[CrAzY dRiVeR]

I've always believed the BMW logo stands for a 'propeller against the blue sky'. Many sources say that this indicates their heritage as an aircraft engine manufacturer'

This is also mentioned here in team-bhp and various other sites explaining car logos-

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intern...car-logos.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intern...y-explain.html
The History of Car Logos
Cartype : BMW logo

This image was used by BMW itself in 1916 (Source: Cartype : BMW logo) to show their engineering prowess.


However,

I was just watching a video of National Geographic Ultimate Factories, where some Mr. Jeorg Huebner of BMW mobile tradition says that its a false belief. Infact, he says he also believed like that for a long time, like many others at BMW.

However the truth is that BMW logo simply represents the colours of the 'Bavarian flag'. (Bavarian Motor Works/ Bayerische Motoren Werke AG)



And- as per wikipedia-

The logo, registered in 10th Dec 1917 under the name "Roundel" was taken from Rapp Motorenwerke emblem (ancestor company), where company name was placed in black and Bavararian flag inserted in the circle. But in the late 20s, this began to be interpreted as a propeller.

So- is it the 'propeller against the blue sky' or simply the 'Bavarian flag'?

And how could such a big majority of the auto-enthusiasts be wrong about the truth behind this logo?

[sabret00the]

^^^ wow thats good info...thanks for sharing

[s0uljah]

Thats an interesting bit of Trivia!

[Thad E Ginathom]

So- is it the 'propeller against the blue sky' or simply the 'Bavarian flag'?

...Or could it be both?

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

...Or could it be both?

Seems a more closer explanation, propeller (to indicate their aircraft lineage) and the colours to indicate the Bavarian flag!

[redfire]

Hey CD, it is an interesting find. More sources says so. Look at this page BMW Logo – BMW Logo History at LogoBlog. See these lines -

"In fact, the first BMW aero-engine test took place in March 1918 – six months after the BMW logo had been created. Additionally, the founding myth of the BMW logo, the propeller, was a component of the engine that was never manufactured by BMW".

[Ram]

I measured the BMW logo atop the BMW museum in Munich
GPS coordinates (48.1765319N, 11.5591621E)
to be 134 feet in diameter. That's just over eight standard-wheelbase 7-series/E65 cars parked bumper to bumper.

Check out Wikimapia - Let's describe the whole world!

Illustrated eight correctly scaled 7-series cars, bumper to bumper, in purple, indigo, blue, green, yellow, amber, red and grey, with shadows on the roof of the museum, for a what-if simulation, using a Google Earth background here.

Ram

[Thad E Ginathom]

GPS coordinates (48.1765319N, 11.5591621E)

really hair-picking here, but Latitude and Longitude have been around a lot longer than GPS!

[hrag]

How do the GPS co-ordinates tell me whether the logo came from the propellor or the Bavarian flag?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by redfire

Hey CD, it is an interesting find. More sources says so. Look at this page BMW Logo – BMW Logo History at LogoBlog. See these lines -

"In fact, the first BMW aero-engine test took place in March 1918 – six months after the BMW logo had been created. Additionally, the founding myth of the BMW logo, the propeller, was a component of the engine that was never manufactured by BMW".

Thanks for the link redfire-

BUT, interesting enough, the same link also mentions that BMW journal “BMW Werkzeitschrift” (1942) says "the BMW logo emerged when a BMW engineer was testing the company’s first 320 bhp engine. He admired the reflection of the shining disc of the rotating propeller that radiated like an aura of two silver cones. In between the two cones, the blue from the sky shined that made the ‘rotating propeller into four areas of color – silver and blue’. The engineer, who envisioned this image, also saw three letters – B M W – reflected on the propeller. Thus, the BMW logo was born."

Also, i feel the statement is they have made about BMW didnt enter aircraft engine manufacturing till March 1918 is not entirely correct, as Rapp Moterenworke (which later became BMW) itself was an aircraft engine manufacturer.
Rapp Motorenwerke - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia