BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG) History Documentary

BMW, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1917. BMW is headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It also owns and produces Mini cars, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

[@albertelazar4069]

Incredibly educational, and informative! There isn't a moment in this documentary, where there is someone sitting, and talking directly into the camera, like in the documentaries they make nowadays. They simply don't make documentaries like this anymore!

[@metlguitar02]

I just bought my first BMW. It’s a 2016 435i m sport. Very happy with this incredible machine and proud to be a part of the BMW family.

[@bmwalpina4628]

good shaped coupe!

[@bux49]

Having owned a 1958 Isetta 300 in the late 1960's. I was able to obtain 65 mph once taking my life in my hands. The US model had 3 braking wheels and 4 driving wheels. Scary in a panic stop. I think on a good day it produced 13 hp. The 4 speed gearbox had a reversed shift pattern. The 12 volt electric system switched from starting mode to charging mode. While small and only one cylinder it was very well engineered. I purchased the car with 1200 miles on it for $75.

[@bmwalpina4628]

+R. Johnson WOW! If you keep it till now you would sale it for good money. Two examples I've seen last time, been priced between 13-15k GBP (19-22k $)

[@phildouglas9086]

@@bmwalpina4628 The greatest BMW ever built was the 1944 BMW model J38 flying saucer. It weighed 80,000lbs and was powered by 12 jet engines. Easily the most remarkable vehicle ever built by BMW.

[@dipling.pitzler7650]

A very thoroughly researched documentary...even with some shots of BMWs being tested on the Nürburgring !

[@jhendricks203]

I had pleasure of owning several BMW cars & bikes, the 700 was the best handling of them all, it cost me $100 in 1972.. The 1600 was a junker when purchased but I found a similar 1600 in a scrap yard that was like new. I swapped parts and rebuilt the whole car and drove it for another 290,000 miles. Loved that simple, reliable car. The bikes (4) were all very reliable and used for cross country trips. Never had a bit of trouble with any of them.

[@bmwalpina4628]

Decent BMW cars are max from early '90s, I had E36 cuope 318is 16V DOHC on the timing chain for 10years! 370 000km on the clock and sold it. I have replaced just chain tensioner once, alternator and basic maintenance stuff during one decade of using it ;-D

[@charlesreinhart803]

Thank you as a BMW fan

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I love Automobiles. It was my favourite series on the History Channel (now called simply History). Why the show was discontinued is beyond me.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Jorge Rodriguez Really? Where are you from? I'm from Seattle, Washington (USA).

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Jorge Rodriguez P. R.? What's that? And where is it?

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Jorge Rodriguez I know where Puerto Rico is. I got to visit there a few years ago.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Jorge Rodriguez What?

[@Freba66]

As a young police officer in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, I rode the policebike BMW R50 and R60 in the late sixties and seventies. Both with or without sidecar. Sidecar riding is a completely different discipline. Even more fun. When the first Japanese motorcycles arrived in Europe in the seventies and you started riding them, you didn't know what was happening. The Japanese motorcycles drove so much easier. Faster and more agile.

[@miguelrodriguez1214]

I'm driving HISTORY! E60 BABY!

[@nw8000]

Who did the voice overs for this? he is on everything and his voice is just sublime for automobiles!!!

[@patrickmichaellangan576]

According to the credits, Marv Henry, a radio and voiceover personality.

[@505197]

BMW makes fine cars, but today they are so complicated to repair. I own a shop, and have 5 BMW motorcycles, but I won't own a car. If I could find a 2002 for a reasonable price that wasn't rusted away, I'd buy it. But that's very unlikely to ever occur. I'll never forget the first time I drove a 2002, it sure opened my eyes to the potential of a small four banger sedan. I loved it.

[@NorceCodine]

Do the motorbikes need a lot of service? I am also switching to BMW bikes.

[@jblackjack]

I loved my 1973 2002 tii and 1976 2002 , what great cars! Will miss them as long as I live!

[@tanmaysaxena6214]

I am the 1000th like!!! Living in Munich, couldn't be more proud of the Welt facility

[@granskare]

the Major of our office had a 505 or m506 (I don't recall which) but it was great and looked like a Jaguar...A great car ! I saw the Isetta - a great little car

[@trailingarm63]

I have a BMW R1200R (roadster) motorcycle and I like the fact that a rider from 1923 would recognise the engine and transmission immediately. It amazes me that one design could have triumphed over almost a century - albeit with constant development. The design has a lovely, low centre of gravity which makes the bike feel like a gyroscope. The flat twin has a loping gait which will take you to down to the shops or around the world. It will also get me to 60 mph in around three and a bit seconds if I'm in the mood. I used to have a Z3 (roadster of the four-wheel variety) which was fine if you treated it like a 1930s classic, but bloody dangerous if you tried to drive fast on a curvy road. I almost put it through a hedge, and it was touch-and-go before it finally straightened out. I was removing twigs and soil from the bodywork for days afterwards. The company seems to have addressed the faults with the introduction of the Z4 and early ones are now becoming quite cheap. I don't want to look like an advert for the company but I'm sorely tempted.

[@PrimoStracciatella]

There's lots of talk about the famous flat twin motorcycle engine, but the single is never mentioned. The R 24, built in 1948, is shown at 18:52, but at 19:04 boxers are being raced. "There was no sign of a new car yet, but the R 24 motorbike proved to be a winner." The bike that won the race was not the R 24. 19:53 "The R 24 was followed by the R 51. Like the R 24, it was a direct descendant of the original BMW motorbike. They shared the basic BMW characteristics: a twin-cylinder horizontally opposed engine and shaft drive." 20:11 Again, the R 24 is an upright 250cc single, the R 51 is a 500cc twin. Also the R 51 was a pre-war bike, built from 1938 to 1941, while the bike shown is a R 51/2, which came out in 1950.

[@jclar3565]

Excellent little documentary. Not enough coverage of EMW, although there were some references.

[@AchimReinhardt1]

Danke!

[@k9killer221]

Good video, a pity it only goes up to 1972, because it's about 1975 when BMW really went through the roof with sales and their best cars.

[@peerpede-p.]

I thought that BMW ment 'Bader Meinhof Wagen', now I know better. Just joking BMW makes very good cars and motorcycles, and I hope they will do that even in the future🏁

[@hadial-saadoon2114]

Richtofen never flew with a BMW engine. The Fokker D VII began arriving at the front over a month after his death.

[@carslover3509]

great great report

[@kouroshtashvishi5031]

There needs to be an update.

[@lauribricker9439]

41:08-41:48 Gotta love this footage, the B.M.W. 2000 looks like it's ready to pounce! It looks like a cat running! Meeeowww!!

[@marlborom2c829]

So unique

[@kunshenglim7893]

BMW it always my dream car

[@neooneZ1]

BMW has truly made some great cars and continues to make excellent motorcycles. I truly loved the 733I and 735I's as they were fantastic cars, along with the 325's and 330XI. Now with their plague of mechanical and tech issues, I wouldn't own one. They have become what Ferrari was in the 80's, mechanical nightmares. bummer.

[@goneferguson5432]

How i wish BMW could re-make the chasis & engine types of the 1980s-1990s,BMW 325is,In Africa the market is still strong for those cars,they're still loved in countries like SouthAfrica,Botswana,Lesotho,Swaziland & Namibia (Southern Africa)

[@bmwalpina4628]

Gone Ferguson these cars are still very desirable in Europe also. 20year old E30 325i M-Tech is priced well over 10k EUR

[@not-a-golf-r]

you named 3rd world developing countries and these cars are the only realistically attainable luxury cars for people working on wages as low as $20 a day

[@gurumeditation8911]

Great to hear the REAL German national anthem at the begining

[@JoTokutora]

no e30 m series?

[@syahfinoakbar2227]

Sheer Driving Pleasure

[@BMWhips]

yes sir

[@agoogleaccount2861]

they made great motorcycles

[@cyclist3969]

Not really, slow lumbering motorcycles with engines which would vibrate heavily below 3000 rpm and lurch due to issues with the shaft drive, very over rated products.

[@SpencerLowe-kg4rg]

I work at a BMW dealership as a detailer/service lot attendant

[@Roberob1189]

Say “BMV” when saying BMW to your co workers or boss(s). It’s the correct way to pronounce it. Other than Bavarian motor works.

[@osidhjkfgsobidyfhosdgkhj]

Bimmer is the name for bmw cars. Beamer is for bmw motorcycles.

[@tomtalk24]

@@Roberob1189 "It's the correct way to pronounce it" if you're German!

[@matekochkoch]

@@Roberob1189 Do you want to sell cars or do you want to be smartass on German pronounciation. It is not a name it is a abbreviation, hence Bee Ehmm Double You in the English speaking world, and where ever else you are it is what ever the local language will spell those three lettters. If you can pronounce it completely correct in German feel free to do it but than please with B and M allso spelled like in Germany (similar but not the same). Here in Germany we allso often butcher the English language or misspell company names like IBM.

[@Roberob1189]

matekochkoch cool

[@HikikomoriDev]

...It looks like they put some effort on the set and actors.

[@patrick9761]

earlie BMW = Art

[@orange70383]

I could see safety asked to approve the bubble car today, they'd probably try to bring them up on charges saying that with this car the manufacturer was obviously trying to kill people.

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

I thought THE BMW boxer WAS Douglas copy??

[@bladerunner6087]

G20 m340i is my baby 😊

[@justinjohnson1766]

I broke the curse everyone now we have 667 likes, thank me after the documentary.

[@bmwalpina4628]

good spot mate!

[@traceydeanrainey]

They just don’t last past 2 or 3 years now. It’s sad a car costing over $70,000 in 4years costs $2,000 . If I could afford one I wouldn’t buy one because I’m just not that stupid.

[@67daltonknox]

The shame is that BMW once made good cars. They lost their way in the 90s when each new generation gained weight. To stop this, they resorted to a lot of very bad engineering decisions, particularly the increased use of plastics and aluminum in place of steel. This has been particularly disastrous in the engines where heat causes deterioration and failure of many plastic items, and the aluminum engine bolts stretch. Like most current German cars, they are designed to last through the warranty, then become money pits.

[@patrick9761]

Austin dixie most would not of known

[@rjanbrathenbarholt.5417]

315 DIXI HOT ROD ?

[@ronniedelahoussayechauvin6717]

I personally never owned a BMW.

[@jaygill5582]

And I like ya'and I want cha'

[@cyclist3969]

BMW, still stuck in the old-fashioned rear wheel drive, and do not drive a BMW if there is snow on the road

[@drstevenrey]

The history is great, the story is great, the product is great, but in Europe, it has the spoiled image of being the favored hack of the Albanians and ex Yugoslavians. No longer to be purchased by the locals. Cars impounded for car posing in Germany feature one maybe two non-BMW's.

[@aussiedrifter]

BMW = Bavarian Motor Wreckers ;-)

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

Bring Money With - to pay for maintenance

[@gavind4162]

Heinkel Made The first Bubble Car ...Then BMW Started To Make Them after wards ....!!!!

[@PrimoStracciatella]

According to Wikipedia BMW started building the Isetta in 1955; the Heinkel Kabine came out in 1956. The original Iso Isetta was introduced in 1953.

[@tallslimguy]

Also Make in England in Brighton 🇬🇧

[@ManmohanSingh-kr8bx]

ਕਾਰਾ,,ਦੀ,,ਨਾਨੀ,,BMW,,

[@vxxlxD3MONxlxxv]

They had push to start in the 1930's haha!

[@Roberob1189]

vxxlxD3MONxlxxv push to start was common back then in even American cars. It didn’t lose commonality until the 50s I believe. Then again in the mid-late 2000s.

[@tallslimguy]

It’s Coupe’ not coop - otherwise a great video

[@pommesmayo7336]

german please

[@pommesmayo7336]

doch

[@adrianwickop1793]

warum ?

[@RickTheGreatestPosterEver]

ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE: *PORSCHE*

[@pbfloyd13]

GET. OUT.

[@biclighter3222]

You spelled volkswagen wrong

[@davidviner4932]

I might buy a Porker, but for now I think I will stick with my 1M

[@patrick9761]

i want to lower and fat out a 501

[@21stcenturyozman20]

Luggzhury.

[@simonworman7898]

You can see where the Xl120 got it's lines from!

[@simonworman7898]

3,0si was my first(2nd hand) recommended yo me by a dealer and garage owning friend. It relplaced a 2,5 Triumph and of course was really twice the motor car. When the Essex traffic police bought a couple it was one of the few make they did'nt need to special tune .I had a later model also Si and then a 733 which although agood car was a bit pf a barge.The 735 was better but my fortune fluttered for a while and I did'nt get one.By the mid 80's the world and his wife had a 3 serris which they all refered to as bm's (the world had moved on) In the 2000's I aquired a Z3 2ltr serris 2( dull as dishwater) then an earlier 2,8 which was after a littte modification much more in the BMW tradition. Still made in Alanta ,I think? anyway It was a great thing to fly around the Welsh country side in, having a very late midlife crisis at age 60 Both now long gone !( my 60th year and 2,8 Z3) Happy days.

[@RossBayCult]

Black Mans Wish

[@davidanderson1889]

Hmmmm, not sure what exactly BMW was ever good at, I'm sure there must have been something they've done right. But they sure suck at building cars. Today's vehicles are nothing but over engineered, over priced, stuffed with Chinese electronics to the gunnels plastic junk. Disposable one way cars, touch it and you break it. Look at it in a harsh way and the electronics go bananas. I figured there has to be a reason why the Germans call it: Bayrische Mist Wagen (Bavarian junk wagon). But I don't want to be completely negative here, although no good, they do build them very stylish and frequently came up with some real good looking stuff

[@NorceCodine]

Its not the car, in the US you don't have the same expertise at dealerships that in Germany. German car companies stopped certifying mechanics in the US decades ago. If you buy a Mercedes or Volkswagen in Germany, you are buying into factory run dealerships and certification process thats behind you everywhere you go.

[@justdad53]

Sorry BMW to many of us your company is still too closely aligned to war production and some very evil people.

[@Roberob1189]

Jerry Adams and you believe all white people are racists because a very small portion of their ancestors (less than 1.6%) owned slaves right?

[@justdad53]

Bobby G. - Closing a blind eye to wrong doing doesn't exonerate those who watch and do nothing to some degree of blame and guilt in either case during their time. In this piece I didn't get the feeling the BMW regretted their part in WWII.

[@johnwh1039]

They were a German company with production facilities in Germany. What do you think would happen?

[@matekochkoch]

Than make a little research on Ford and GM and their support of the Germans during WWII. Both had factories in Germany which were producing for the Wehrmacht. Some spareparts made their way from the USA to their factories in Germany even after the USA had joined the war. (of course there was a period where this was impossible) Fact is if you want to stay in business during wartimes you do what ever the army orders.

[@davedthomson]

@@matekochkoch I would just ad that “you would do what ever the army orders or those dictating orders tell you to do."

[@rogerhansen7915]

BMW the best - Sulland NORWAY worst!