BMW The Bavarian Motor Works

It is not unusual to regard BMW as one of the younger companies in the motoring industry, and to imagine they came into being in the 1930's, when their successful range of motor cars were sold in England as Frazer Nash BMW's. The truth is far more spectacular. One branch of the BMW family tree sprang from Gustav Otto, the son of Nikolaus August Otto, creator of the `Otto-cycle' from which all four stroke engines are derived. A second branch came from the German town of Eisenach where in 1898, French Decauvilles were built under licence, and by way of Eisenach motor cars, to Dixis, and ending as they started with a licence to build — this time Austin 7's. From these two main sources, there evolved the BMW motor car, one model of which almost immediately achieved immortality — the legendary 328. Michael Frostick and some 350 photographs tell the story from those early Decauvilles, through the prewar 315, 319, 327, and 328 range to the mid 1970s 300 range of motor cars. In addition, there is competition material and photo¬graphs of BMW motor cycles from 1923 to 1975. There is also a short chapter covering the Veritas sports racing cars and later drop head coupes.