It may not be the oldest maker of automobiles, but it’s certainly one of the classiest. This month, Bavarian Motor Works, better known as BMW, will be marking an important milestone as it celebrates its one hundredth birthday.
Mercedes-Benz, Opel, and Ford were all around before the Munich-based car manufacturer, but most motoring fans would agree that you can’t get more stylish than BMW when it comes to making a fashion statement.
The iconic automaker, which is now also the parent company of Rolls Royce, started in 1916, initially building aircraft engines and then, in 1923, turned to manufacturing motorcycles (which it still does), before shifting in earnest to car production in 1928. It has since carried on the tradition of offering elegant, high-tech, high-performance vehicles that are in constant demand across the globe.
Many celebrities have been proud owners of a BMW; Elvis Presley had two in his collection. The BMW Z8 starred alongside Pierce Brosnan in the James Bond film ‘The World Is Not Enough’.
In addition to the brisk sale of modern models, the value of vintage BMWs is also rising steadily. A 1957 507 Roadster fetched an astounding $2.3 million at a Sotheby’s auction earlier this year.
Karim Habib, head of the company’s design team, says the philosophy behind every vehicle it produces is ‘to retain the very emotional connection between a BMW and its driver’. With the ’emotional’ satisfaction BMW has given to its customers, the next hundred years look to be as promising as the previous ones.
(Images credit: netcarshow.com)