1. BMW was formed in 1916.
2. 1. BMW didn’t actually start out as a car manufacturer. They began making aeroplane engines (hence the ‘propeller’ logo), motorbikes, and even brakes for trains.
3. BMW owns Mini and Rolls-Royce
4. In World War 2, about 30,000 of BMW’s workers were actually slave labour! Well, it saves having to pay wages.
5. The E23 7 Series range from the early 80s featured the 745i model, which had a 286bhp, 3.4ltr turbo engine. Unfortunately, this version never made it to the UK.
6. In 2009, BMW produced approximately 1.4 million vehicles.
7. Additionally, 82,000 motorcycles were produced by the company in 2009.
8. The first BMW ‘M’ car was the 1978 M1. Featuring a 3.5ltr 24V straight-6, the car pushed out nearly 280bhp in road going form. Some turbocharged race versions had over 800bhp. It was also used for a one make series, with top F1 drivers competing.
9. BMW has an estimated 106,000 employees worldwide.
10. BMW made approximately $4,279,000,000 in income in 2008.
11. BMW is ranked 78 in the Fortune Global 500 Business list.
12. BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke.
13. BMW is the only current motorcycle manufacturer to reject the use of telescopic forks on its motorbikes.