Bayerische Motoren Werke AG , usually known under its abbreviation BMW , is a German luxury vehicle, motorcycle, and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It is one of the best-selling ...

But what most people probably don't realize is that when the company started, it was neither called Bavarian Motor Works nor did it have anything to do with automobiles, much less motorcycles.

Bavarian Motor Works has an enormously rich history. The patriarchs of the brand, Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto instilled a robust DNA in the company in 1916 through the combination of their ...