About BMW Cars
BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Works and was founded in October 1913 by Karl Friedrich Rapp who from the very outset focussed upon the engine of the car. The company was originally known as 'Rapp-Motoren Werke' and later changed to BMW. Like many other car manufactures at the time they focussed upon aircraft engines due to the huge demand of Wold War I.
However they continued to struggle through the war and by 1916, Karl Rapp resigned due to financial difficulties. Franz-Josef Popp and Camillo Castiglioni launched 'Motoren Werke' and were joined by Gustav Otto and formed, 'Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke' or BFW and later changed the name to BMW.
By the 1920s BMW had developed a range of airplane engines and used this technology to help in their manufacturing of air brakes in the use of railway cars.
Forced by the conditions imposed by Versailles they switched focus to developing motorcycle engines. Therefore from 1920 to 1922 they built two models which were the Victoria and the Flink. These motorcycles proved hugely successful and in the same year, they opened BMW's first factory.
By 1927, the company started to make four-wheeled vehicles, and in 1928, they unveiled the Dixi 3/15.
In 1929 BMW set a new motorcycle-speed record when Ernst Henne rode their 750 cc bike that reached the top speed of 134.65 mph.
In 1932 they launched the model, 3/20 PS. This was a 782 cc 4-cylinder powered car that was independently produced by BMW. They then gained huge critical acclaim and announced their following model, the 303 saloon with its 6-cylinder engine, something that has remained consistent with all future cars.
1936 was the year that BMW introduced its first roadster, this was the 328 model. This was also the time that saw huge growth within the company and they started to build more factories in Berlin. They also encountered more wins on the racetrack with Baron Fritz Huschke von Kanstein winning the Mille Miglia race in 1940.
Due to World War 2, they had to stop their car production and instead concentrated on making military equipment. However, even under such pressures they still managed to produce the R57 Wehrmacht military motorcycle and the 109-300 jet engine, one of the first jet engines to enter mass production in the world.
BMW's R68 motorcycle model was revealed in the 1950's and proved once again to be hugely popular. They then went from strength to strength and in 1955 produced the Isetta which was powered by a 12/13 hp motorcycle engine that sold over 160,000 units.
The 1960s were also extremely successful for the company and saw the launch of the 1500 and 1600 series, as well as new sedans, including the American Bavaria and the 2.5 CS. In 1973 the 2002 Turbo model was produced and was one of the first turbo engines to be ever mass-produced.
The 1980s saw the successful launch of the M5 and M3 models, at this time BMW employed over 6,000 people. Racing remains extremely profitable for BMW and they won three consecutive FIA WTCC seasons from 2005 to 2007.
BMW Breakers
Our BMW breakers have quoted 4,104 used BMW parts in the last 30 days. Popular part requests during that time were for replacement bumper (front), headlight/headlamp (passenger side), engine (diesel complete), headlight/headlamp (driver side) and headlight/headlamp (passenger side xenon). Quotes have ranged from £39.95 for a BMW 4 Series 420d Xdrive M Sport seat belt (front driver side) to £4000.00 for a BMW 6 Series 640i Se engine (petrol complete). There are 2,154,212 BMWs left on the road in the UK, meaning plenty of second-hand spares are available. The most requested parts for BMW in 2025 were the bumper (front), headlight/headlamp (passenger side), headlight/headlamp (driver side), engine (diesel complete) and headlight/headlamp (passenger side xenon).
All of our suppliers offer guaranteed BMW parts with nationwide delivery available.