Jason Bradwell's 365/366 Photo a Day Blog

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft (Bavarian Motor Works).

Beginning with aircraft engines prior to World War I, BMW (and Germany) was forced to cease aircraft engine production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty after the war. The company shifted to motorcycle production in 1923 and automobiles in 1928.

BMWs follow a certain nomenclature in the naming of many of their vehicles; a 3 digit number is followed by 1 or 2 letters. The first number is the series number. The next two numbers traditionally represent the engine displacement in cubic centimeters divided by 100. The letters represent too much other crap to post here.