicle did not go on sale in the States.

Simca with its head office in Paristook over sales in France, while in

Switzerland the Farmobil was soldamong others by BMW importerMOTAG, and in other countries via theChrysler International S.A. sales organi-zation. In 1965, BMW AG as generalimporter took on sole distribution of theFarmobil for Germany.

The Farmobil was roundly praised tothe BMW dealers, who were also briefedon the exhibition of the BMW Farmobilprogramme at the 1965 Frankfurt MotorShow. The sales blurb for the Farmobilissued at the time was not short onpromises: “A vehicle with many faces…and even more possibilities… This auto-mobile is built for hard work and easydriving… A test drive with the BMWFarmobil will prompt surprised enthusi-asm – on your part and on the part ofpotential customers. Its wide trackallows it to ‘stick’ to the steepest slopesand to be securely manoeuvred. Its com-mendably strong and flexible individualwheel suspension ensures that obsta-cles 230 mm in height can be easilyclimbed, while 200 mm deep holes aresimply swallowed, and 500 mm deepwater is washed aside with bravura.”

In September 1965, BMW went on topublish a brochure and price list in whichthe range of potential uses of the BMWFarmobil, now with 32 bhp, were listedalong with the fact that the vehicle nowhad a payload capacity (616 kg) whichwas greater than its own weight (610 kg).Standard equipment included a fronthood, removable doors with plug-in win-dows, 5x offroad tyres, heating and tools,all for the price of 6,400 deutschmarks.

Special options included fold-down side-walls, a wooden gate, rear tarpaulin andbows, rear hood with windows, rearbench, rear guard rail, power take-off anda creep-speed gear. In total, around1,000 units of the Farmobil were builtbefore production ceased in 1966/67.

The Farmobil also attempted tolaunch its career in Britain. The Chrysler-owned Rootes Group imported twoFarmobil 700 models for test purposesand gave it the water-cooled engine ofthe Hillman Imp with front-mounted radi-ator. These two vehicles were apparentlytested by the British Army.

In January 2005, BMW MobileTradition was offered a Farmobil. TheAmerican seller living in a Geneva sub-urb, Gregory Bradbury (owner of a BMWM1 and a very rare BMW 530 of the firstSouth African-produced 5 Series), hadbought the vehicle in Annecy, France.The model he was offering BMW was hissecond Farmobil. The French secondowner of the vehicle now owned by BMWMobile Tradition had purchased it fromthe first owner more than 20 years ago,but had no longer used it in the lastyears. It was for that reason, and for rea-sons of age, that he offered it for sale.Bradbury had intended to restore theFarmobil, but professional commitmentsleft him no time for the task.

One can be sure that, in the not toodistant future, the Farmobil will emergeresplendent in its old glory again andready to be taken out on its first spin,perhaps even on “typical” Farmobil ter-rain – dirt tracks.

An early version of a Farmobil 700 being put through its uphill paces.


The main picture for each month with scenes depicting the open-air lifestyle is accompanied by four images that tell a little story.

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BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Publications

BMW Classic Calendar 2006

Following the major success of the ClassicCalendar on the theme of the 1950s, BMWMobile Tradition has chosen another subject for2006 which will have BMW fans’ pulses racingagain: BMW – Wind in your face since 1929.

The BMW Classic Calendar is available on theinternet from the end of November:www.bmw-shop.de

Ordering the calendar

The BMW Classic Calendar 2006 is devot-ed to a theme that strikingly epitomizes the“Sheer Driving Pleasure” slogan: Wind inyour face. After all, the experience of top-down motoring has traditionally embodieddriving pleasure in a very special way withits closeness to nature, all-round view andrefreshing airstream. The Classic Calendar2006 has succeeded in blowing thisenthralling breath of freedom right into theliving room. Among the 12 emotiveimages, each staged in the context of itstime, are such unique models as the BMW315, the “sunshine limousine”, the BMW3200 CS Bertone Cabrio – the only one ofits kind worldwide – and the BMW M3Cabrio, dream model of all sporting open-topped fans.Several BMW motorcycles, including aBMW R 12, a BMW 51/3 of 1951 and aBMW R 80 GS, show that BMW has simi-larly managed to persuade discerning bik-ers of the particular pleasures of open-airprogress. The Classic Calendar 2006 is geared tomatch the high standards set by the 2005calendar on the theme “BMW and the1950s” – already a collector’s item amongdevotees of the brand.

Der große Tag. Sonne, Glocken, hoher Himmel.The big day. Sunshine, church bells and blue skies.

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28BMW Wind in the face since 1929.

BMW Offen Fahren seit 1929.

1929.

1929.

Single radial engines at BMW

Aero-engine construction in the 1930sWhen we look back today to the year 1928, the acquisition of vehicle manufacturer Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach emerges as an important stage in the histo-ry of BMW. That was when BMW started up production of its own automobiles. However, there’s another reason why 1928 proved extremely important,even if this second event now barely figures in the memories of those years. On 3rd January 1928, BMW concluded a licence agreement for the two air-cooled engines Wasp and Hornet with American aero-engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. This contract enabled BMW to take up its position as a lead-ing German aero-engine manufacturer in the years to come.

By Christian Pierer

Water and air-cooled aero-engines

The First World War brought enormoustechnical advances to aviation in all thecountries involved in the war. Thedemands of the front led to a continuousincrease in performance for aircraft andaero-engines. However, there was no sin-gle formula for the development of avia-tion during wartime. Engineers designeda large variety of different aircraft types.In the case of aero-engines, two funda-mentally different principles of construc-tion were pursued simultaneously.

One design involved a water-cooledinline engine, which had been devel-oped on the basis of automobile andmarine engines from the prewar period.Alongside this, engine designers hadalso developed an air-cooled engine.The feature of this engine was that thecomponents were not cooled by waterbut by air.

The big advantage of the air-cooledengine was its low weight, because itrequired neither a coolant nor a radiator.In order to ensure that all cylinderscould be uniformly cooled by the airflow,it was necessary to configure them in acircular pattern. Because of this charac-teristic design, air-cooled engines werealso called radial engines. The disad-vantage of this design is that the airresistance of an engine is increased sig-nificantly if the cylinders are arranged ina circular pattern instead of in a straightline.

The German military had weighedup the advantages and disadvantages ofair-cooled and water-cooled aero-engines, and rejected the radial enginebecause of its greater air resistance andlower power. The Reichswehr (German

Army) gave preference to the water-cooled six-cylinder inline engine. Thisproved to be a far-reaching decision forongoing development in Germany,because after the war came to an end,the German aviation industry andGerman airlines primarily focused on air-cooled aero-engines.

Aero-engine technology outsideGermany

While the German military adopted six-cylinder inline engines during the war,the Allies used both air-cooled andwater-cooled aero-engines. In contrastto the situation in Germany, this resultedin both designs of aircraft engine beingdeveloped further after the war. In theUSA, for example, the military activelypromoted the use of radial engines. TheUS Navy supported aero-engine manu-facturer Pratt & Whitney in developingthe Wasp engine and also installednumerous examples of this type in itsaircraft.

BMW acquires a licence

The circumstances outlined above heldback the German aviation industry onthe international stage during the1920s. BMW as the best-knownGerman aero-engine manufacturer suc-ceeded in maintaining its position ininternational competition for water-cooled units with its BMW VI (seeMobile Tradition live 3/2004, 1/2005),but as far as air-cooled engines wereconcerned, there were really no home-grown developments by a German man-ufacturer that could compete.

Around the close of the 1920s, itemerged that radial engines might besuperior to water-cooled engines. Twodevelopments had led to this result.Firstly, the bhp outputs only varied mar-ginally in the two designs following anumber of technical innovations.Moreover, when drag was significantlyreduced by new engine cowlings, thelast main argument against the use ofradial engines was eliminated. BMWGeneral Manager Franz Josef Popp hadfollowed this development and decidedto acquire the licence for the two air-cooled aero-engines Wasp and Hornet,manufactured by Pratt & Whitney. Thislicence agreement gave BMW two tech-nically refined, modern products andsaved the company from having to gothrough the long and tedious process ofdeveloping engines themselves.

The radial engine – a bad invest-ment?

BMW was able to finance the purchaseof the licence and the costs of setting upthe new production facilities for theHornet engine from the profits that hadbeen generated from aero-engine busi-ness in the preceding years. This laidthe foundation for the success of theBMW Hornet. However, rejecting air-cooled engines was to prove a fatal mis-

The Letov S 31 takes off in 1931 powered by the Hornet engine. At the time, radial engines were still regarded as second rate in Germany.


Left: Cutaway of the BMW 132 A aero-enginein 1933, the most successful radial engine ofthe 1930s. Right: The Hornet engine passesits sampling test in Berlin, 1930.

judgement by the Imperial TransportMinistry and the Imperial War Ministry.The officials in charge of policy werecontinuing to pursue the line adopted

during the First World War in 1928,favouring water-cooled versions.Rejection by the state had a particularlydetrimental effect on BMW. DeutscheLufthansa was the most importantdomestic customer for aero-engines,and they bought virtually no air-cooledunits. Chairman of the Board ofManagement of Lufthansa, ErhardMilch, had to toe the official linebecause the state was the main share-holder in the company and kept the onlyGerman airline going with high subsi-dies. Milch himself had recognized thepotential of air-cooled aero-engines,which were ideal for use especially incivil aviation. But like General ManagerFranz Josef Popp, he failed to convincethe powers-that-be of the benefits ofair-cooled engines.

The result was that BMW only suc-ceeded in selling a small number ofHornet engines during the period up to1933. Export business with air-cooledengines was even worse. The biggestforeign customer, the Soviet Union, was

likewise not interested in the new radialengines being manufactured by BMW.Although Popp had been correct in hisassessment of the technical develop-ment, purchasing the licence initiallyproved to be a mistake that onlyincurred costs and didn’t generate anyincome. As a result, the licence agree-ment was brought to an end by mutualagreement in September 1931. Theinvolvement of BMW in the productionof radial engines came to an end for thetime being.

1933: The situation changes

The assumption of power by theNational Socialists in 1933 marked asignificant caesura in the history ofGermany. Right from the start, Hitler’spolicies were directed towards war.Consequently, rearma-ment was pushed for-ward more intensivelyafter 1933 and thearmed forces were givena key role in all aspectsof military planning bythe National Socialists.

The fundamentalclauses in the Versaillespeace treaty concludedin 1919 were still valid in1933. Under this treaty,the German Reich wasprohibited from main-taining military forces.

While the democratic governments hadfor the most part kept to this condition,Hitler disregarded it. BMW benefited byreceiving several orders for its water-cooled BMW VI aero-engine from thearmament programme of the new mas-ters in power. The Reichswehr contin-ued to refuse to entertain the notion thatair-cooled radial engines might be usedto power modern fighter aircraft.

The radial engine wins through –power unit for the Ju 52

The success story of the BMW radialengines is closely connected with themost famous aircraft of the time – the Ju52. The Junkers plant in Dessau initiallydesigned the Ju 52 as a single-enginefreighter aircraft and it was launched atthe start of the 1930s. It quickly becameobvious that the aircraft was ideal fortransporting passengers. However, allaircraft operated by airline companieswere fitted with several engines on safe-ty grounds. The Ju 52 with only oneengine therefore became a Ju 52/3m –an aircraft with three engines.

Junkers was not only the biggestGerman aircraft manufacturer during the1920s and 1930s, it was also the num-ber two in aero-engine constructionafter BMW. The company’s manage-ment therefore favoured their ownengines for their aircraft. The intentionwas to fit the Ju 52 with the Jumo 4, adiesel engine. However, Lufthansarejected these engines and demandedthe installation of BMW radial engines.

The Ju 52 from the front. Clearly visible, its blue engine coverswhich reduced drag and improved cooling.

The breakthroughcame with the Ju 52.

The Ju 52 was also used after the war. Shownhere, a model at the Swiss Aviation Museumin Dübendorf, 1983.

Radial engines at BMW – aero-engine construction during the 1930s

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Aero-engines

When you’re looking at BMW aero-engines, you inevitably think of the power-ful BMW IIIa, BMW 132 or BMW 801.These engines were deployed by civil avia-tion companies and by the air forces ofnumerous states. However, at the begin-ning of the 1930s, BMW endeavoured to

open up a new market. The Munich engi-neers developed the BMW X engine forsports aircraft. The BMW X only had anoutput of 50 bhp, offering no more than 10percent of the power of the BMW Hornet,which served as a template for the smallradial engines. BMW also exploited theexpertise it had acquired since 1917 inaero-engine construction to develop thisnew generation of engines.

Experience from the construction ofmotorcycle engines was also channelledinto the design of the BMW X. Key com-ponents such as pistons and valves weretaken over from the tried and tested 750cc motorcycle engines. The develop-ment of the BMW X indicated very clear-ly that the individual product classes atBMW didn’t simply exist alongside eachother. It demonstrated that technicalachievements were transferred from oneproduct to the other.

BMW planned to supply three enginemodels with different power classes forsports aircraft. The BMW Xa radial enginegenerating 68 bhp was launched as earlyas 1931 and boasted a higher specificationthan the BMW X. The BMW XI nine-cylin-

der radial engine was intended to completethe new segment of sports aero-engines.Although this was developed and subject-ed to in-depth testing on the test rig, unlikethe models X and Xa it did not enter volumeproduction.

The Challenge 1930 with BMW Xaero-engines

When the BMW X had been developedto volume production in 1930, BMWrequired a high-profile launch for thenew product. A decision was taken toparticipate in the spectacular ChallengeInternational de Tourisme 1930. TheBMW X was installed in the two smallaircraft Klemm L25 and BFW M23 andtook off on its first big test. Within thespace of ten days, the two planes hadcovered 7,560 km.

Despite extremely adverse weatherconditions, the two pilots vonGrafenreuth and Böhning succeeded inkeeping up with some 60 other compe-titors. This is all the more astoundinggiven that the other competitors had for

the most part fitted far more powerfulengines in their aircraft.

Above: Advertisement for the 1930 Challenge.Below: Route of the 1930 Challenge.

Sports aircraft Klemm L 25 with BMW X aero-engine.

Small air-cooled BMW aero-engines for sports aircraft

A new generation of BMW aero-engines – models X, Xa and XI



While political pressure had up to then tended to work againstthe installation of air-cooled BMW engines, the authoritieswere on the side of the Munich company when it came to fit-ting a power unit in the Ju 52 in 1932.

However, BMW now had aproblem. The company hadserved notice on the licenceagreement with Pratt & Whitneyin 1931 due to lack of orders andhad to renew the licence in orderto be able to continue buildingair-cooled aero-engines. Theysucceeded in extending theagreement, and the Americanshanded over to BMW the designplans for the latest version ofthis proven aero-engine, theHornet S4D2, in 1933. Thisengine was sold by BMW underthe designation BMW 132 andbuilt in numerous versions upuntil the mid-1940s.

Mass production

Although the government authorities had been committed tousing radial engines for the Ju 52, this by no means repre-sented a sea change in the general scepticism towards thistype of engine. The general view remained that air-cooledengines could only be used in civil passenger aircraft and mil-itary transport aircraft. The Ju 52 met this specificationabsolutely. The aim was to build 5,000 aircraft of this type, fit-ted almost exclusively with three BMW radial engines. Around500 aircraft went to Lufthansa, while the others went intoservice with the Luftwaffe (German Air Force), which wasbeing built up from 1933 onwards.

With the benefit of hindsight, it is obvious that the Ju 52was ready for mass production at precisely the right time forBMW. This was the aircraft that helped the future-orientedtechnology of the air-cooled radial engine to make the break-through in Germany. The officials in the ministries now recog-nized the potential in the radial engines. The reappraisal evenallowed BMW General Manager Franz Josef Popp to give upthe production of water-cooled engines entirely, in agreementwith the Imperial Air Ministry.

BMW’s aim with this measure was to concentrate all itsefforts on further developing the radial engines. To this end,BMW joined forces with Berlin-based BrandenburgischeMotorenwerke in 1939, when it acquired the second Germanfacility manufacturing air-cooled aero-engines. This mergerallowed Popp to turn BMW into the undisputed market leaderfor radial engines.

This monopoly position had a dual effect for BMW: thecompany benefited from numerous armaments orders, but ithad to put up with a great deal of interference from the NationalSocialist regime in the internal affairs of the company.

BMW aero-engine construction

Aero-engine construction was always a highly political issuebecause the government was the main customer. This meantthat the regime interfered more in the internal affairs of thecompanies involved than in other sectors of industry. There isample evidence of this interference at BMW in the period afterthe First World War. During the 1920s, development pro-

grammes financed by the stateeven enabled new BMW aero-engines to be developed.These state subsidies werelargely earmarked for water-cooled engines. The radialengine played a lesser role inthe plans of the authorities andfinancial support for this area oftechnology was correspond-ingly lower.

BMW therefore had tofinance technical improvementto the Hornet engine acquiredunder licence in 1928 and1933. Against this background,the work done by the BMWengineers on these engines

Final assembly of the BMW 132 air-cooled aero-engines at the Munichplant, 1940.

Two sets of operating instructions for the same product.The PWA Hornet S4D2 was temporarily marketed underthat name before being renamed the BMW 132.

was all the more astonishing. Thestages of progress achieved in BMWaero-engine construction during thoseyears provide an interesting compari-son. All the single BMW radial engineshad the same capacity – 27.7 litres.

But there are substantial differencesin power. The Hornet A acquired fromPratt & Whitney in 1928 only generated525 bhp. Since 1934, BMW had beenmanufacturing the BMW 132 on thebasis of the design plans of the HornetS4D2, which generated 660 bhp.

The BMW 132 series H generated1,000 bhp and formed the culminationof this continuous process of improve-ment. It was built on an industrial scalefrom 1938.

The history of aero-engine con-struction has many instances of engi-neers attempting to generate morepower with greater engine capacity.However, in practice bigger cylindersentail more weight, and this is some-thing that engineers wanted to avoid atall costs.

It is therefore understandable thatBMW left the capacity unchanged in theHornet and 132 models for a period of15 years. But how did the design engi-neers manage to increase power sub-stantially, from 525 to 1,000 bhp – inother words by almost 100 percent?

It isn’t easy to answer this question,and that makes it all the more intriguing.Essentially, every new engine seriescontains a wide variety of small newmeasures to optimize efficiency. Thesum of the large number of smallchanges produced an outstandingresult overall.

For example, in the case of the 132radial engine, BMW decided to increasethe revs and raise the boost pressure.New materials were also used and thisstrengthened highly stressed compo-nents like the crankshaft.

However, the key aspect in everyradial engine is whether engineers suc-ceed in cooling the engine adequately.The cooling of the engine was continual-ly improved from 1928 by increasing thenumber of cooling fins on the cylinderhead. This created the basic conditionsfor increasing engine power. The main

challenge presented by additional cool-ing fins was in manufacture. BMW bene-fited from the fact that the company hadits own aluminium foundry from 1918onwards, one which had been producingoutstanding quality for many years.

In summary, the radial engines man-ufactured during the 1930s were one ofthe most important products to comeout of the Bayerische Motoren Werke.

At the time, the construction of aero-engines was rightly regarded as the pin-nacle of engine manufacture.

After taking over the licence fromPratt & Whitney, BMW carried out perma-nent technical innovations to furtherdevelop the acquired models. Thisenabled BMW to play a leading role inGerman aero-engine production, despiteincreased competition.


A cylinder head from the Hornet A (right) and the BMW 132 L (left). The much thinner coolingfins of the BMW 132 are clearly visible.


BMW staff manufacturing the BMW Hornetengine, 1943.

View of the Pamir mountain range from the Ju 52.

The path to ChinaFrom the 1920s onwards, Germany hadhad the densest air-traffic network inEurope. However, Lufthansa had notsimply focused on making its success inthe domestic market since it was found-ed in 1926. The company had alsoexpanded abroad and offered a series oflong-haul flights. Intercontinental flightswith freight or passengers were not onlyprestigious, they were also much moreprofitable than short-haul flights.

Since the mid-1930s, Lufthansaexecutives had been pursuing an ambi-tious project. They wanted to set uppermanent air links between Germanyand China. Three different flight routeswere available to cover this huge dis-tance. The shortest alternative was theflight via Moscow and over Soviet terri-tory. The conditions were outstanding.Lufthansa had operated the Deruluftjoint airline for a number of years, plyingthe route between Königsberg andMoscow. In principle it was “only” nec-essary to extend the range of flights

offered by this company to China.However, relations between China andthe Soviet Union were in such a bad waythat a flight from Moscow to Shanghaiwas simply rejected out of hand on polit-ical grounds.

Lufthansa had to find an alternativeroute to China. The British and Frenchairlines flew over India and Indochina.Although this route was considerablylonger than the route via Moscow, it wasmore reliable because there was alreadyan infrastructure for aviation in theEuropean colonies. However, the routedidn’t really represent a viable alterna-tive. Lufthansa assumed that the Britishand French would want to support theirown airlines and would therefore notgrant competing companies a licence tooverfly their territories.

There was a third route from Berlinto Shanghai, but this was extremelydangerous. Nevertheless, the airlinedecided to opt for it as there was noviable alternative, and pilots had to flyover Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan to China.

The big risk on this route lay in crossingthe Pamir mountain range with itsnumerous mountain peaks up to 8,000metres in height. The fact that the aver-age flying altitude for civil aviation at thetime was 2,500 metres shows just whata challenge these altitudes representedfor aviation.

Lufthansa carried out a number oftest flights aimed at overcoming therisks of crossing the high mountains.

Across the “Roof of the World”

On 14th August 1937, a Ju 52 withthree BMW 132L aero-engines took offfrom Berlin in order to fly to Chinaacross the “Roof of the World”. Thethree crew members were FlightCaptain Carl August Freiherr vonGablenz, Flight Captain Robert Untuchtand Senior Radio Engineer KarlKirchhoff. They had many years of flyingexperience and had prepared them-selves well for the challenge. Even so,the three men had a healthy respect forthe journey they were about to under-


BMW radial engines in full flight – the legendary Pamirflight of a Ju 52


take. During their flight, the engines andaircraft were subject to a twin load thatwas only seldom encountered by civilaviation at the time. The route to be cov-ered was extremely long and it also hadto be flown at very high altitudes.

Contrary to expectations, the greatweight of the aircraft didn’t present anymajor problems because the Ju 52 andits BMW engines were famous for theirdependability and the flight characteris-tics weren’t significantly impaired.Alongside spare parts and provisions,the crew took on board up to 5,000 litresof fuel in order to be able to cover thelong distances involved. The normalconsumption of the BMW 132 aero-engines was between 430 and 450 litresan hour, but this was significantlyreduced under good external condi-tions. It was therefore possible to under-take the first stage from Berlin to Cyprusin a single day without a fuel stop.

The following days of the expeditionalso went without a hitch, until the crewreached Kabul airport at an altitude of1,800 metres. The Ju now had to under-take the toughest leg of the journey –crossing the Pamir mountain range. Theaircraft had to fly over the bare mountainlandscape with its numerous peaks up to8,000 metres in height in one day. Therewas absolutely no question of an emer-gency landing. A sudden change in theweather conditions might have meant theend for the German aviation pioneers.

Despite the hazards,Captain Gablenz linedup for the takeoff.Slowly the aircraft bat-tled for several hours togain height. The loadon the BMW aero-engines increasedrelentlessly. There wasstill a question markover whether theengines would haveenough power to carrythe aircraft over theWakhan pass. If theplane – which weighedmany tons – provedunable to achieve thenecessary altitude intime, the only option open to the pilotswould be to jettison fuel in the vague hopethat they might gain some further height.

But these extreme measuresweren’t necessary. The weather condi-tions remained stable and the BMWaero-engines carried out their missionreliably. The Ju 52 reached Jarkandsafely. This was the first time anyonehad flown over the Pamir mountainrange. It had almost been child’s play forthe aircraft and engines to master thehuge challenge. The remaining sectionsof the journey to the destination of Sian,west of Shanghai, wasn’t a problem forthe tough Ju 52. The expedition was acomplete success.

Capture and happy returnThe crew only got into difficulties ontheir return to Germany. Suddenly, anengine started smoking east of the Pamirmountain range near Chotan. But the sit-uation wasn’t critical because the othertwo engines powering the aircraft werequite adequate to keep the aircraft air-borne. Nevertheless, Captain Gablenzdecided to land in order to overhaul theengine. It seemed only possible to crossthe mountain range with three fully oper-ational aero-engines. The technicalproblems proved to be slight and withina few hours, the BMW engine was upand running again. However, just beforethe aircraft started up, it was surroundedby advancing soldiers who took theGerman pilots prisoner. The plane hadlanded in Chotan, an area where theChinese civil war was raging, and theLufthansa pilots had unfortunately comedown there. They were only freed afterseveral weeks once they had been ableto convince the soldiers they weren’t ona military mission.

It took some further days before theLufthansa crew were in a position to flyback to Germany. Initially the aircraft hadto be overhauled. When this work hadbeen carried out, there was nothing toprevent the return to Germany. On 3rdOctober 1937, the Ju 52 reached Berlinand was welcomed back by an enthusi-astic crowd.


The Ju 52 with crew and locals after landingin Sian.

Berlin welcomes back the crew: (from left) Untucht, von Gablenzand Kirchhoff.

The Mini had been on the market forbarely a year in September 1960 whenthe British Motor Corporation drew backthe curtain on the first estate version ofthe car. Like the saloons, the estate mod-els were also sold under the Austin andMorris brands. The Austin SevenCountryman and Morris Mini-Travellerwere virtually identical both inside andout, with only the differences in logo andradiator grille to tell them apart. The newestates celebrated their debuts at themotor shows in Paris and London inOctober 1960. Various road tests duringthe previous month had already providedevidence of their impressive attributes.

The estate’s design was based onthe Mini Van, which had been launchedthe previous spring, but the new modelcame with windows all around. The 848cc entry model developed 34 bhp andretained the double “barn door”-stylerear doors. Despite having a 110 mmlonger wheelbase than the saloon, aslightly higher roofline and a total lengthof 3.30 metres, the estate was still com-pact and agile. Parking, for example, waspleasingly effortless.

BMC’s marketing department had awell-documented preference for rustic-style estate cars with a rural feel and

wood panelling – so-called “woodies”.And the latest estate models were alsogiven the wood treatment in a nod to theearly BMC estate cars. By contrast to thelegendary Minor “woodies”, such as theMorris Minor Traveller from 1953, thewood had no load-bearing function in thenew models, but was purely decorative –the wood strips were simply glued on. Ofcourse, this bumped up the vehicleweight compared to the Mini saloon – byas much as 50 kg, depending on thespecification levels. And that, in turn, hada predictably adverse effect on fuel con-sumption and acceleration. However, itstop speed of 112 km/h wasn’t muchlower than the saloon’s. The launch pricefor the car in the British market was thesame for both brands: 623 pounds.

From 1961 the estate models were alsoavailable outside Britain without woodtrimmings. And from October 1962 alsoBritish customers could choose betweenthe “woody” and the cheaper wood-freemodel.

Practical, but stylish too

The greatest quality of the small but agileMini estate was its versatility and practi-cality. This could be a spacious work carfor business travellers, officials or trades-men, a touring and family car with fourcomfortable seats – “for the pleasure andconvenience of the modern family” – or atwo-seater commercial vehicle for trans-porting loads. The car could be trans-formed from one type into the otherquickly and easily, and the wide-openingsplit rear doors ensured easy access tothe load and luggage area. Folding downthe seats extended the length of theloading surface to 120 cm, freeing upcapacity of some 1,000 litres. Even whenthe car was carrying four passengers,

The Mini Clubman estate replaced theCountryman and Traveller estate models inOctober 1969. The completely reworked frontend was designed to give the new estate amore grown-up and secure look.

In August 1959 the British Motor Corporation (BMC) unveiled a small four-seater car which was destined to write a long and celebrated chapterin automotive history. Engineer Alec Issigonis was the brains behind the Mini’s completely newly developed compact construction with front-mounted transverse engine and front-wheel drive. This brilliant concept was so popular that the original saloon was soon joined by other variantsin the Mini range.

The Mini estates: ...“revolutionary in concept, smart inappearance”

By Inge Melber

The Austin Seven Countryman. This rustic-style family car proved ideal for conveying passen-gers and for leisure use.


BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Cars

there was still an astonishing amount ofroom for items of luggage. In GreatBritain this type of body variant hadalways enjoyed widespread popularityamong motorists. And here was a time-honoured expression of the British way oflife, valued not only as a practical mode oftransport, but also as a decidedly stylishway to travel.

User-friendly sliding windows at thefront and rear and the two exterior mirrorsrequired by law for estate cars – whichwere mounted on the front wings of theMini – were fitted as standard. Unlike therear-view mirror, that is, which was stillmarooned in the options list. Indeed, itwasn’t until September 1964 that thisitem finally made it into the range of stan-dard equipment. Otherwise, the estatehad all the trimmings of the deluxe ver-sion of the Mini saloon.

The second generation

The first-series Mini estate – the AustinSeven Countryman, which was renamedthe Austin Mini Countryman in 1962, andthe Morris Mini-Traveller – were replaced

by the second-generation models in1967, by which time a total of 161,000units had rolled off the assembly line.

In 1967 the British Motor Corporationunveiled the new Mk II Mini at the LondonMotor Show under the slogan: “Still theincredible revolution”. As before, it wasavailable in two almost identical versions –and these were now known simply as theAustin Mini and Morris Mini. Like the Minisaloons, the Austin Mini Countryman MkII and Morris Mini-Traveller Mk II estatevariants had also been fitted with one ortwo new features. These included thestriking new radiator grille (still bearingthe hallmark distinctions of the Austin andMorris brands), changes to various detailsin the interior and several technicalimprovements.

The key modification to the outgoingmodels came in the form of a more pow-erful engine. Now boasting displacementof 998 cc and developing 39 bhp at 5,250rpm, the new power unit gave the littleall-rounder an extra boost of energy. Asynchromesh transmission was intro-duced in 1968, while all Mini estates

could be ordered as an option with auto-matic transmission from the start ofseries production. The rear of the car, onthe other hand, remained unchanged,retaining the double “barn door”-stylerear doors. Even if this element of thecar’s design was no longer exactly cut-ting-edge, it clung on until the Miniestate models finally disappeared fromthe production schedules in 1982.Incidentally, the second-generationestates could still be ordered with orwithout wood décor, as the customerdesired.

Demise of the “woodies”

In early 1968, BMC and Leyland mergedto form British Leyland. Then, in theautumn of 1969 and with 46,000 Mk IIestates produced, Mini witnessed theend of the era of the Austin and Morrisbrands. The Countryman and Travellerdesignations were also dropped. Thisdevelopment marked the end of thewood-panelled Mini estate – the“woody”. From now on, all models weresold under the brand name Mini.

A sales brochure from 1964: Morris Mini Traveller – “Pile in! There’s room for everything...”

The Mini estates ... “revolutionary in concept, smart in appearance”

British Leyland used the launch in October 1969 of the new gen-eration of Mini cars – produced under the works designationADO 20 – to unveil the Mini Clubman alongside the regular Mini.The Clubman, which could be ordered as either a saloon or anestate, was intended to mark a new beginning. The new modelwas all about preparing for the 1970s with a state-of-the-art,comfortable and safe small car. However, the new designenjoyed only limited popularity and was even considered a stepbackwards in some quarters. The Mini Clubman estate, mean-while, filled the shoes of the Countryman and Traveller.

Sharp-angled exterior, attractive interior

The Mini Clubman wasgiven an all-new front end,featuring a wider and moresharply angled form, and an improved headlamparrangement. The new“nose” created more roomunder the bonnet, whichblended in harmoniouslywith the front wings to setthe seal on the new design.A distinctive Clubman logotook pride of place on thechrome-trimmed radiatorgrille. Inside the car, theinstruments were nowgrouped behind the steeringwheel, putting them directlyin the driver’s field of vision.

All Clubman models,including the estate, werepowered by the tried-and-tested 998 cc powerplantdeveloping 39 bhp at 5,250rpm. The total length of theMini Clubman estate was

340 cm. It was fitted with wind-down windows at the front,while the sliding side windows in the rear compartment wereleft untouched. The styling of the rear, with its double outward-swinging doors, also remained largely the same.

The only decoration at the rear was a chrome-ringed “wood-look” plastic trim strip, matching those along the sides of the car,and a Clubman estate badge on the right-hand door wing. Whilethe wood trim used for the Countryman and Traveller was alwaysthe real thing, if largely superfluous, the Mini Clubman estatehad to make do with a cheap imitation. This “fake” wood wasreplaced by painted side stripes all round in 1977.

End of the road for the estate in 1982

The financial situation at British Leyland was precarious andthe pressure to cut costs immense. And that meant it wasOctober 1975 before any further modifications of note wereintroduced. All Clubman models, with the exception of the auto-matic versions, were now powered by a 1,098 cc engine. In theMini Clubman estate, this powerplant developed 45 bhp at5,250 rpm and was good for a maximum speed of 130 km/h.Other facelift measures followed on the inside and outside of thecar, the most prominent of which was the redesigned radiator grillewith new logo introduced in 1976. Steadily declining sales even-tually saw the Clubman pulled from production in August 1980.

It was left to the estate model, which had been rechristenedas the Mini 1000 HL estate in October 1980 and fitted onceagain with the smaller 998 cc engine, to fly the flag for anothertwo years before the company finally pulled the plug on pro-duction in February 1982. A total of 197,606 Mini Clubmanestates were produced between 1969 and 1982.

In all, an impressive total of 400,000 units of the various Miniestate models were built between 1960 and 1982.

An Austin Mini Countryman. The estate was a hit even without thewood trim. A lower-priced export model without wood décor went intoproduction in April 1961, but was not available in the British marketuntil October 1962.

From the 1960/61 sales brochure: the Austin Seven Countryman.

The weather didn’t exactly play along: it was bucketing downwhen the first BMW Summer & Film Party opened at 7 p.m. on30th July 2005. But that did nothing to put off the crowds.Even before the event started, people were thronging theentrance to the BMW Museum next to the Olympic Tower.Evidently word had got around among BMW fans that the pre-vious event at the BMW Museum in October 2004 had been athrilling, action-packed and entertaining affair. Numerousguests cited the BMW Night Race as the reason for coming tothis year’s Summer & Film Party.

There were two major anniversaries to celebrate: “30Years of the BMW 3 Series” and “25 Years of the BMW GS”.The celebrations were backed up by a host of entertaining andilluminating activities. In the course of the year, up-to-datefootage on both themes had been shot and was presented atthe event. The theme “25 Years of the BMW GS” was at theheart of the new mobile tradition live TV format that was intro-duced to the many fans attending the evening. Its aim is toprovide a service that communicates ongoing news and offersrelating to BMW’s heritage.

Live racers

In addition to the current museum exhibition, which was alsoopen for view on the evening, visitors were able to admire the“birthday models” as well as the very latest versions. All the


BMW Summer & Film PartyThe first Summer & Film Party held by BMW Mobile Tradition at the BMW Museum next to the Olympic Tower revolved around the many fascinating BMW-related films that have emerged over recent years: from the world-renowned shorts of bmwfilms.com and exciting motor racing footage, all the way to theanniversary documentaries by BMW Mobile Tradition on “30 Years of the BMW 3 Series” and “25 Years of the BMW GS”. Heavy showers did nothing todampen the exuberant atmosphere.

By Sinja Lohse

Variety was the spice of the evening: the crowds who came to the BMWSummer & Film Party enjoyed a wide range of racing films, BMW MobileTradition documentaries and even an internet image film.

generations of the BMW GS motorcycle,including the new BMW HP2, togetherwith the BMW 3 Series all the way up tothe latest model were on show. Themotor sport theme was also honouredby an M3 display. The incredible advan-tages the BMW M3 brought to the racetrack after its launch in 1987 wereexplained a little later on by MarcHessel, who was a racing driver at thetime and won the inaugural event withthis car on the Nürburgring. Even 18years on, Hessel still waxes enthusiasticabout the unique relationship between

engine performance and vehicle weightthat made the BMW M3 one of the bestracing cars of all time.

Living heritage

Visitors were as delighted with suchaccounts that brought the past to life asthey were with the chance to contributetheir own little piece of history. In orderto bring the BMW past even more vivid-ly alive on the night, visitors had beeninvited to bring along their own personalBMW history – in the form of a photo-graph of their BMW 3 Series or BMW

GS, which would then become part of alarge “Anniversary Multipicture”. And soin the course of this fun-filled eveningthe company history merged with thepersonal lives of the visitors. Everybodywho submitted a photograph, moreover,was entered into a major prize draw. Thewinner could look forward to a weekendin a spa hotel with the new BMW 3Series. In the course of the evening, themany photo contributions made for acolourful panorama of the various gen-erations of the BMW 3 Series and BMWGS models.

Page

BMW Summer & Film Party

The rain did not deter the crowds: many visitors had flocked to the museum even before the official opening of the event.

30

Festive atmosphere: a marquee specially erected in front of the museum was the venue for the prize presentation, a journey through “30 Years ofthe 3 Series” and a film show featuring the shorts of the bmwfilms.com series.

BMW Summer & Filmparty Annive

ersary Multipicture 30 Years of the B

MW 3 Series. Unequalled right from the start. 25 Years of

the BMW GS. Where the road stops the fun starts.

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Events

The attractive location of the BMWMuseum, with its numerous exhibitsfrom the company’s past, offered the3,000 or so guests attending the eventthe perfect setting in which to enjoy theBMW films on the programme. Theyranged from motor racing and modellaunch films all the way to high-speedmotorcycle movies. Various associatedthemes were illustrated in an endlessloop at a number of film stands. Specialhighlights were the two films 30 Years ofthe BMW 3 Series. Unequalled from thestart, which had already been shown togreat acclaim at the launch of the fifth-generation BMW 3 Series at the GenevaMotor Show, and the documentary TheWhite Phantom, profiling the legendaryworld record-breaking motorcyclist anddriver Ernst Jakob Henne, who died inMay of this year.

High-speed action, high-profilestars

At 10 p.m. the lights were dimmed in themarquee for a showing of all the films inthe bmwfilms.com series. In The Hire,Hollywood star Clive Owen was seendriving a range of BMW cars throughhigh-speed action films directed byJohn Frankenheimer, Wong Kar-Wai,John Woo, Alejandro González Iñárrituand other world-renowned film direc-tors. Playing in “minor roles” were starssuch as Mickey Rourke, James Brownand Gary Oldman – in films that sparedneither cars nor nerves. Probably thebest-known film of the series is Star bydirector Guy Ritchie, with Madonna inthe lead role. She is totally thrown by theinsane driving style of Clive Owen and

ends up falling out of the car door andonto the red carpet at the feet of thewaiting media.

And there was more

A journey through time with a live pre-senter took the audience through thevarious generations of the 3 Series.Holger Lapp, Director of BMW MobileTradition, brought to life some keymoments from the 1970s and ’80s toexemplify the phenome-non that is the BMW 3Series. Enlightenment onthe “silver anniversary” ofthe BMW GS came fromDr Herbert Diess, head ofBMW Motorrad. Using thelatest two-wheeled model,the HP2, he pointed outthe components that hadturned this family ofmotorcycles into BMW’sbestselling range. In addi-tion to the films, therewere also a wide range ofattractions to suit every-body’s taste. While theyoungsters had great funwith the big Balloon Race(the further the balloon flew, the higherthe chances of winning), 3 Series driverswere challenged in the Anniversary Quiz:a narrow strip of photos showed the typ-ical BMW “kidney grilles” of the five gen-erations of the BMW 3 Series. Not every-one had an easy time matching the rightkidney with the right model.

Glass workshop draws crowds

As there’s a mechanic inside every man,

the “glass workshop” also proved a majordraw. The fact that there was a BMW2002 parked on its hydraulic ramp was anadded attraction, as many of thoseattending still remembered the car fromfirst-hand experience or at any rate fromthe streets of Munich in the 1970s. Thefascinating sight of the workshop teambeavering away at this dated car prompt-ed a steady stream of questions through-out the evening. Where else could you

peek under the engine compartment andwitness the mechanical marvels of carconstruction at close quarters? And withno risk of getting grease on your jacket.

At the end of the film night, visitorswent away delighted and impressed byevery aspect of the evening’s pro-gramme – except perhaps the weather,as the rain did not let up all evening. Itplayed its role in making it a most mem-orable “Summer Party”.


A good time was had by all: (from left) Hans Friedrich Andexer (Team Andexer GmbH) in the glass workshop, Dr Herbert Diess next to a BMW HP2, the young family of DTM racing driver Marc Hessel, and Melina Aulinger of the BMW Mobile Tradition team talking shop with guests.

Lucky winner: host Jochen Sattler and Sinja Lohse of BMWMobile Tradition’s Marketing and Communications presentthe main prize.

Wilhelm Huber was born on theFraueninsel, an island in Lake Chiemsee,on 8th October 1910. After elementaryschool, he completed an apprenticeshipas a mechanic. During the tough years ofthe Great Depression he was relieved toquickly find a job with the BavarianCastle and Lake Administration onneighbouring Herrenchiemsee island.He had his work cut out here, as thefairytale palace of the Bavarian monarch

resembled a permanent building site.But it was not very exciting work, and itwas badly paid. Young Willy felt drawninto the big wide world. Thanks to thegood offices of a Professor ofMechanical Engineering who had a holi-day home at Lake Chiemsee, he joinedBMW. On 17th October 1933 he took uphis post as an engine mechanic in themotorcycle test department headed byRudolf Schleicher.

His wage negotiating skills were evi-dently not well honed as his starting paywas a modest 65 pfennigs an hour. Butat least he had found work with BMW.

At the time, Schleicher’s testingdepartment was still housed in an oldwooden hut, but it was here that WillyHuber learnt everything about enginesand was able to apply his own skills inmetalworking. Within the department agreat deal of testing was carried out,

Willy Huber – lake-dwelling metal artistTomes are written about racing drivers and car designers, and they are ever assured the keen interest of the media. But little is said about the back-room boys who do all the hard graft – the mechanics. Yet among their ilk they count some genuine artists. This is the story of one such gifted artistwho, when it came to building racing engines as well as car bodies, ranked among the best of his kind.

By Hagen Nyncke

Page 32

prototypes were built and new conceptswere trialled in everyday situations aswell as on the race track. Huber wasallowed to work on Ernst Henne’srecord-breaking models and was alsofrequently sent to work as a mechanic atfactory-supported racing events. That ishow he came to be Ernst von Delius’mechanic at a variety of circuits. Whenthe BMW factory called its own racingdivision into being in autumn 1936,Huber was one of the first on board whenit came to testing the new 328 model outon the race track. But he never gotbehind the wheel of these fast sportscars as he didn’t have a driving licence.However, his knowledge of enginesearned him a place as an indispensablemember of the team charged with furtherdevelopment of the sports car that wasto make an enduring mark on the racingarena in the late 1930s, both in Germanyand beyond.

Willy Huber’s diligence and prodi-gious craftsmanship skills did not gounnoticed by Schleicher, as a result ofwhich his wages were notably increasedevery six months despite an official payfreeze. But Schleicher was determinedto do all he could to foster his young pro-tégé. The new car marked its debutabroad on 28th June 1936 in the FrenchGrand Prix at Montlhéry. The threeteams of drivers comprised ErnstHenne/Bobby Kohlrausch, FritzRoth/Christian Kautz and Aldington/

Fane. It wasn’t long before the sportscars came down with all manner ofteething troubles. Kautz was the first tohead back for the pits with the sparksshowering out from beneath his BMW.His engine support bracket had brokenand the prop shaft was scraping againstthe space frame. As there was no weld-ing equipment nor spare parts available,Willy Huber had to stabilize the engineby means of a lever held in place withwire between the frame tubes.

It was obvious that this stopgapsolution could not last, but the aim wasto glean as much experience as possiblefrom this event. It wasn’t long beforeHenne’s BMW retired from the race withthe same fault. Only Aldington and Fane

managed to last out a little longer, butHuber had to change their rocker arms,which weren’t up to the task.

After the initial weaknesses wereswiftly eliminated, no rival could hold acandle to the BMW 328 any longer. Onrace tracks throughout Europe it raked inone victory after another. The factorykept sending seasoned drivers onto thetrack to hone the cars further. Strikingly, itwas mostly the same cars that were field-ed time and again over the years.

At countless of these events, WillyHuber was on the spot as a dedicatedmechanic. But his workplace wasn’t onlyin the pit garage. He drove the entirecourse of the 1938 Mille Miglia duringtraining as a co-driver to Ernst Henne and

Facing page: The artist and his work. WillyHuber in the HH 48 Formula 2 race car.Right: Willy Huber’s works pass.

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Motor sport

Below left: A rare shot of a mechanic at work: Willy Huber welding a car jack at the 1938 Mille Miglia. Below right: The first postwar pontoon-style body – Heinz Sauermann in his BMW Special.


Willy Huber – lake-dwelling metal artist

Uli Richter. He evidently had talents in thenavigator’s seat too. Munich driver FritzRoth took him with him as his co-driver onthe 1938 and 1939 International AlpineTrials. A class win and overall victory showthat Huber clearly knew what to do withthe stopwatch and route map.

But there were a few events abroadinvolving the BMW sports car whichreflected a spirit of adventure rather thanperfect organization. Huber had beensent to England for the company’sinvolvement in the 1938 Tourist Trophy inDonington. Due to the chronic lack of for-eign exchange in the German Reich, hehad been given four pounds sterling intravellers’ cheques along with 250 silverreichsmarks, which he was to exchangeat an English bank. He was quickly rid ofthe first two pounds in the port of Bremenwhen the captain of the freighter insistedon being paid in hard currency.

Desperately seeking sterling

When he eventually arrived in London,Huber dropped in at Barclays Bank, asarranged. But no-one there was willingto give this “Hitler man” any pounds inexchange for his silver German marks.And so he continued on to the nearbytown of Isleworth where Frazer Nash,

BMW’s British importer, was based. AsH.J. Aldington, the boss, was absent andhis deputy was not exactly well disposedtowards the German, he found no helpthere either. So he made his way back tothe docks where he could at least unloadhis three sports cars. The plan was for

him to drive the first to Donington him-self the next day, coming back by train topick up the second and then the third.But it was raining heavily and the dock-ers were in no mood for work. It wasobvious that he wouldn’t get very far withhis remaining two pounds, so he decidedto spend the night in Hyde Park – butwas soon moved along by the Bobbies.He began walking the streets of Londonto pass the time. In a pub he encoun-tered a familiar face. It was the mechanicof British racing driver Earl Howe. Hewas supposed to be sorting out thebrakes on the Earl’s Delage, but afterimbibing in too much alcohol was nolonger in a fit state to do so. Willy Hubertook over the task and the Earl gave hima wad of pound notes for his services.

There followed a great many moreracing involvements at home andabroad. As the political situation inEurope continued to decline, Schleichermade sure he would not lose his

favourite mechanic to other require-ments. He had the relevant Wehrmachtauthorities declare him indispensable inthe event of any mobilization to save himfrom being called up for military service.

Huber was also given above-averagepayment to sweeten the countless hoursof overtime and weekend work he put inat the race tracks. A minimum 48 workinghours, after all, boiled down to a six-dayweek, and there were just seven days’holiday a year. But with an hourly rate of1.20 reichsmarks he was now earningmore than many of his colleagues.

Willy Huber displayed outstandingskills when it came to panel-beating. Apartfrom making motorcycle fairings, he wasalso allowed to work on the aluminiumbodies of the BMW racing cars. The lead-ers in body manufacturing at the timewere indisputably the Italians.Coachbuilders Touring of Milan had devel-oped the “superleggera” principle of light-weight construction using a filigree tubularspace frame covered in a thin aluminiumskin. Commissioned by the SupremeNational Sports Body for German MotorVehicles (ONS), work was under way herein spring of 1939 to create a coupé bodyfor a BMW 328 chassis, the model thatwould go on to win the 1940 Mille Miglia.Willy Huber had been sent to the companyfor a few weeks with the aim of workingalongside the Italians and deepening hisknowledge of handling aluminium. Therewas still a lot to be learnt when it came toaluminium welding in particular. It is likelythat he was also involved in building thebodies for the Mille Miglia roadsters.

But Huber’s specialization wereengines. The cylinder heads of all fiveMille Miglia cars were his own work. Hehad pulled out all the stops to get the

HH 48 Formula 2 race car skeleton.

Page 34

Wilhelm Bräuning and Willy Huber with thecompleted HH 47 sports model.


engines raceworthy when they were sentout onto the autobahn for a final test runshortly before the race. He gave the driv-ers very detailed instructions on how tohandle the engines, but they simply puttheir foot to the floor. That evening sawthree damaged engines on the work-

bench. Willy Huber worked through thenight and managed to repair two of them.When he was about to hand the thirdengine over to another mechanic, ErnstLoof, who headed the racing division,threatened not to take him to the event.And so a desperately sleep-deprived

Huber got the last engine up and runningas well. The triumph of the German teammust have brought him a great deal ofpersonal satisfaction as well – andhelped him get over the wearying diffi-culties with his boss.

His last assignment for the racingdivision was at the end of August 1940at the race in Brasov, Romania. As a co-driver, he had made his way in the racecar along the wretched roads of theBalkans to the circuit only to find that theevent could not be held due to the warsituation. The return journey is said tohave taken him a week.

The closure of the racing division inApril 1941 meant the start of WillyHuber’s involvement in the war. He hadalready been trained with the 801 aero-engine and knew the powerplant insideout. Although he enjoyed his work, hemissed the opportunity of putting theresults to the test himself. Even during thewar, contacts between the BMW staff didnot break off. Huber was posted to Paris,where repair workshops for the front linewere set up in the former factories ofGnome & Rhône and Hispano Suiza.Heading this department was HermannHolbein, a former engineer in BMW’schassis test department and thus an oldacquaintance. By virtue of his organiza-tional talent, Willy Huber was always dis-patched to the “hot spots”. And so hewent on to postings in Argenteuil, St.Albert and Clermont-Ferrand, where hehimself would be in charge of largegroups of assembly workers, a job thatstrictly speaking should have been car-ried out by a head foreman.

Ready for delivery: the HH 48 is driven out ofthe garage by Huber’s assistant.

Above left: Unusual freight – a racing car on Lake Chiemsee. Above right: Metalwork session – Willy Huber (centre) with two assistants and thebodyshell of the HH 49.


Willy Huber – lake-dwelling metal artist

On the basis of his performance, he wasultimately promoted to head assemblerin 1943. After the Allied invasion and thedismantling of the war repair workshops,he returned to Munich and moved intothe technical service department, wherehe was responsible for testing andapproving engine test rigs. When the warended he had to bid farewell to BMW: on20th April 1945 he was dismissed due to“the suspension of production”.

Race cars ride across the lake

Huber returned to the Fraueninselwhere he set up a small workshop.Initially he carried out repair work onboats and boat engines for theAmerican occupying forces. Somehowone had to keep one’s head above waterin this devastated country. But by the

end of 1946 there was light at the end ofthe tunnel. Ernst Loof, who had endedup in Leinau, a small Bavarian villagenear Kaufbeuren, wrote to him regardingan interesting project: he was planningto start making sports racers again.They were to be based on the chassisand engine of the BMW 328, but with acompletely different body. Already dur-ing the war, the National SocialistMotoring Corps had commissionedTouring of Milan with building threeroadsters featuring pontoon-typestreamlined bodies with a view to partic-ipation in the Berlin-Rome marathon.But as the race never materialized, theyremained untouched. Loof used a scalemodel as a bait, and Huber duly madehis way to Leinau to return to working asin the old days.

What he found there bore little resem-blance to what Loof had promised him.Both his accommodation and the work-ing conditions in what was barely morethan a glorified scrapyard could only bedescribed as wretched. But Huber stuckit out and within three months the bodyfor the BMW 328 Special destined forMunich businessman Heinz Sauermannwas completed. Loof had another twobuyers lined up for his new sports racer,namely Hermann Holbein and Karl Kling.But when the unacceptable conditionswere compounded by difficultiesregarding payment, Loof and Huberparted company.

Holbein now took the constructionof his sports racing model into his ownhands and invited Huber to join him inHerrlingen near Ulm. He was greetedhere not only with decent accommoda-tion, but working in Holbein’s owngarage next to his villa was also far morepleasant than at his last workplace.When neighbours began to complainabout the loud noise in this quiet resi-dential district, Huber turned to a localworkshop, where he completed the cartogether with metalworker WilhelmBräuning.

Externally, the car was barely distin-guishable from the Sauermann BMW.The Holbein BMW, initially with bluethen silver paintwork, became known asthe HH 47. The abbreviation HH stoodfor Hermann Holbein, the 47 for themodel year. For the forthcoming seasonHolbein already had fresh plans. He wasdesigning a single-seater racing car forthe newly launched Formula 2 andtasked Willy Huber with building theentire car, including tuning the engine.

But Huber had had enough of thegypsy life and now wanted to work athome and nowhere else. From now on, a

Page 36

A Type 50 AFM for Nuremberg racing driver Fritz Riess. At the 1950 Schauinsland Hillclimb hetook victory in the Formula 2 racing car class.

Only the last of the cars received this badgeas a mark of their origin.


former boathouse on the Fraueninselwould serve as his race car workshop.Naturally the finished car could not betested on the island, and so a provisionalplatform had to be mounted onto a lowfreight ferry in order to convey the racersafely to the other shore. It was a bizarresight but one which local residents gotused to as the number of cars beingshuttled back and forth across the lakesteadily increased. Holbein had anotherFormula 2 race car built by Huber, name-ly the HH 49.

Vehicles of every description

Another old acquaintance also put workhis way. Alex von Falkenhausen, whohad been with BMW in the 1930s as adesigner in the motorcycle department,had made a name for himself not only asan excellent racing driver but, after thewar, also as an inspired designer of hisown sports and racing cars badged asAFM (Alexander von FalkenhausenMünchen). His two cars for the 1949season, driven by himself, Hans Stuckand Teddy Vorster, had been given bod-ies by an unknown sheet-metalworker.Presumably he had not been persuadedby the quality of craftsmanship on theseprojects, as he had the bodies for thethree subsequent Type 50 single-seaters built by Huber on his island. Forat least one of these racing cars, recordsindicate that Huber was also responsi-ble for its entire technology. With theseFormula 2 cars, drivers Willi Heeks, FritzRiess and Hans Stuck continued their

successful racing careers for someyears to come.

In addition, there were commissionsto build special bodies for private cus-tomers. For the Augsburg factory ownerWilhelm Martini he built a Volkswagenwith an attractive convertible body, aswell as a stunning Fiat Topolino whichreflected the design of the Veritas racingcars in miniature. Unfortunately WillyHuber himself left hardly any recordsregarding his projects. It is quite con-ceivable that he built even more interest-ing models of which we know nothing.His apparently final order to build carbodies once more came from BMW. Inthe racing division, now led by Alex vonFalkenhausen, plans to build a genuinerace car based on the BMW 700 hadripened in 1961. Heinz Eppelein was the

designer of the small Spyder and thespace frame had also been constructedat the plant under his auspices. But therewas nobody on site who could build asuitable aluminium body for it. WillyHuber inevitably sprang to mind, and hewas naturally happy to take on the com-mission for the two bodies.

Boats for the border police

Huber’s field of activity was not exhaust-ed by cars. Word had quickly got aroundthat this man could do anything remote-ly connected with metal. He repairedoutboard motors for fishermen, mademetal fittings for speedboats and builtconservatories. But his main occupationin the 1960s and ’70s was boatbuilding.Around 20 stainless steel vessels rolledout of his workshop, destined as fishingboats on Lake Chiemsee or as motor-boats for the border police on LakeKönigssee. Some of his products are stillin use today. With advancing age, how-ever, he increasingly turned to moremanageable assignments, earning a rep-utation above all for his artisticallyworked carriage lamps, which he built inquantity.

An artist like Willy Huber wouldundoubtedly have acquired a certainprosperity in our day and age. But hehimself remained a modest man – forhim the quality of his work was moreimportant than mere financial reward.Willy Huber died on 9th September2002 at the age of 91.

Above left: Willy Huber built a beautiful mini-Veritas based on a Fiat Topolino for the manufac-turer Martini. Above right: Final commission from BMW – aluminium bodies for the two BMW700 RS models.


Huber built the last Type 50 AFM for WilliHeeks in 1952.

The clouds hung heavy over the Zug-spitze and Hausberg mountains and therain beat down on the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is hard to believe that itwas the first day of the summer month ofJuly. Yet this year once again the BMW

Motorrad Biker Meeting attractedcrowds of participants. Perhaps it wasbecause, as the host pointed out, “bytradition it rains on at least one of thethree days”. Perhaps it was also becausemany of the more than 30,000 BMW

motorcyclists were well kitted out withBMW bikers’ gear and as a result werebarely affected by the rain. But there wasone indisputable reason why not eventhe most adverse weather conditionscould stem the tide of visitors to this

Biker Meeting 2005The 5th BMW Motorrad Biker Meeting coincided with the 25th anniversary of the BMW GS. BMW Mobile Tradition laid on a wide range of activitiesin celebration of this successful motorcycle concept. The highlight was the presentation of the new BMW HP2, which was put through its paces byleading international racing bikers.

By Sinja Lohse

Page 38

event: the powerful charisma of theBMW motorcycle brand.

The response was truly impressive. In2005, the year of the fifth BMW MotorradBiker Meeting, there were records to benoted once again. More than 30,000 bik-ers met up in the idyllic Upper Bavariantown, whose mayor, Thomas Schmid, wasdelighted, as he has been for some yearsnow. This was, after all, the fourth timethat his town was hosting the bikers.Indeed, everyone involved was delighted.Local restaurants welcomed the manyvisitors, hotels and pensions were fullybooked, and the motorcyclists enjoyedhospitality that just gets better and betterand was already signalled by the numer-ous welcome flags flapping along the

approaches to Garmisch-Partenkirchen.Even the police were delighted with theswarms of bikers on roads that normallypresent a problem when it comes to two-wheeled progress. The difference com-pared to many another biking aficionadowas particularly evident during a rideacross the famous mountain stretch ofthe Kesselbergstrasse. Among thoseattending the BMW Biker Meeting, ridingpleasure significantly overrides any desireto take risks on the road. This relaxedenthusiasm for “their” BMW brand distin-guished the entire meeting and evenspread to the representatives of the law.

This year, moreover, there was a spe-cial anniversary to be celebrated. In 1980,BMW Motorrad launched a new modelrange – the BMW R 80 G/S. Back then,quarter of a century ago, the marketlaunch of the new concept had a dramat-ic impact. The market segment of thetouring endurance bike was born.Technological innovations such as theintroduction of the Telelever fork as stan-dard for the first time had the pressfizzing with excitement, and there wererave reports on the handling of the G/S. Apowerful engine quickly won over fansamong devotees of long-distance, exotictravel destinations that occasionally tookriders off the beaten track. The comfortoffered by the new bike, moreover, notonly allowed for longer non-stop stretch-es but had owners of other endurancebikes switching to BMW in their droves.The GS concept was a resounding suc-cess, and today the various GS modelsaccount for almost 30 percent of BMWmotorcycle sales.

And so the anniversary in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was celebrated by a broadgathering of GS fans from far and wide:bikers had come all the way from Spain,Turkey and even Russia to take part in thefestivities marking 25 years of theirfavourite two-wheeler. Among them wasIgor Brezovar of Slovenia, who has alreadytravelled to 75 countries with his R 1100GS and has received a special award forhis motorcycling passion. The prize forthe furthest journey to the event surpris-ingly went to two Garmisch-Parten-

kirchen locals. To get to the BMWMotorrad Biker Meeting they had chosento take an 18,950-kilometre detouraround the Mediterranean.

BMW Mobile Tradition had also com-piled a comprehensive press package onthe theme of the GS anniversary. Issue02/05 of Mobile Tradition live marked the25-year GS anniversary with a cover fea-ture that included a comprehensive retro-spective of the success story of a motor-cycle concept that has lost none of its fas-cination even quarter of a century on.Many of those attending the BMW Biker



Left: Great leaps with the BMW HP2.Right: The classic parade was well attendedagain while the BMW GS theme was the talkof the town.

Once more the traditional biker party proved amain highlight.

Meeting read the magazine and gleanedmany details and background stories onthe GS tradition.

More than 700 visitors took part in anextensive questionnaire by BMW MobileTradition on topics revolving around theBMW GS range, BMW Motorrad in gener-al and the importance of heritage (seealso box below). The highlight of thequestionnaire was the BMW GS quiz, inwhich each contestant was played fourdifferent motorcycle sounds and had toidentify which one belonged to the GS.Those taking part in the quiz automatical-ly qualified for a raffle that was hosted onthe first day of the meeting by the popularbike-loving TV presenter Harry Weber.

There were more than 100 prizes tobe won, from a complete GS Rallye 2 suitand the latest GS AirFlow helmet all theway to publications from the BMWProfiles series and DVDs on record-

breaking racing legend Ernst JakobHenne. It was no surprise that the crowdswere thronging the BMW MobileTradition stand. But apart from the quiz,the marquee and the exhibition on thetheme of “25 Years of the BMW GS –Meeting of Generations” proved popularthroughout the event. Attracting keeninterest were not just the historic modelsof the original GS, the winning motorcy-cle of the Paris-Dakar Rally and represen-tatives of other GS generations: it wasabove all the HP2 – unveiled before thewider public for the first time – that wasan object of fascination for the assem-bled bikers. With its uncompromisingconcept created by enthusiasts forenthusiasts (see also the interview withDr Diess, head of BMW Motorrad), thestory comes full circle to the first BMW R80 G/S of the year 1980.

In Sunday’s glorious sunshine, visi-

tors were able to partake of the tradi-tional weisswurst breakfast and a bikers’church service, as well as admiring thecolourful convoy of classic two-wheel-ers. Some 100 participants rode theirbikes past approximatley 3,000 specta-tors lining the roads from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Grainau.

Page 40

Above left: Raffle prizes are drawn in the exhibition marquee after the big BMW GS quiz byBMW Mobile Tradition. Left: The BMW Mobile Tradition team on location.

Which do you regard as the typical BMW GS?

What is associated with BMW motorcycles?

What do you believe the BMW GS family stands for?

Questionnaire on 25 Years of the BMW GS

R 80 G/S (51.7%)

R 1150 GS (22.8%)

R 1200 GS (20.8%)

Reliability (60.8%)

Good workmanship (49.2%)

Easy handling (41.3%)

Rough terrain and roads (81.0%)

Adventures in faraway lands (34.45%)

Escape from daily life (21.0%)

More than 30,000 bikers from over 40 countries attended the 5th BMW Motorrad Biker Meeting in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, tested the latestBMW models and took part in the parade of 1,200 motorcycles through the Werdenfelser Land. Below: BMW Mobile Tradition questionnaire.

Multiple answers were possible.



Mobile Tradition live: Dr Diess, BMWMotorrad has introduced the BMW HP2here for the first time. What is the conceptbehind it? Dr Diess: The HP2 is a motorcycle byspecialists for specialists. It was createdby a group of passionate endurance bik-ers who built their own vision of a motor-cycle. They wanted to recreate what hap-pened 25 years ago by designing a BMWthat is genuinely suited for cross-countryriding.

Mobile Tradition live: Does that com-plete the circle to the original GSlaunched in 1980? Dr Diess: Yes, I can definitely see simi-larities. When the original GS was intro-duced there were no big Enduros.These bikes came with 250 or 300 cc,and the biggest had 500 cc. Nobodyimagined you could ride an 800 ccmachine, least of all with a Boxer engine,in offroad terrain. The G/S issue was avery controversial one at BMW. But theconcept’s backers prevailed and builtone of the most successful BMW two-wheelers of all time. A new market seg-ment was created, and we are doingsomething similar again with the newHP2. The first 80 G/S came with 50 bhp,while 25 years on the HP2, based on asimilar concept, draws on 100 bhp. Andit is clearly designed for offroad travel,just like the old G/S.

Mobile Tradition live: How much of theold concept is retained in the HP2? Dr Diess: The GS concept comprises aseries of typical features: the Paraleverswing-arm, the low centre of gravity withthe flat-twin Boxer engine, long springtravel, light weight – all of which con-tribute to the bike’s good handling onrough terrain as well as surfaced roads.The HP2 has all these ingredients and it isby far our lightest endurance bike. Itboasts long spring travel, the famous sin-gle swinging arm, the shaft drive: it’s anevolutionary concept.

Mobile Tradition live: The original GSrose to fame in the Paris-Dakar Rally. Canwe expect something similar of the HP2?

Dr Diess: Although the HP2 isn’t a rallybike, the GS didn’t start off by competingin the Dakar either. But the HP2 is alreadybeing fielded by three riders in theGerman Cross Country and otherendurance events. We had a strong show-ing at the Erzberg Race against genuineoffroad competition and acquitted our-selves outstandingly well. I think that a lotof private riders will be using the bike aswell.

Mobile Tradition live: 25 years of the GS– how important is the concept for BMW?Dr Diess: Incredibly important. Todayaround a third of our turnover and salesare down to the GS range, primarily the1200 GS and the F650 GS, which takesup some of the attributes of the big BoxerGS. It is also very important for the brand– the GS is one of BMW’s iconic products.

Mobile Tradition live: Do GS riders needan anniversary of this kind?Dr Diess: I think it’s a very importantoccasion for the bikers. They have usuallyhad a very longstanding association withthe bike. Once you’ve been a GS rider it’svery difficult to give it up again. There area lot of people who have been riding GSmodels since the 1980s. Looking back on

the history of the GS is an enjoyable expe-rience for many motorcyclists.

Mobile Tradition live: Is heritage animportant part of BMW Motorrad? Dr Diess: Extremely important. You cansee it in the HP2. It still retains the classicBMW attributes: the Boxer engine, shaftdrive and telescopic fork were also invent-ed over more than 80 years of BMWmotorcycle history. As you can see, weare actively living and cultivating our her-itage, and the fundamental approach isevolutionary. There are a lot of BMWmotorcycles today in which you can readthe entire history of BMW.

Mobile Tradition live: We are now cele-brating 25 years of the BMW GS. Willthere be a golden anniversary in another25 years? Dr Diess: I’m certain of that.

Mobile Tradition live: Finally, an off-the-cuff question: K 1200 R or HP2?Dr Diess: Both. An off-the-cuff answer:you need both. The HP2 for tackling chal-lenging terrain, and the K 1200 R is ofcourse a fantastic bike for twisty countryroads. I’m fortunate enough to be able toride both of them from time to time.

Interview with Dr Herbert Diess, head of BMW Motorrad

Dr Herbert Diess, head of BMW Motorrad, with the BMW HP2.

In 1926 BMW concluded a cooperation agreement with Daimler-Benz AG. The Stuttgart-based company was the product of amerger completed earlier that year between Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft and the Mannheim-based firm Benz & Cie. Initially, theagreement appeared to lack any real punch, save for a mutualexchange of Supervisory Board members (it was decided thatFranz Josef Popp would attend the Supervisory Board meetings ofDaimler-Benz AG in his capacity as General Manager of BMW AGand, in return, Carl Schippert would be present at meetings of theBMW Supervisory Board as a representative of Daimler). And that,for the time being, was about as far as the cooperation went.Indeed, there was little reason to expect anything different, giventhe lack of common ground between the two firms’ product ranges– while BMW was turning out motorcycles and aero-engines,Daimler-Benz’ focus was on vehicle production. And Popp’s insis-

tence that Daimler keep its finger out of the aero-engine pie pouredmore cold water on any potential for a closer partnership.

BMW enters the automotive world

In 1928 BMW bought up the vehicle factory in Eisenach, abranch operation of Gothaer Waggonfabrik A.G. and the plantresponsible for production of Dixi cars. This was BMW AG’sticket into automotive production, sparing the company thetrouble and expense of having to build a new manufacturingfacility of its own. Initially, production continued of the 3/15small car built under licence from Austin. The purchase of theEisenach vehicle factory came at a time when the German econo-my was showing signs of a tentative recovery after the hard yearsand the inflation which followed the end of the First World War. Thiswelcome revival was also making its presence felt within the auto-

Since the 1980s BMW and Mercedes have been locked in a battle for supremacy in the premium car market. Which makes it all the more amaz-ing that the two companies enjoyed such a close alliance during a period in their collective past. During the years of economic hardship in theGreat Depression between 1929 and 1932, the powers-that-be in Stuttgart and Munich added further layers to the cooperation agreement con-cluded in 1926. The primary aim of the original tie-up was to work together in the production of bodywork for BMW cars at the Daimler plant inSindelfingen.

By Caroline Schulenburg

Page 42

The administration building at the Eisenach car factory, still with “Dixi-Werke” signage.

BMW and Daimler-Benz join forces in car production(1926 to 1934)

motive sector. Germany’s vehicle popula-tion doubled in size between 1925 and1928, although it still lagged some waybehind that of its European neighbours.The figure in Great Britain, for example, wasnudging the million-unit mark by 1929. Alarge number of the vehicles registered inGermany were small cars, which gaveBMW good reason to expect further gainsin this market segment. The reality, howev-er, turned out to be rather different. TheGreat Depression of 1929 hit the car mar-ket hard. Between 1928 and 1931 vehicleproduction in Germany nose-dived from150,000 to 80,100 units. Over the sameperiod, the number of automotive manufac-turers shrank from 62 firms to 36.

Troubled times in a global downturn

The BMW Board of Management conse-quently decided to sell the Eisenach plant

and channel all its energies into the pro-duction of motorcycles and aero-engines.However, Popp and his colleagues soonhad to accept that there were no takersfor the plant. The Board was faced withtwo choices. It could abandon car produc-tion, which would mean taking an imme-diate hit of some 2.5 million reichsmarks,plus a further loss for the year of around0.5 million reichsmarks. Or it could grantthe factory a stay of execution, a plandependent on developing a new small carthat would generate sufficient demand ina deflated market.

In order to keep the option of sellingthe plant open, it seemed like a goodidea to get the new model onto the roadas soon as possible. This would, in turn,act as a spur for potential customers.Since the price and quality of the new carwere crucial if it was to make a profit, the

BMW Board of Management was con-sidering severing its ties with its Berlin-based body supplier Ambi-Budd andapproaching Daimler-Benz AG with aproposal of partnership.

At last it was time to dust off the coop-eration agreement of 1926, which hadbarely seen the light of day in any mean-ingful form since it was originally conclud-ed. The new 7 horsepower swing-axlecars from Daimler and the similarly new 3bhp model from BMW added depth toboth companies’ product ranges.

On the road to partnership

Visions of how the two manufacturerscould work together on a technical andcommercial level took on a more con-crete form in the summer of 1931. Thepartnership would form the basis for thenew BMW car, several examples of whichhad already been produced for testingpurposes. First, however, there was thequestion of whether a suitable body forthe new BMW model could be built atDaimler’s Sindelfingen production facili-ty. It was a marriage of conveniencewhich stood to benefit both companies.BMW lacked the resources to build itsown bodywork factory from scratch,while the Daimler plant was operating atonly half capacity thanks to the knock-oneffects of the Depression. Popp had high

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Company history


1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934

Germany 351,000 433,000 501,000 523,000 497,000 522,000 674,000

France 643,000 757,000 930,000 1,109,000 1,251,000 1,388,000 1,432,000

Great Britain 899,000 998,000 1,100,000 1,157,000 1,171,000 1,434,000 1,324,000

Vehicle population 1928 – 1934 in units

Germany’s vehicle population in 1928 and 1929. The rapid rise in numbers is clearly visible.

hopes for the future success of theprospective tie-up, “as the exterior of theBMW car, when shaped to fit theMercedes body moulds, would surelygive sales a significant boost”.

Possible forms of cooperation

In addition to relocating body produc-tion to the Daimler-Benz factory, therewere also plans in the pipeline to sellBMW cars though the Stuttgart-basedcompany’s sales outlets. This wasanother move which made a lot of sensefor both parties, as sales recorded bythe Daimler sales organization wouldincrease its revenues and allow it tospread costs more widely.

Munich was also hoping to strikesome kind of agreement with Daimleraimed at securing technical supportfrom its southern German neighbour.The resultant arrangement saw theBMW prototype handed over to theengineers in Stuttgart for a thoroughhealth check. As it turned out, Daimlerhad themselves made this a condition ofthe agreement to sell BMW cars. If theBavarian company’s cars were going topass through Daimler sales outlets, itwanted to be sure that they would meetits own technical standards.

However, the tie-up was put on ice inthe summer of 1931, with customers stillneeded for the 2,000 units of the oldBMW car which had already rolled off theproduction line. On the basis that theywere not likely to be found before earlythe following summer, the decision wastaken to put the two existing test modelsthrough an extended 100,000-kilometretrial and to build 15 cars as part of a pre-production run, of which five would be fit-ted with bodies made in Sindelfingen.

The value of the cooperation toDaimler-Benz was not to be underesti-mated, as the company’s Board were wellaware. The Stuttgart-based firm was pre-pared to waive its fee for the body designprovided that BMW gave the order forproduction to Daimler as well. However, ifBMW decided to have the Daimler-designed bodies manufactured at theEisenach factory, a one-off paymentwould be due. An offer of 575 reichs-marks per unit was on the table for pro-duction of the BMW bodies. Although theDaimler-Benz Board of Managementoffered to supply the bodies at cost price,

the company had almost certainly fac-tored in a respectable profit margin.

Every now and again, someonewould raise the idea of taking the coop-eration to the next level and building theplanned Mercedes 5/20 PS – a smallermodel – not at Daimler-Benz’ plants inUntertürkheim or Mannheim, but initiallyin a joint initiative with the BMW model inEisenach. As construction of small carsrequired different working methods fromthose used in the production of high-quality mid-range and luxury-class cars,the Stuttgart management feared thatproducing the new model atUntertürkheim would simplyprove too expensive and wouldnot therefore be competitive.The plans also envisaged relo-cating all small car productionfrom Eisenach to the Daimlerplant in Mannheim in the eventof an upturn in the economy,since capacity in Eisenachwould most probably nolonger be sufficient to copewith an accompanying surgein demand.

While Popp toyed with theidea of bringing the two compa-nies’ small car production (up to1,200 cc) together under anagreement of mutual interest inautumn 1931, the Stuttgart topbrass saw such a move as pre-

mature. BMW, they reasoned, had not yetdeveloped a fully formulated model range.

A cooperation agreement underpinsthe partnership

This led to the completion of a new coop-eration agreement between the two com-panies in the winter of 1931. At the heartof this contract was an arrangement tobring together the two firms’ models withdisplacement under 1.2 litres. Added towhich, there was also a commitment toproviding mutual sales support byabsorbing each other into their respective

BMW and Daimler-Benz: Cooperation between 1926 and 1934

Page 44

BMW bodies from Sindelfingen

Units52,469

4,7016,170

5,756

2,991

10521,197

Type of car

2,315 saloons152 convertibles1 touring car1 van

4,409 saloons1,761 convertibles4,436 saloons1,320 convertibles2,717 saloons274 convertible saloons

PeriodNov/Dec 1931 1932

19331934

1935

1936

Jan/Feb 1937 Total

BMW openly advertises its car with “Original bodywork by Daimler-Benz” (point 5).

sales structures. Finally, it was estab-lished that BMW would commission thebodies for the new model, which wasscheduled for delivery from the spring of1932, from Daimler-Benz rather than fromAmbi Budd as had previously been thecase. The agreement was valid initiallyuntil December 1934.

As part of the next stage in the devel-opment of the partnership, it was agreedat the beginning of 1932 that Poppshould be voted in as a member of theDaimler-Benz Supervisory Board andDaimler-Benz Chairman Wilhelm Kisselelected to the equivalent body at BMWAG. Over the following years, the idea ofbringing together the two firms on a morefundamental level was never far from thesurface. From a technical point of view, amerger would certainly have been benefi-cial to BMW AG. However, the global eco-nomic downturn at the time had plungedDaimler-Benz AG heavily into the red,whereas BMW AG was based on a soundand virtually debt-fee financial footing,and Popp stopped short of pushing for-ward his merger plans.

A new model brings the curtaindown on the partnership

The idea of amalgamating the two com-panies was finally scrapped at the begin-ning of 1934, when the Daimler-BenzBoard of Management announced in therun-up to the International Motor Show(IAA) that BMW had developed a 1.5-litre

car and was going to put it on show inBerlin. The Daimler Board interpreted thisas a breach of the cooperation agree-ment, which still had until December thatyear to run. During the negotiations, theissue had arisen of whether BMW shouldagree not to build cars with displacementof more than 1.2 litres, with Daimler-Benz

making a similar pledge to omit carsunder 1.2 litres from its vehicle range.This clause had been removed, though,from the most recent draft of the agree-ment. BMW was indeed planning to showa pair of 1.5-litre sports cars in Berlin, butPopp responded to Stuttgart’s concernsby stating that, to his knowledge, theagreement did not set any kind of 1.2-litredemarcation. He also described the newmodel as a reaction to the 1.3-litre cardeveloped by Daimler-Benz, whichundercut BMW’s 1.2-litre car in terms ofprice. This pushed BMW into a cornerwhere it was forced to come up with a carfitted with a more powerful engine, allow-ing the BMW car to make up the lostground in terms of price and regain itscompetitive edge over Daimler’s 1.3-litremodel. At the same time, he pressed hisSwabian counterparts for a reduction inthe price of bodies made in Sindelfingen.

In a letter dated February 1934, Poppstressed how fruitful the cooperationagreement had proved for Daimler BenzAG, while BMW had seen precious little inthe way of benefits: “We have givenDaimler-Benz orders for bodies worth mil-lions – and at extremely attractive prices. Ihave seen to it that Daimler has alsoreceived orders for aero-engine partsworth millions from us and have giventhem further assistance through the rightsof co-sale for our cars at several Daimlerbranches. The cooperation agreementwhich we concluded has therefore worked

out totally to the benefit of Daimler-Benz.Meanwhile, DB has to this day not madethe slightest effort to offer us anything byway of reciprocation. Indeed, I would go asfar as to say that their strategy is serving toundermine our interests.”

The cooperation agreement was con-cluded at a time of severe crisis for the two

companies, and the upturn in the Germaneconomy and the automotive industry as awhole in the second half of 1932 hadtaken away its primary raison d’être. TheBMW Board was therefore in no mood tocontinue selling its cars through Daimler-Benz AG. Stuttgart, on the other hand, hadrather more to lose should the link-up hitthe buffers, and set about drafting a newagreement – with the offending clausespecifying a fixed displacement limit con-spicuous by its absence. Instead, the newproposal would see the two companiesexchanging information and perhapsreaching agreement on their productranges. Daimler was keen to enshrine thecooperation within the terms of a newcontract, but Munich felt it was moredesirable to pursue the partnership with-out any contractual constraints.

This, however, was not the outcomeDaimler-Benz was hoping for. In mid-June 1935 the company informed theBMW Board that capacity at itsSindelfingen plant had already beenexhausted by demand for its own vehi-cles and that it could therefore no longerproduce bodies for the Bavarian compa-ny. BMW responded by insisting thatDaimler continue deliveries through1936 until they had found another bodymanufacturer to take up the slack. In theyears that followed, the lion’s share ofbodies for production cars were built atAmbi-Budd, just as they had been before1931. The companies maintained a cor-

dial relationship after the agreement hadexpired and their representation on eachother’s Supervisory Boards was leftuntouched. The intention was for therelationship to continue along friendlylines, especially as far as a demarcationof interests in aero-engine productionwas concerned.



Bones of contention: BMW 315 at the 1934 Berlin Motor Show (left) and the first BMW cars with Daimler-Benz bodies (centre and right).

Cathedrals of the present“Museums are the cathedrals of the pres-ent!” These are the words used byJapanese architect Tadao Ando todescribe new museum buildings of ourday, and he numbers them among themost significant and often most spectacu-lar building projects. The cultural imageand commercial success of a city – if not anentire nation – are intimately associatedwith these buildings, supported by thegeneral boom in museums. They are alsotermed “site factors” or “seismographs ofcontemporary architecture”. Many of themwere conceived with no regard for func-tionality. They are designed to embody val-ues and fulfil aesthetic visions. They arearchitectural shells that are not intended toserve the exhibit but whose main aim is tocelebrate their own existence and that oftheir creators.

Museums that are getting on in yearshave also become more architecturallyambitious. Some famous internationalnames like the Louvre or the BritishMuseum are reconfiguring their structureto meet the requirements of visitors.Above all, they are installing new tech-nologies for communication and using

new concepts of display.The BMW Museum is also currently beingmodernized and significantly expanded,after having been opened more than 30years ago. Lots of work has to be done inorder to meet international museum stan-dards. The museum also needs to do jus-tice to the BMW brand, its history and theunfolding story of success. Moreover, BMWis planning to set up a great world of expe-rience at its Group Head Office – the BMWWorld. Alongside the museum, this willinclude a dispatch centre, a brand presen-tation and a plant tour. The official openingis scheduled for spring/summer of 2007.

A “traffic complex”

The project team “New BMW Museum” isenthusiastic about creating a complex thatwill epitomize the rebirth of the BMWMuseum. The museum will not only pro-vide a spectacular shell – it is dedicated toa philosophy. The defining factor is theworld of exhibits that are presented in theBMW Museum. The architecture and thepurpose of the building will mutuallyenhance each other. Even the location is acritical aspect of design: the BMW Towerlooks down on the streams of pedestrians

walking to and from the Olympic Park,automobiles come out of the Petuel Tunneland drive along roads and across squares.The traffic arteries are the functionalspaces of the automobiles: roads, bridges,tunnels and parking spaces. They don’tsimply determine the environment of theBMW Museum, they also dominate itsarchitecture. The guiding motif is the trafficcomplex enclosed within a shell, the con-tinuation of the road within the enclosedspace.

The BMW Museum is not intended asa okace to park valuable two- and four-wheelers, but as a presentation site forBMW vehicles “in a suitable action space”.

Desired cityscape effect

At the close of the 1960s, when the BMWBoard of Management decided to build anew administrative centre located beforethe gates of Plant 1, a museum didn’t fig-ure. The tender initially only required anadministrative building, a pavilion for anelectronic computer centre and a car park.The aim was to create a landmark that rep-resented the company and expressed itsgrowing importance.

The architectural competition

Architecture, philosophy and zeitgeist of the BMW MuseumIn less than two years – in the summer of 2007 – the new BMW Museum will open to the public. Design, planning and realization are going full steamahead. The history of the BMW brand will soon have its 90th birthday, and it is currently being profiled for the exhibition. The products are being pre-pared for a venue that will showcase the enormous range in the environment of an “urban traffic complex”. Visitors will be able to enjoy uniqueexhibits, new perspectives, exciting architecture, an innovative exhibition design and sophisticated tours. Contributions to the new BMW Museumwill bridge the period until the museum is opened. Part 1 is dedicated to a historical review of the museum, which was opened in 1973 in the satel-lite building known as the museum “bowl”.

By Dr Andreas Braun

Page 46

spawned a number of different architectur-al concepts in the summer of 1968.However, because none of the plans couldbe recommended for implementation with-out corrections, the jury didn’t award a firstprize. The decision was therefore back withthe BMW Board. Paul G. Hahnemann,deputy Chairman of the Board from 1961 to1971 and initiator of the new architecturalproject, was very enthusiastic about thedesign by Austrian professor of architec-ture Karl Schwanzer. The jury had alsohighlighted the “desired cityscape effectwith an impressive and convincing impact”,conferring second prize on this design.With appropriate backing, all remainingdoubts in the executive management weredispelled and Schwanzer was finally award-ed the commission.

The next stage was devoted to theconcept and planning phase. Time was ata premium and this stage was completedin just under two years. In July 1970, thedetailed planning had been completed.Since the museum was not an elementincluded in the tender and it didn’t appearnecessary for the routine operational work-flow, there was a continuing question markover whether it would come to fruition.However, Schwanzer designed an inde-pendent external building for the automo-bile exhibition, devoting special care to thisproject in order to secure a following windfor the museum with the Board ofManagement. His strategy was successful:after a construction period of around twoyears, the ensemble of buildings was offi-cially opened on 18th May 1973.

Dynamic architecture

The museum owes its imposing profile to ashell design constructed in lightweightconcrete. It constitutes a foil for the vertical

tower and the horizontal design of the oper-ations building. The strongly curved con-tours of the silver shimmering wall com-plete the outside of the building. The onlyviews of the interior are afforded by the stripof windows positioned in the plinth. Solidcircular bases and a continuous ring anchorform the load-bearing structure. Five plat-forms of different size rise up to differentlevels without touching the shell wall, con-nected to each other only by a suspendedramp that permits vehicles to be driven upand down. A sweeping escalator is a keyelement of the designated visitor route,linking the entrance foyer with the spaciousbowl and the two top platforms.

In his publications, Schwanzerreferred a number of times to the dynamiceffects that emerge by virtue of the over-lapping spatial forms in the interior of thebowl. These are particularly suited to thepurpose of the building as a showcase fortransport. He believed that the curvature ofthe contoured interior wall made it particu-larly appropriate for conveying corneringand the dynamic illusion of the drivingcharacteristics of the vehicles exhibited.

Unprecedented stroke of genius

Schwanzer’s oeuvre, created between1947 and 1975, has no uniform signature.He was no proponent of a rigid canon ofdesign, attempting rather to create an indi-vidual solution for each project. In generalterms, Schwanzer moved consistently andearly on from the linear spatial structurecharacteristic of the 1950s to the plasticarchitecture of the 1960s and early 1970s.

He created the BMW ensemble fromcomplementary large-scale forms. Thedesign of the museum is on a scale thatenables it to mediate between the towerand the low-level structure. Alongside

these buildings, it provides a relativelysmall but optically extremely effective fea-ture. With the tower, Schwanzer had toobserve architectural constraints and meetfunctional requirements. By contrast, hewas able to approach the design of themuseum with maximum freedom.

The design of the museum was notbased on any precursors and remainedunique. The Solomon R. GuggenheimMuseum in New York, designed by FrankLloyd Wright between 1956 and 1959,probably provided some ideas with its cir-cular external structure, the isolation of theinterior, and the spiralling route taken bythe visitors. The government complex inthe Brazilian capital Brasilia, designed byOscar Niemeyer, might be seen as a fore-runner of the architectural ensemble as awhole.

Engineering feat as work of art

As well as being in a position to effect abold design in engineering terms for thearchitecture of the tower and the museum,Karl Schwanzer was also capable of verbal-ly communicating the aesthetic ideasbehind his work. By a stroke of luck, he metthe photographer Sigrid Neubert in 1970,whom he had met previously in Vienna in1962. He found in her a chronicler of thevisual image who captured his architecturefrom a photographer’s point of view. Theintellectual concept underlying his workwas expressed in her images, and she cap-tured significant details. The BMW build-ings came to be documented from thecommencement of construction to the endof building work. This exceptionallyimpressive record goes far beyond merelydocumenting the progress of construction.The black-and-white photographs empha-size the plastic quality of architectural form



Masterworks ofarchitectural pho-tography: SigridNeubert recordsthe opening of theBMW Museumin 1973.

Architecture, philosophy and zeitgeist of the BMW Museum

that is typical of Schwanzer’s work. Usingintense contrasts, expressive shadows andsharply delineated contours, they displaythe tower ensemble as a complete work ofart. Neubert’s compositions generate alanguage of images that creates an analo-gy with Schwanzer’s architecture andcommunicates a timeless modernity.

Sigrid Neubert is rightly regarded asone of the foremost photographers ofarchitecture. The list of architects whoseworks she has portrayed through her cam-era reads like a Who’s Who of Germanpostwar architecture. Her photographshave allowed today’s museum planners touncover and reconstruct the physiognomyof the museum building in its original ele-gance and aesthetic effect.

Signs of the times

Directly after the museum opened in May1973, the architecture at BMW attracted agreat deal of attention. In the same year,Schwanzer received the BDA AwardBavaria from the Association of GermanArchitects. Munich, the venue for theXXth Olympic Games, now boastedanother architectural highlight alongsidethe bold tent roofs over the Olympic com-plex. The fascination of the two big archi-tectural ensembles on either side of

Munich’s middle ring road derives fromthe structural and aesthetic constructionsthat foreground technology. The architec-ture harmonizes with the ethos of theearly 1970s – a belief in the aestheticeffect of spectacular architectural feats ofengineering. World expos presentedbreathtaking pavilion designs, and afterthe moon landing, the worlds of film andfashion were inspired by the technoidmagic of the American Apollo missions.The competition for the Pompidou Centrein Paris tendered in 1971 demonstratedthe extent to which technology dominat-ed the options for design at the time.Along with the BMW Museum, theSydney Opera House and the TwinTowers of the World Trade Center in NewYork were inaugurated in 1973.

Cornucopia of success

The bowl of the BMW Museum and the“Four-Cylinder” tower also symbolizeentrepreneurial success. When thesebuildings were officially opened in 1973,the Bayerische Motoren Werke were moresuccessful than ever before. The statisticspresented in their Annual Report showsignificant growth rates for production,sales and vehicle registrations, with buoy-ant demand abroad powering the German

economy. After the boom years of the1960s, the early 1970s continued to showsuccessful growth. They also marked aphase of reorientation and new directionsfor BMW. On 1st January 1970, Eberhardvon Kuenheim was appointed Chairman ofthe Board of Management at the age ofonly 41. When the BMW 520 waslaunched in 1972, BMW introduced a for-ward-looking model strategy. The modelpolicy based on the 1 Series, 3 Series, 5Series and 7 Series was launched in thatyear, a strategy that proved to be a guaran-tee of success.

In May 1973, the company had a newand prestigious head office with impres-sive architecture as well as a brandmuseum located in a prominent position.After a construction period of threeyears, November 1973 saw productionstart up at the Dingolfing plant – theBavarian site is the biggest BMW manu-facturing facility in the world.

Another key development at this timewas the move towards globalization. Afterestablishing sales companies in France,Belgium and Italy, the Board ofManagement opted for a greater commit-ment in South Africa. The contours of agroup that thinks and acts globally weregradually starting to take shape. But the

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Curving space: ramps and platforms transform the BMW Museum into a unique “traffic complex”.


Annual Report for 1973 is not oblivious tothe dark clouds gathering over the globaleconomy. It records the drop in businessduring November and December andrefers to the global oil crisis. The Arab oilboycott and the subsequent drastic risesin prices caused the economies of thewestern industrialized nations to falter.Major automobile manufacturers reactedwith short-time working, and a strict banon car traffic was enforced on Germany’smotorways for several Sundays. Peoplehad concrete evidence of the limits togrowth. A belief in the inevitability ofprogress that had endured for genera-tions was severely dented.

The New BMW Museum

Since 1973, the BMW Museum hasreceived millions of visitors. In a series ofexhibitions, innovatory exhibition conceptswere introduced and the theme of theBMW brand was presented from many dif-ferent perspectives. After more than 30years in operation, the time was ripe for anew concept.

BMW is well aware of the great suc-cess of the museum and its worldwidepopularity. The New BMW Museum that iscurrently being constructed will respectthe “bowl”, as it is affectionately known in

Munich, retaining its symbolic force andprojecting it as an architectural landmark.Additional structures added over the last30 years will be removed so that the muse-um building can re-emerge in its original,compact beauty. This minimalist aestheticwill foreground its timeless modernity.

The building for the BMW World willbe located to the west of the LerchenauerStrasse and will provide a major new archi-tectural impetus from 2007. In contrast,the newly designed BMW Museum will becreated within the contours of the struc-ture built in 1973. The major expansion offloor space will generate a fivefold increasein exhibition space but will not be visible onthe exterior.

The museum remains firmly linkedwith the group head office and meldedwithin an ensemble that has the status of alisted building. The new museum architec-ture is a statement that demonstrates howthe company respects its tradition.Nevertheless, the museum is dedicated tothe BMW brand – there’s plenty of scopefor innovation and reinterpretation.

The adjacent low-level building isbeing refurbished for its new public usedesigned to enhance the brand. The archi-tectural shell – comprising three exteriorfaçades – will remain intact. However, a

new, large space will be created in the inte-rior and this will give rise to a remarkablespatial concept. An innovative architecturewill be integrated within this corpus, com-prising a ramp system and standaloneexhibition elements.

A media dream

The original museum bowl and the addi-tional area of the low-level building have aconnecting element in the ramps thatupholds the architectural philosophy of KarlSchwanzer while breathing new life into it.The platforms are also located within thebowl, like squares along a “road”, formingan open, interacting system. The basic ideaof the ramp is reinterpreted as it is trans-ferred to the low-level building: the road inthe enclosed space embodies the principleof a dynamic architecture. Exhibition areasare located along a “road” in this part of thebuilding. But the fact that they are encapsu-lated affords the possibility of discrete pre-sentations of exhibition objects.

One of Karl Schwanzer’s originaldesign ideas is given new life using thegenre of film. After the architect has beenintroduced, the visitor is to experience an“illusionistic panorama projection on theshell wall” on the uppermost level of thebowl. This projection, permitting a 360°panorama, will be made possible by thisextraordinary, free-floating space with a wallarea 120 metres in length and up to 6metres in height, offering visitors a uniqueattraction. Where else will it be possible toexperience the proverbial “sheer drivingpleasure” in such an all-embracing format?

A car in a new “stage set”: a concrete structure is lent dynamic movement.


The architect in conversation: Karl Schwanzer(right) and Herbert Quandt.

In the official chronicles of the BMW Isetta, Rottach-Egernoccupies a rather special niche. It was on 3rd March 1955 thatthe “motocoupé” celebrated its world debut in the idyllic townon Lake Tegernsee in Bavaria. That part of the story is widelyknown: the upmarket Hotel Bachmair, the throng of curiousmedia representatives, the damp, cold weather, the memorableintroductory words of Fritz Fiedler and C.T. Hoepner. But short-ly after this successful press launch, Rottach-Egern was to bethe scene of another, hitherto little-known chapter in the histo-ry of the Isetta. The protagonist is a young woman who, thanksto her initiative and persuasive powers, became the first femaleIsetta customer.

In 1955 Hanni Bakker lived at Hauptstrasse 18 in Rottach-Egern. To get about, she and her husband had opted for aLambretta 125 LC. On this Italian scooter she would ridethrough the scenic environs of Lake Tegernsee. But the pleas-ures of this small two-wheeler were increasingly dampened bythe cold and rain. Her ardent wish was to have a roof over herhead on these excursions. Now aged 81, she clearly remembershow the choice fell on the Isetta. The fact that the press launchof the motocoupé had taken place in her immediate neighbour-

hood, and that BMW had swamped the daily newspapers andweekly magazines with a deluge of ads, ensured that FrauBakker took due note of the latest product to come from theBayerische Motoren Werke.

No sooner had she identified the Isetta than her decisionwas made. It was just what the young woman had been lookingfor: not only protection against wind and weather, but also afashionable, smart mode of four-wheeled transport. But howwas she to get hold of her dream car? In May 1955 there was nodealer far and wide who had an Isetta in the showroom. FrauBakker therefore decided it would be a good idea to get in touchdirectly with the company’s head office. Her brother-in-law, whowas working for the car dealers Münchner-Automobil-HandelHaberl & Co. KG – or MAHAG – gave her a lift to Munich anddropped her off outside the factory in Milbertshofen. Somehowshe managed to nobble the sales manager in charge of domes-tic business, Dr Walter Krüger. She told him of her enthusiasmfor the “rolling egg” and how desperately she needed just sucha vehicle. Krüger was initially very unreceptive to her require-ment, as BMW had its hands full trying to supply all dealers witha demonstration model. But Frau Bakker would not be deterredand in the end, by remaining obdurate yet all the while charming,she managed to persuade the sales manager to deliver a modelto her before long.

Fast learner

Time was pressing. Her husband had accepted his first positionas an advertising assistant with the Graetz company. This tradi-tional enterprise, founded in 1866, had since the war been pro-ducing radio sets in the town of Altena. A move to Westphaliawas thus impending and the Bakkers were determined to takethe Isetta with them to their new home. Monday, 24th May 1955,was the big day. A new Isetta 250 Standard with ivory paintworkwas parked in the backyard of the Otto Hoffmeyer dealership inBad Wiessee. It was not to be put in the showroom so as not toattract any new customers. This model was destined for FrauBakker and Bad Wiessee had to wait until the middle of June forits long-awaited demo model.

An employee from the dealership immediately set off forRottach-Egern. When he arrived, the first female Isetta driverrevealed that, although she had been riding around on twowheels for some time, she needed a little practice with fourwheels. As the journey to Altena was planned for that sameweek, the two of them lost no time and headed for the newlycompleted Wallbergstrasse in the Isetta. Here the car salesmanexplained to the young lady how to handle the motocoupé asthey drove around. Frau Bakker was quick on the uptake, andthree days later was ready to embark on the long journey.

A very special debutThe BMW Isetta occupies a unique place in the history of BMW. But its drivers occasionally had to resort to unusual means in order to call thediminutive car their own – as shown in this story of a determined young woman who was to become the first female owner of the “bubble car”.

By Manfred Grunert

Page 50

Her pride and joy: Hanni Bakker with her BMW Isetta 250 Standard.

Packed to the gunnels with everything thelarge removal van had not taken, HanniBakker hit the road.

The first stopover was in theGrünwald suburb of Munich, where shespent the night in the house of WernerEplinius – a well-known scriptwriter – andhis wife, who were longstanding friends ofthe Bakkers. Though this first stageseemed very short, the second day wouldprove a marathon stretch. The newlyfledged Isetta driver wanted to make it allthe way to Altena: 700 kilometres in avehicle which, according to the worksspecifications, had a top speed of 85km/h. It was an ambitious target. Theroute first took the young woman toFrankfurt. On the way to Wuppertal shedeveloped a real thirst. The petrol stationshe spotted was like a godsend. The onlyproblem was it was on the wrong side ofthe carriageway. But that wasn’t going tostop Frau Bakker. She simply cut acrossthe grass central reservation to take her

rest stop. Unfortunately the little incidentdid not go unnoticed. Two policemen hadobserved this breach of traffic regulationsand questioned the driver. Hanni Bakkermade her apologies and quickly told thetwo guardians of the law her unusualstory. Taken in equal measure by thecharming young lady and her unusualfour-wheeler, they not only turned a blindeye to the offence but escorted her backonto the northbound carriageway toensure a safe continuation of her journey.

By the time she reached Altena it wasalready dark. Her concerned spouse wasrelieved finally to embrace his wife. TheIsetta, Hanni Bakker, the clay pot, the boxof bedlinen and all the other bits andpieces stashed away in the little two-seater had arrived safe and sound inWestphalia. She was rather tired, sheconfesses today, but on her long-distancetrip she had at least been spared theengine problems that had afflicted theearly Isetta models.

The Isetta quickly became theBakkers’ trademark. They were known allover town, she recalls. Before that, Altenahad only known the Isetta from newspa-per reports or advertisements. The popu-lation’s first “live” sighting of the moto-coupé was thanks to the young couplefrom Bavaria. Frau Bakker had long sincelost her heart to the diminutive car andshe felt proud of this rare means of trans-port that so aptly expressed her lifestyle.“What price the world?” she says of herfeelings at the time. But she was notalone. Her husband had also taken ashine to the Isetta. More and more fre-quently he would drive to work in it whileFrau Bakker was left watching her “bub-ble car” disappear around the corner.Meanwhile, she was busy paying it off.She had managed to part-exchange herLambretta for 800 deutschmarks. Theremaining 1,750 marks came out of hersalary as secretary to the TechnicalDirector at Graetz. It was a tight financialplan, but Frau Bakker stuck to it rigidly. Bythe end of 1956 she was able to call theIsetta her very own.

Almost three years to the day afterthe inaugural drive, it was time to sayfarewell to her trusty companion. FrauBakker had recently give birth to a son.

The journey back from the hospital wastaken in the Isetta, but it had now growntoo small for the family’s needs. Thetreasured car was advertised for 1,600marks. A master tailor was interested inbuying it but attached one condition tothe purchase: Herr Bakker was to have asuit tailor-made by him and the cost of thegarment would be subtracted from thesale price of the motocoupé. Having seenthe suits on display in the tailor’s shop,Herr Bakker declined to put in an order.He preferred to sell the Isetta at a slightlyreduced price to ensure that he wouldcontinue to arrive at the Graetz premisesdressed in an appropriate fashion.

First out of the blocks

It was the end of an era in the life of theBakkers that had been closely entwinedwith the Isetta. But the little two-seaterremains firmly anchored in HanniBakker’s memory as a symbol of regen-eration and a carefree life. In that respectthe sprightly 81-year-old is no exception,as others share the same or similar rec-ollections of their time with the Isetta.But there could hardly have been anyonewho put so much heart and charm intosecuring their “bubble car”. And therewas surely nobody quicker off the markthan Hanni Bakker, who has sincereturned – Isetta-less – to Bavaria to livein similarly idyllic surroundings as thoseof 50 years ago.

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Automobiles


Rottach-Egern 1953: Hanni Bakker and herhusband on a Lambretta 125 LC.

Targeting female customers: “Women arebetter drivers...”

In August 1957 plans for rescuing thestricken Bayerische Motoren Werkewere taking concrete shape. The imple-mentation of Heinrich Richter-Brohm’s“Programme for the Future” (MTL02/2005) involved the cancellation of allinvestment in the BMW 501 and theclosing down of motorcycle production

in favour of the development of a “mid-range” car. The plans only provided forsmall improvements to the Isetta and theV8 engines for the big saloons, while theBMW 600 was to be developed into a“small, gutsy 2-seater sports car”.

However, it soon became clear thatwork on the “mid-range” car was not pro-

ceeding according to plan. One of theprincipal factors in this was the produc-tion department’s unauthorized diversionof investment funds towards largesaloons. That is why the planned produc-tion launch of the “mid-range” car inspring 1959 could no longer be achievedon schedule. It was this that thwarted

Ernst Kämpfer – man of transitionAt the General Meeting held on 9th December 1959 the small shareholders and dealers blocked the sale of BMW to Daimler-Benz that was proposedby the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board. In the following weeks the company’s top management took on a new shape. The man whohad chaired the Board of Management up till then, Heinrich Richter-Brohm, retired. Initially no successor was appointed. In this situation the FinanceDirector, Ernst Kämpfer, took over the role of chief executive and as “unofficial chairman” steered BMW through the first years of reconstruction.

Page 52

By Dr Florian Triebel

Ernst Kämpfer in 1962.

53Mobile Tradition live / Issue 03.2005 Page

efforts to carry through the companyrestructuring under the “Programme forthe Future”.

At a meeting of the SupervisoryBoard in February 1958, the Head ofProduction, Willy Black, had to admitresponsibility. The Supervisory Boardaccepted his resignation at a meetinglater that month. Along with him, theFinance Director, Dr Heinz Seyfried, alsoleft the company.

A major shareholder, HermannKrages, took this opportunity to exert hisinfluence. In the spring of 1956, thisindustrial entrepreneur from a family oftimber merchants in Bremen had begunto buy up fairly large blocks of BMWshares on the stockmarket, which led toviolent fluctuations in BMW’s share price.In April 1956, investigations revealed thatKrages already held between 20 and 25percent of BMW stock. By early 1958 hehad built up his holding still further; it wasfinally estimated at between 30 and 35percent. This meant that Krages hadrisen to become the second-largestshareholder after Deutsche Bank. Notonly did he use his influence to appointtwo members of the Supervisory Board,he even wanted to put someone he couldtrust on BMW’s Board of Management.

Turbulent times for BMW

With the departure of Seyfried the waywas clear to appoint someone new to thekey finance department. Krages pro-posed Ernst Kämpfer. Born on 8th June1911, Kämpfer had been employed at theVereinigte Österreichische Stahlwerke(VOEST, the United Austrian Steelworks)in Linz until 1951 and had already worked

alongside HeinrichRichter-Brohm there.After that, he was acompany assessor withthe Deutsche Treu-h a n d - G e s e l l s c h a f t(German Trustee Com-pany), and then movedto a senior job in theStülken shipyard inBremen. BMW’s Su-pervisory Board fol-lowed Krages’ sugges-tion and on 13th February 1958 appoin-ted Kämpfer as deputy executive boardmember for finance. As early as 1st Mayof that year Kämpfer additionally tookover the purchasing department from hiscolleague Ernst Hof.

Kämpfer’s role in the crisis

In this position he gave his support to theChairman of the Board of Management,Heinrich Richter-Brohm, in implementingthe delayed “Programme for the Future”.The measures only took effect slowly. Inautumn 1959 a worrying liquidity crisisloomed over the company. Thereseemed no prospect of BMW continuingas an independent business. In consulta-tion with his top management colleaguesand the Supervisory Board, Kämpfer, as amember of a BMW delegation, negotiat-ed with Daimler-Benz AG about possiblecooperation and a takeover by theStuttgart-based company. The discus-

sions were intended to open up a futurefor BMW. This only seemed possiblethrough close dependence on a strongindustrial partner. The negotiations led toan offer by Daimler-Benz AG to acquire astrategic majority holding in BMW’s equi-ty capital. The offer from Stuttgart wastimed to run out on the date of theExtraordinary General Meeting on 9thDecember 1959. Despite eloquent advo-cacy by the Chairman of the SupervisoryBoard, Herr Frowein, and of two of thedirectors, Heinrich-Richter-Brohm andErnst Kämpfer, the small shareholdersand the dealers’ representatives suc-ceeded in forcing an adjournment of themeeting – which meant that Daimler-Benz’s refinancing offer expired and wasnot renewed.

On 10th December, the Board ofManagement was thus faced with aninsoluble problem. The possibility of areconstruction led by Daimler-Benz AGhad collapsed – an alternative means ofkeeping BMW in business had to befound. To make matters worse, the Boardwas split on a number of importantissues. Kämpfer opposed the sales pro-gramme put forward by the MarketingDirector, Hof, which had the backing ofRichter-Brohm. Hof’s plan was basedalmost exclusively on the BMW 700,which had just been launched. From hisdetailed knowledge of the profit-and-lossfigures, Kämpfer criticized the pro-gramme for its lack of vision. In his view,the new small saloon could not, on its

Design drawing of a sporty coupé based onthe BMW 600, 14th May 1958.

Ernst Kämpfer presentingthe BMW LS in 1962 totwo senior representativesof the Bavarian revenueauthorities.

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Profiles

Ernst Kämpfer: Man of transition

own, get the company out of trouble.Despite the grim financial situation, hefelt they had to push on with the “mid-range” car project.

Richter-Brohm recognized that hisoriginal idea for a reconstruction had failedand he no longer had the full support ofthe company’s top management. InFebruary 1960 he therefore announcedhis resignation. In this critical situation, theSupervisory Board did not appoint a suc-cessor. At that point no way of refinancingthe company had yet been found, andnegotiations were being conducted simul-taneously with various interested parties.Not until a commitment had been made toone solution would the company’s Boardof Management be given a new chairman.Meanwhile, the Supervisory Boardrequired the remaining members of theBoard of Management – Ernst Kämpfer,Heinrich Krafft von Dellmensingen (MTL01/2005) and Ernst Hof – to run BMW oncollegiate lines. Together with Krafft,Kämpfer led negotiations with theBavarian state government on financialassistance to keep BMW solvent in theshort term. In doing so, he succeeded inregaining the government officials’ confi-dence in BMW, which had been damagedby Richter-Brohm’s negotiating policy.

In June 1960 Kämpfer additionallyassumed responsibility for sales from his

colleague Hof, and thenon 1st August, followingthe departure of Krafft vonDellmensingen, he alsotook over the “Admini-strative and Legal” de-partment. In exchange hehanded the PurchasingDepartment back to Hof.With this new breadthof responsibilities,Kämpfer’s position on theBoard became that ofprimus inter pares andthus unofficial chairman.In this capacity Kämpfer, in conjunctionwith representatives of the SupervisoryBoard, conducted the negotiations onways of refinancing BMW AG. From ten-tative discussions it soon became clearthat it was unlikely any industrial partnerwould come on board on acceptableterms. This meant that the reconstruc-tion had to be achieved from internal

resources. To do this, the first thingneeded was a medium-term businessmodel. Kämpfer based his concept onwhat he knew of Richter-Brohm’s“Programme for the Future”. But where-as originally the Isetta and the BMW 600were meant to carry the company untilthe “mid-range” car was ready to go intoproduction, the role of stop-gap solutionin Kämpfer’s plans was now taken by thesuccessfully launched BMW 700.Meanwhile the plans for a medium-sizedsaloon were well advanced. The design-ers had come up with a model whoseengine capacity ranged from 1.3 to 1.8litres. Calculations and forecasts showedthat the BMW 700 and the “mid-range”car would bring the main BMW plant, inMunich’s Milbertshofen district, up tobreakeven point. If sales went well, prof-its were possible in the medium term.

The successful “chairman”

These plans were the basis of the businesspolicy for the next few years and also laybehind the reconstruction talks. Kämpferpresented them at the Annual GeneralMeeting and not least of the results was topersuade Dr Herbert Quandt to make amajor investment in BMW.

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Ernst Kämpfer and Supervisory Board mem-ber Gerhard Wilcke after flying back from talksin Detroit, 1960.

Ernst Kämpfer (standing,right) and Supervisory Boardrepresentative GerhardWilcke (seated in front ofKämpfer) in talks with RoyChapin, Vice-President ofAmerican Motors Corp.(standing centre), about pos-sibilities for restructuringBMW in 1960.

In the spring of 1961 Kämpfer urged thatthe vacant board position of MarketingDirector be filled. He was no longer ableto handle this growing workload in addi-tion to his job as acting chief executive.What is more, he himself possessed norelevant marketing experience. If the“mid-range” car was to be a success, amarketing expert had to be brought intoBMW’s top management team. TheSupervisory Board accepted Kämpfer’sarguments and in September 1961appointed the former head of marketingat Auto-Union, Paul G. Hahnemann, asMarketing Director.

With the arrival of a full-time market-ing man on the Board, Kämpfer did giveup some of his responsibilities, but indoing so released more time for his otherassignments. He was sure that, becauseof the successful reconstruction underhis leadership, the Supervisory Boardwould in the foreseeable future ratify hisposition as Chairman of the Board ofManagement. His hopes were not with-out foundation, since he had steeredBMW successfully through the difficultfirst phase of reconstruction and heenjoyed the confidence of and good rela-tions with both the Supervisory Boardand Herbert Quandt.

Hopes are dashed

Nevertheless, Kämpfer was mistaken inhis calculations. In the middle of Februarythe Supervisory Board brought in a newChief Executive for BMW AG. His namewas not Kämpfer but Dr Karl-HeinzSonne. He was to take over the areas ofGeneral Administration and Purchasing.Kämpfer was only left with responsibilityfor finance. This meant a marked weak-ening in his position from the “quasi-chairman” he had been up to now.

The reasons why Kämpfer, despitehis services to the company, was notconsidered for the post of Chairman ofthe Board of Management remainunclear to this day. One clue might bethat, before his appointment to BMW,Sonne had worked for a company in theQuandt Group.

It is possible that the new majorshareholder wanted to put someone incharge of BMW who had already shownhis qualities in a Quandt-owned firm.This would suggest that Kämpfer suf-fered from being the nominee of the for-

mer big shareholder, Hermann Krages,who had sold his holding to DeutscheBank back in 1959.

Initially Kämpfer wanted to give uphis post. But despite his disappoint-ment, the Supervisory Board managedto persuade him to extend his contract tothe year 1965. This can probably beseen as a demonstration of their faith inKämpfer’s qualities and as recognition ofhis contribution to BMW up to that point.Nevertheless, it was not sufficient to cre-ate a relationship of trust between the

former “quasi-chairman” and the newChairman of the Board of Management.

With the successful launch of theBMW 1500, the “mid-range” car projectwas effectively completed and with itthe first phase of Kämpfer’s plan forrestoring the fortunes of BMW.

In spring 1963 Kämpfer took thisopportunity to ask the SupervisoryBoard for an early release from his con-tract. In the past months it had becomeclear he could no longer work success-fully with Sonne. Kämpfer felt he hadbeen demoted and robbed of the suc-cess of his concept, which Sonne, asChief Executive, was now reaping. On30th April 1963 Kämpfer took his leaveof BMW.

No-one more than Kämpfer repre-sents the transition from a crisis-tornbusiness to a modern, ambitious motormanufacturer. First, he supportedRichter-Brohm on his path to recon-struction and was also involved in thediscussions about selling the companyprior to 9th December 1959. After theGeneral Meeting in 1959, the adaptationof the “Programme for the Future”, hisnegotiations with the state authoritiesand potential investors, and not leastthe dynamic implementation of the

plans in the course of business assuredthe successful refinancing of the com-pany. Looked at from his point of view,his disappointment at not beingappointed Chairman of the Board ofManagement is quite understandable.

Departure from BMW

After leaving BMW, Kämpfer went on tobecome executive chairman of theMaximilianhütte steelworks. In January1971 he moved to become chief execu-tive of the Flick conglomerate, where hestayed until 1976. He also held variousother posts, including that of Chairman ofthe Supervisory Board of Krauss-MaffeiAG. Ernst Kämpfer died on 11th January1999 at the age of 87.

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Profiles


Board members (left to right) Paul G. Hahnemann, Wilhelm Gieschen, Ernst Kämpfer and Karl-Heinz Sonne congratulate Sales Manager Ludwig Hense in 1962.

Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps 1955: Noll/Cron (2) ahead of Smith/Dibben (40) and Faust/Remmert (12).

The 1955 motor sport season had just onefavourite in the sidecar category: WilhelmNoll who, with his sidecar driver Fritz Cron,had won not only the previous year’sGerman Championship but also the WorldChampionship title. The sidecar duo withtheir works BMW had proved too superla-tive towards the close of the season. Inparticular it was the final WorldChampionship race in Monza, for which thepair lined up for the first time with a fully-faired sidecar combination, that turned intoa veritable display of strength. They shavedaround four seconds a lap off the runners-up – a minor miracle in sidecar racing whichsaw them outclass their rivals.

Although the reigning WorldChampions did not compete in the firstWorld Championship race in Barcelona’sParque Montjuïc, BMW had three otherstrings to their bow in the pairings of

Faust/Remmert, Hillebrand/Grunwaldand Schneider/Strauss, who had taken2nd, 3rd and 4th places in the 1954German Championship. However, thistrio came to grief during practice whenHillebrand broke his thigh in a crash.When Schneider/Strauss had to retirefrom the race, Munich pinned all itshopes on Willi Faust and Karl Remmert.This twosome would not disappoint theBMW team: they went on to win the firstWorld Championship race of the seasonwith around a minute’s lead over sec-ond-placed Brits Cyril Smith and StanleyDibben on Norton. It was more than aminute later that four-times WorldChampion Eric Oliver crossed the finish-ing line on the second works Norton totake third place.

Oliver was deeply impressed by theperformance of the two Germans:

“Here, gentlemen, you have the futureWorld Champions of the sidecar class!”he announced to reporters after theevent. There was currently no team inthe world that could match them, hewent on. If Faust and Remmert were tocontinue performing as they had inBarcelona that day, they would domi-nate this class in future. “Nobody canhold a candle to them,” he concluded.Eric Oliver would be proved right, atleast with respect to the 1955 season.

But who were these two men – run-ners-up in the 1954 GermanChampionship but little known interna-tionally? Willi Faust, born in Oberbimbachin the Fulda district in 1924, was an

Surprise World Champions: Willi Faust and Karl RemmertIn 1954, Wilhelm Noll and Fritz Cron shattered Britain’s longstanding dominance in sidecar racing to claim the first World Championship for BMW.The supremacy of this duo right up to the end of the season also made them favourites for the 1955 World Championship. But two German priva-teer entrants on a BMW RS proved a sensation and ultimately relegated the title defenders into second place.

By Fred Jakobs

Page 56

Facing page: Willi Faust and Karl Remmert,1955 World Champions and German

Champions.

apprentice vehicle mechanic before serv-ing in the navy during the war. It wasn’tuntil 1951, aged 27, that he embarked onmotor racing. He contested his first raceson a 250 cc twin-cylinder rotary-valveTriumph and managed to rake in five winsin his first five races. In 1951 he made hissidecar race debut on a second-hand flat-twin BMW Boxer. On this BMW he alsocontested several solo races in the 500 ccclass, which meant that in 1951 he wasalready a regular competitor in three dif-ferent categories.

Success with better hardware

In 1953 he presented himself before theexperts as a newly fledged licensedrider. He had taken over Wilhelm Noll’sBMW sidecar combination and was nowregularly among the front-runners innational races. “Willi Faust was the up-and-coming man,” says Noll lookingback. Noll himself was supplied withbetter material by the BMW factory andknew that his ageing, yet still speedy,BMW was in the best of hands with thisnewcomer.

Sitting in the sidecar from the start wasKarl (“Charly”) Remmert, born in Silges– also near Fulda – in 1925. Remmert,who was more or less successfully try-ing his hand as a cross-country rider,was already a firm friend of Faust’sbefore their shared motor sport career.“Karl was a fun guy. He was a typicalsidecar rider – they were a breed apartanyway,” says Noll today of the sidecarman whose “great tenacity and incredi-ble energy” were highlighted by a profilein the journal Motorrad in 1956.

The breakthrough for the duo camein 1954 when Willi Faust managed toget hold of one of 24 Type RS 54 BMWracing machines that were for sale. In hisemployer’s workshop, the talentedtechnician set about fine-tuning thebike. Logistical and financial supportcame from the local Fulda tyre factory. Itwas incredible that the twosomeachieved their successes using roadtyres on general sale from this manufac-turer when the trend in motorcycle rac-ing was already towards specialization.They ended the 1954 season as run-

ners-up in the GermanChampionship, while in theWorld Championship theycame third in the Swiss andItalian Grands Prix tosecure a respectable sixthplace. The outstandingachievement of that yearwas their victory inSchotten, where before anelated crowd of 175,000they put Schneider/Straussand Noll/Cron firmly in theirplaces in a memorable rain-sodden event, providingclear evidence of their win-ning potential for the firsttime at an internationalcompetition.

Despite these succèsd’estime, the victory theduo clinched at the firstWorld Championship racein Spain came as a sur-prise to all as they wereriding an unfaired sidecarcombination. And even ifthey had streaked ahead ofthe British competition,the question was whetherthis was any more than a

fluke and how Faust/Remmert wouldacquit themselves against the nationalBMW competition, in particular titledefenders Noll/Cron.

The answer would come in the Isle ofMan Tourist Trophy where Noll/Cron werelining up for their first race in this, the sea-son’s second World Championship event,and Schneider/Strauss were also on theirmettle for the TT. Fritz Hillenbrand, on theother hand, would miss out on the entireseason due to his injury. But then therewas the powerful British competition onNorton and Matchless, keen to capitalizeon their home advantage. The importanceof a detailed course knowledge on thiscircuit of over 60 kilometres had been elo-quently demonstrated by Eric Oliver theprevious year when he crossed the finish-ing line with a gap of more than five min-utes to the ensuing World Champion,Wilhelm Noll.

Privateers without team orders

It was Oliver, too, who initially put hisstamp on the race. He took the lead, butwas unable to shake off the three BMWsidecar combinations in his slipstream.With the insider’s favourite, Cyril Smith,having already crashed out of the firstlap with his Norton, it became clear fair-ly early on that only Oliver, Schneider,Noll or Faust were in the running for vic-tory.

On lap four Schneider managed toget past the four-times World Champion,who was forced to retire on the same lap:a stone had shattered the spectacles ofhis sidecar man Bliss, who abandonedthe race with splinters in his eye.

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Racing

Faust/Remmert in the International TouristTrophy on the Isle of Man in 1955.


Surprise World Champions: Willi Faust and Karl Remmert

Now BMW could easily havegone on to take a one-two-three win, but there was noworks team out on the trackthat might have been kept oncourse by team orders. OnlyNoll/Cron had a works contract,while the other two pairingswere competing as privateers,paying their own way, at theirown risk, and equally keen totake the prestigious TT. BMWpress spokesman Hoepner hada feeling things might not gotoo well as he and the mechan-ics watched the tough three-way battle from the pits.

Wilhelm Noll moved intothe lead, posting the fastest race lap atan average 115 km/h, and had sooncarved out a lead of 50 metres beforetaking a corner too fast, overturning andretiring from the race. Faust/Remmertwere also forced to retire after cominginto contact with Schneider/Strauss.Fortunately the latter survived the colli-sion without major damage and man-aged to secure victory with a gap ofmore than three minutes. That putSchneider on level-pegging with Faustin the World Championship rankings,while title defender Noll came away stillempty-handed after the second race ofthe season.

The BMW sidecar teams went on tosecure the forfeited threefold victory inthe third World Championship race: the

German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring.Faust/Remmert made their debut in afaired machine and the aerodynamicimprovements paid dividends: they beatNoll/Cron with a lead of a minute. In thirdplace was Schneider, who had a substi-tute in the sidecar after Strauss hadbeen incapacitated by an accident dur-ing practice. With this impressive win –they had a lead of 53 seconds by theend of lap three, after which they turneddown the heat – the two men from Fuldahad taken over the sole lead in the WorldChampionship.

A minor scandal then accompaniedthe Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps. The first four laps of therace were dominated by the three BMWsidecar teams. Then, on lap five, Cyril

Smith made a charge fromfourth place to move to thefront of the field. But it seemsthe Englishman had overtaxedhis machine, since he had toretire two laps later with a tech-nical fault. With Schneider hav-ing dropped back slightly,everything pointed to a battlebetween the leader Noll andsecond-placed Faust. As theyturned into the start/finishstraight on lap seven, Noll/Cronwere met by the chequeredflag: the Belgian race directorhad miscounted and ended therace a lap too early.

The question was, howshould this race be scored if the dis-tance prescribed in the regulations hadnot been covered? Faust/Remmert,moreover, were extremely put out asthey had planned to thrash the reigningWorld Champions on the final lap. In theend the FIM declared the race in order,giving Noll/Cron their first win of theseason. In the overall rankings, however,they had to content themselves withthird place. Faust/Remmert, whoseprotest at the race results was rejected,managed to expand their lead overSchneider/Strauss.

Tragic end of a career

In the next race, the Dutch TT in Assen,both were able to avenge themselves forthe curtailed race in Belgium.

After numerous retirements amongthe competition, they were once againgunning for victory against Noll andCron. The leaders repeatedly switchedplaces until Faust/Remmert swept pastthe title defenders shortly before theclose of the race to win by a margin of 14seconds. As Schneider, previously sec-ond in the rankings, had abandoned therace on the eighth lap, this win allowedthe two Fulda contestants to clinch theirWorld Championship title ahead of thefinal race in Monza. That made it easierto come to terms with their retirementfrom that event. Noll/Cron won the sea-son’s concluding race to become WorldChampionship runners-up.

But the undisputed stars of the year1955 were Faust/Remmert, who alsoclaimed honours in the GermanChampionship by virtue of their wins onFaust/Remmert crossing the finishing line in the Rund um Schotten race in 1955.

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Dutch TT in Assen, 1955. Noll/Cron (1) still ahead ofFaust/Remmert (12).

BMW Group Mobile Tradition: Racing

the Solitude, in the Rund um Schottenrace, in Nuremberg, on the Sachsenringand at Eilenriede.

Even 50 years on, Wilhelm Noll stilltalks about the racing duo from the Fuldaarea with undisguised respect: “Faustand Remmert deservedly took the World

Championship title back then.” But itwasn’t just their racing skills that madesuch an impression on him: “Willi was atechnical wizard as well. He had adaptedhis sidecar combination to run on 16-inch rather than 18-inch wheels and was

the first to realize that this enabled afavourably low centre of gravity.” Therewas also the almost blind communicationbetween the two riders during a race, andthe good fortune to have been largelyspared any technical breakdowns. By thetime they had won the World

Championship, all the experts con-curred with Eric Oliver’s forecast at theoutset of the competition season thatFaust/Remmert would dominate the rac-ing scene for years to come. But it wasnot to be. In April 1956 the duo were

testing their machine for the forthcom-ing World Championship season. Theirmotorcycle had new all-round fairingand the two of them were running a fewtrial laps to familiarize themselves withits very different handling. Just beforethe Hockenheim Stadkurve (Town

Corner) they had a serious crash, inwhich Karl Remmert died on the spot.Willi Faust survived with serious injuries,but he never got over the loss of hisfriend and completely withdrew fromracing. He died in 1992.


Above left: International Solitude Race 1955: in the front row, Faust/Remmert (53), Schneider/Strauss (34) and Noll/Cron (43). Above right: Thewinners Willi Faust and Karl Remmert.

1955 International Tourist Trophy: Noll/Cron ahead of Faust/Remmert in the Manx Arms Corner.

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