The history of BMW started 100 years ago. BMW was founded in October 1913 by Karl Friedrich Rapp as an aircraft engine plant under the name Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke. In 1916, the company obtained a contract to build V12 engines for Austria-Hungary. Rapp was looking for additional capital and found it with Camillo Castiglioni and Max Friz. The company was renamed Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH and in 1918 the name was changed to BMW AG.
Under this name, the company bought Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach AG in 1928. With that acquisition, BMW also obtained the license from the Austin Motor Company. This takeover is still seen as the start of BMW's automotive era. The Dixi 3/15 DA was built under license. It was actually an Austin Seven, but the beginning was there. Incidentally, the letters “DA” stood for “Deutsche Ausführung”. The type designation gave more information, as the number “15” was the designation for the number of horsepower generated by the 748cc 4-cylinder engine. With this power, the Dixi reached a top of 76 kilometers per hour.
From Dixi to BMW
Still, the 3/15 would soon have the BMW logo pinned on. While the Dixi left the production line, BMW engineers worked under the direction of Gotthilf Dürrwächter on the successor to the Dixi. That will be the BMW 3/15 DA 2. The first copy is assembled on March 22, 1929 in a hall next to the AMBI BUDD factory in Berlin. The plate parts are manufactured in the latter production location. In the hall next to the factory, the sheet metal parts are assembled into a body, which is then placed on the chassis, which is still manufactured in Eisenach. The BMW 1929/3 DA 15 is officially presented in July 2. The first mass-produced car with the BMW logo leaves the assembly line in Berlin-Johannisthal. Then the general public will also see that there are many similarities with the “primal DA”. Yet there are substantial differences. The body got bigger, the running boards disappeared, the grille was changed and the BMW logo was mounted on the DA 2. The engine is taken over from the Dixi unchanged. From 1930, production moved back to Eisenach, partly because of the economic recession in the 2s. The DA 1932 is built until February 12.318. Ultimately, XNUMX units left the factories in Berlin and Eisenach in seven body styles.
DA 3 Wartburg. The first sporty BMW.
In April 1930 followed a spectacular variant based on the Austin Seven Ulster. BMW took the elegant 3 / 15 DA 3 Wartburg for sale. The "sporty" roadster character was emphasized by a power increase from 15 to 18 PK. Increased compression and the use of a copper intake manifold and a dual exhaust system are responsible for this. The top speed went up from 76 to 90 kilometers per hour. The generally sporty BMW is built until January 1931 in a limited edition of 150 units.
The DA4. The most recently developed 3 / 15.
The third closed variant of the 3 / 15 was the DA4, which was used as a larger model next to the DA 2. He was introduced in 1931. The last 3 / 15 type went its own way and gradually crept away from the Austin Seven conception. Basically, there was a lot of similarity with the DA1. Engine, gearbox and chassis were the same, but the DA4 gets an ingenious front suspension with pendulum axles. Ultimately, the DA 4 is also the last 3 / 15 DA available in five body styles. He leaves the assembly line in different capacities 3.480 times in Eisenach. After the license agreement with the Austin Motor Company expires, BMW is - together with the DA 2 - succeeded by the BMW 3 / 20, the first fully developed passenger car.
My father bought 1 there after the war, when you couldn't just buy it, you even had to have a permit, later an extra permit for the tires. I still have this permission and the provincial license plate.
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