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The air-cooled radial engine is much in demand in the early Thirties, thanks to its excellent power/weight ratio.
Wolfgang
von Gronau crosses the North Atlantic in 44 hours from east to
west in a Dornier 'Whale' open flying boat powered by BMW
engines. BMW Hornet and BMW Xa are the names of the first
radial engines from the BMW works in Munich.
An
attractive chassis design for the BMW Dixi mini-car was presented in 1930
with the sporty, two-seat
Wartburg. |
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Crowds welcome triumphant BMW drivers after the 6,000-mile Alpine Rally through four countries.
A German version of the British Austin Seven, the
1931 DA/4 was the European counterpart
of the famous Ford Model T. |
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The New
20hp BMW 3/20, the first model to be developed entirely in Munich, wins the Concours
d'Elegance in Baden-Baden. |
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Technical revolution: the crankshaft of the new BMW 303 6-cylinder engine, designed by Rudolph Schleicher.
The
1933 303
was BMW's first 6 cylinder model and the first to use the
"kidney" style grille. |
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The famous JU 52 is powered by three air-cooled BMW radial engines based on a Pratt & Whitney design.
The
1934 315/1
roadster had a racy appearance with clean lines and deep
cutaway doors. |
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The BMW K 12 is the first motorcycle with a telescopic front fork hydraulic shock absorber.
Beginning in
1935, the
315
advanced to become the undisputed champion in the 1.5-liter
sports car category. |
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The most success-crowned sportscar of its day: the 80-hp BMW 328 Roadster.
In the
328 Roadster, BMW produced a car which
became a legend of sports car and racing history. Nominated for
Car of the
Century in 1999. |
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108 hp missile: In this machine Ernst Henne sets a world record of 173.686 mph (279.508 km/h), which will stand for 14
years. A
special aeroengine factory starts up at Dürrerhof near
Eisenach. Another is set up at Allach near Munich for
large-scale production. |
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Series winner: in 1938 and 1940, Europe's most lauded 2-liter sportscar, the BMW 328, handily wins the
Mille Miglia
thousand-kilometer race between Brescia and Rome. |
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George ("Schorsch") Meier is the first foreigner to win the Isle of Man Senior TT - the world's most rugged motorcycle competition
of its day.
Shortly before the
outbreak of the Second World War, BMW takes over the
Brandenburgische Motorenwerke in Berlin-Spandau and factories
in Basdorf and Zühlsdorf near Berlin. |
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